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by Lori Savery-Hinze

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As a coffee lover, I am a sucker for any new caffeinated beverage with words like "latte," "mocha" or "espresso" on the label. Recently, I came across one of the most convenient and innovative beverage products. A company called OnTech has created its own brand of self heating coffees and hot cocoas called Hillside Beverages. Having braved chilly, Midwest winter road trips, and groaned at the choice between yet another jarred iced latte or what's been sitting on the warmer at the convenience store, I was eager to try it.

According to the label, breaking the bottom seal of the container drains water into the heating chamber which contains quicklime. The combination heats the container without affecting the ingredients. Within five to eight minutes of pressing the bottom seal, a spot on the container changes from pink to white, indicating the beverage is completely heated.

The first Hillside beverage I tried was the Hazelnut Latte. I was amazed to see that not only did it completely heat to the perfect coffee-sipping temperature, it stayed hot for the thirty minutes I was running my errands. The container has the feel of other plastic travel mugs, however, it is not reusable. The Hazelnut Latte was a little on the sweet side for my taste, containing 27 grams of sugar. I also tried the Double Shot Latte and was disappointed to see that it also contained 27 grams of sugar. To put that in perspective, if you usually put a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee at home, one teaspoon is 4 grams of sugar, so the Hillside Lattes contain nearly seven times the amount of sugar as your home-brewed cup of coffee. On the other hand, it's nutritional content is comparable to other refrigerated coffee drinks at the convenience store.

My eight year-old tried the hot cocoa and loved it. There are also other flavors of coffee, tea, and soup available from Hillside.

The retail price is around two to three dollars, which is a little high for a nine and a half ounce beverage. The a non-reusable container is not exactly environmentally friendly, and a word to the engineers: you might want to re-think the pop tab. The first time I opened a Hazelnut Latte, my fingers were met with a little spray. With a soda, it's a slight inconvenience, but with hot coffee, it's a little scary. Since then, I've solved the dilemma by holding a Kleenex or napkin under my fingers while opening it. Still, for camping trips or long car drives when you've reached a drowsy-at-the-wheel caffeine emergency, the convenience of Hillside Beverages is most welcome.

For more information on these products, visit www.hillsidebeverages.com or www.ontech.com.

Learn more about this author, Lori Savery-Hinze.

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