Violet Fig Jam and Matzo Bread from the House of Albert Menes, Cafedirect Freeze-dried Medium Roast instant coffee [Product Review]

I had received the following 3 food items for review:

1)  Violet Fig Jam and 

2)  Matzo Bread from the House of Albert Menes;

3)  Cafedirect Freeze-dried Medium Roast instant coffee.  

About Albert Menes:
It was founded in 1921 by Monsieur Albert Menes in Brittany, France.  The House of Albert Menes began operations when Albert started importing and distributing fine grocery products after develping a taste of passion for exotic ingredients during his numerous overseas trips as a sailor.  The House of Albert Menes registered its trademark in 1986 and grew into a real and vibrant conservatory of fine food.  Today, it offers a range of over 350 items and 21 categories of fine foods.

The Violet Fig Jam is made from carefully selected whole figs grown in Soilles-Pont in Var, south of France. This was my first time trying the fig jam and I was pretty excited about it.  I had dried fig drink before when I went to Poison Ivy restaurant at Bollywood Veggies for lunch.  It was very refreshing.  Figs are well known for their many health benefits.   They are high in natural sugars, minerals and soluble fibre. Figs are rich in minerals including potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper and are a good source of antioxidant vitamins A, E and K that contribute to health and wellness.  The fig seeds are retained in the jam and you can also find chunky pieces of fig flesh in the jam which give the jam a very rich texture.  The natural taste of the whole fruit is preserved in this bottle of jam.

This was the first time that I tried Matzo Bread.  Appearance wise, it looked like a big piece of crispy crackers, pricked with holes and looked a bit charred.  It is made solely of selected wheat flour and water, and no salt is added.  Many might find it bland.  I tried a piece on its own before I paired it up with the fig jam.  The Matzo bread was light and crispy, with a slight hint of charred taste.  

 Packaging of the Matzo Bread.  You will need a container of the same size to store the bread after opening the package.

So.. I spread the fig jam onto the Matzo bread.  There were generous amount of fig flesh inside the jam and the jam definitely went well with the light and crispy Matzo bread.  I had this combination for my breakfast almost daily for a week and I am still not sick of it!  :)  I think this will make a nice snack for afternoon tea as well.

The Violet Fig Jam ($18) and the Matzo Bread ($9) are sold at Market Place at Paragon, Raffles City and Tanglin Mall, Jasons the Gourmet Grocer @ ION Orchard and Sentosa Quayside as well as Robinsons Orchard.

Cafedirect, an UK hot beverage company, has stocked shelves of top supermarkets here with a carefully-blended, premium Medium Roast Freeze-Dried instant coffee.  I am more of a tea person but decided to give this coffee a try.  I didn't add any milk or sugar to the coffee, just hot water and surprisingly, I found the flavour quite robust.   

Using freeze-dried technology, the essence of flavours in the coffee are captured.  To help consumer select a coffee strength, Cafedirect has placed a numbered icon on the label.  The Freeze-dried Medium Roast is a 3 which means that it is a medium roast coffee, perfectly balancing roasted notes with the full flavour of the beans where neither overwhelms the other.

Cafédirect Freeze-dried Medium Roast Instant Coffee is priced at $10.90 per 100g jar.  It is available at major supermarkets like Cold Storage, FairPrice Finest, Giant Hyper, Jasons and Market Place.

Thanks Mileage Communications for the samples.