Sure, everyone loves red roses on Valentine’s Day but it’s been done to death. Box of chocolates? Ditto - and not very imaginative. Here are a handful of delicious new culinary deliveries that should make your Valentine take notice – and see if you can guess which ones are aphrodisiacs.
Send ice-cream from around the world from Choctál, who had the genius idea to ship their international flavors right to your front door, making it the perfect gift to share – or you can even celebrate yourself with this one. Choose the Chocolate Tour, Island Tour, or splurge for the World Tour, each pint contains only flavors and ingredients such as Madagascar or Indonesian vanilla, Costa Rican or Dominican chocolate. http://www.choctal.com/index.php/ice-cream
Why settle for a one-shot boring old box of candy when you can join the Candy Club of the month club and send the gift that keeps on giving all year round. This monthly subscription service was designed to offer members a consistently rotating variety of delicious, hard-to-find candies. Kick it off with the Valentine’s Day box of candy, of course, with Gimbal’s Sour Lips, Gimbal’s Spicy Cinnamon Gourmet Jelly Beans, Marich Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels, and Sweet’s Vanilla Salt Water Taffy. http://www.candyclub.com/.
Completely switch gears from sugar and surprise your Valentine with a protein delivery of Premier Meats http://www.premiermeats.com/ with a note promising to cook a romantic dinner at home with the delicious goods. Yes, they have prime cuts of filet mignon and American Wagyu but you can also order organic chicken or sea bass depending on what you’re both in the mood for on the big date night. And, don’t forget your veggies, Farm Fresh to You specializes in beautiful farm boxes of organic produce, some mixed with fruit from Northern California. http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/home_delivery
One of our favorite California spa and wellness retreats has recently launched a storefront line of artisanal home condiments and spices from the famed Golden Door Spa. This is perfect if you can’t actually go there for Valentine’s Day. Gift your sweetheart with Meyer Lemon Marmalade or Strawberry Lavender Preserves, Lavender Pepper spice blend or a Maple Pepper which is combined with black pepper and kosher salt. There are also soups, rice or Golden Door Ginger Cookies for the sweet tooth. Fans include Oprah Winfrey and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. http://goldendoor.com/.
Based in Los Angeles, the Art of Tea is a top purveyor of hand crafted, organic teas sourced from all over the world by Master Tea Blender Steve Schwartz. The company supplies top restaurants from Spago to Sotto, Bestia and Rustic Canyon. Switch from sipping Champagne for the Amore Tea, an award winning white tea blend that includes organic rose petals, organic mint, and organic lavender. There is even a special blend made just for women as part of the wellness line but let’s get to the men’s blend. Ashwagandha root, which translates from Sanskrit to ‘power of a horse’, is the driving force behind the carefully crafted elixir specifically engineered for the men. Rejuvenating and invigorating, this malty, yet earthy infusion helps to re-energize and enhance performance, especially after extreme exercise or exertion. This could be the most important cup of tea you will ever drink. http://www.artoftea.com/
