One of the iconic segments for Oprah’s show is her Favorite Things series – especially her Christmas show where the audience receives one of every product she reveals.  Bloggers sometimes highlight various products because they’ve been asked to place products on their site for a particular promotion, or for a payment of some sort.  Shows on T.V. highlight various products that work well and sometimes the public isn’t privy to whether or not it’s a “planted advertisement,” or if the product feature is a genuine information sharing gesture.

So, to clear this one up from the beginning, there is NO product support here.  Our “Favorite Things” will have an indy bent.  We’ll talk about a product or idea because we like it, and that’s the only reason.

I’m sharing one of my “favorite things” with you today because it took me a few years to finally hit a product that worked well for my coffee service.  I used to take my favorite coffee beans, grind them daily, then add a bit of “Sugar in the Raw” turbinado sugar plus a little half-n-half once the coffee was brewed.

However, about a year ago I found these Roland imported demerara sugar rough cut cubes.  I love them because sometimes I just want a hint of sweetness, and other times I want a bit more; there are various sizes and I really like that about them.  I don’t have to fill my sugar bowl with the granular product only to wipe up spills, and these cubes lend a foodie flair when I have company that the loose sugar didn’t have.  I purchased my box from the International Pantry gourmet shop in Norman, Oklahoma with a gift certificate given to me by my brother.

The International Pantry has been around since 1978 and is one of the few shops that feature a full line of Le Crueset cookware.  I love the orange color and have plans to start trading out my 25 year-old cookware soon for a piece at a time.

What’s the difference between turbinado and demerara sugar?  All brown sugars have some degree of molasses added to them, but the demerara is just a bit lighter, and is said to have less of a “honey” finish to it than the turbinado.

So, if you’re looking for a little something special to dress up your coffee service and love the warm flavor of demerara sugar over white sugar like I do, you might give these sugar cubes a try. I got mine for about $5.95 in the store, but you can also order them on Amazon for $4.50 plus shipping. My supply looks like it may last right at one year.

I love them!, Red Dirt Kelly