Weekly Pickups: Sour sweets, instant coffee, and more...
Ft. Rachel Braun
Welcome back to Weekly Pickups!
Thank you so much for all of the love on last week’s edition :) We’re loving this format, and can’t wait to continue sharing our favorite weekly finds with you.
This week, we’ve been thinking about…
How every Gen Zer is drinking matcha now. Is this the demise of iced latte season? - Jenna
The explosion of new, awesome pasta sauces. This category went from slept-on to packed with innovators in no time. - Nate
And now, onto our weekly pickups… →
Nate’s Pickups
Blobs new sour gummies!
Yes, another week another candy. So sue me! I love this stuff. And if you’re my dentist reading this, no you didn’t.
Quick Facts: Low-sugar soft and chewy gummy candies. And what’s really wild is that each BAG is only 2g of sugar!
Reasons to love:
Honestly, this and Rotten are my two favorite low sugar gummy candies right now. At least top of the leaderboard!
You’ve heard of eat the pint from brand like Halo Top, well with Blobs you can eat the bag! Like I said, 2g of sugar in the bag. So eat the damn bag!!
Amazing flavors. Each one, these new sour ones included, have incredible punchy fruity flavors. Which I think is really hard to do in most lower sugar candy.
Where to buy: Online and in select grocery stores
Soft Services - Theraplush “Hold”
Look not everything I try is always food. You forget, I’m also a skincare girly as well! And Soft Services is one of my favorite skincare brands. I think I’ve tried (and enjoyed) almost every single one of their products.
Quick Facts: (the best) overnight hand moisturizer with a little retinol stuffed in there for good luck
Reasons to love:
It’s incredibly effective. I mostly got this because I may not have the best cuticles on the market, and this stuff has saved them and my dry hands.
Smells amazing. They do have an unscented one but I adore their “Hold” scent. It’s luxe yet not too pungent.
And the packaging is gorgeous! Not only is it refillable, this is my refill order, but it looks good on your nightstand.
Where to buy: Online and Sephora (online and IRL)
Jenna’s Pickups
Kelsi’s Kitchen Brownie Batter Bites - Rich Raspberry Chocolate
I discovered this new-to-me brand while exploring Wegman’s refrigerated bar section (because somehow that is now a full section…) and it seriously impressed me. This is a seriously yummy treat for all you health nuts out there. →
Quick facts: Kelsi’s Kitchen’s Brownie Bites are indulgent, chocolatey squares made with only whole-food ingredients—AKA no refined sugar, paleo-friendly, and gluten-free.
Reasons to love:
Insanely simple ingredient list. It’s literally just Almonds, Honey, Dates, Cacao Powder, Coconut Oil, Raspberries & Sea Salt. Makes sense, given founder Kelsi’s lifelong dedication to the Raw Food Diet!
But still elevated. There are a lot of refrigerated bars out there now, but this one felt more like a fancy truffle than a post-workout afterthought snack.
A mission. 5% of every sale goes to ALS research + support in honor of Kelsi’s mother (and greatest cheerleader), who passed from the disease shortly after Kelsi started the brand.
A recent (and really fun!) rebrand. I picked up the before at Wegman’s, but their website is showing this bright, gorgeous redesign (including renaming the product from “Truffle Treats” to “Brownie Batter Bites”—TBH, I wouldn’t describe this texture as “batter,” but love the playful sentiment and copy.)
Happy Coffee Instant Coffee
As a Nespresso diehard, I did NOT think I would be a self-proclaimed instant coffee girl anytime soon. But—I’m upset to report—I may have just become one. Happy Coffee was, in fact, my “smile break” this week, and I simply had to share. →
Quick facts: Medium roast instant coffee—just dump it into a cup and stir in hot or cold water. Robert Downey Jr. co-founded Happy with Craig Dubitsky, the brilliant mind behind EOS and Hello Products.
Reasons to love:
Flavor. A preface: I am a true coffee addict, but I am no coffee connoisseur. That being said, this was freaking good coffee for something that came out of a plastic packet. Caramelly, rich, and bold but not-too-bold.
Sustainability + story. This is a legitimately do-good brand. They’re obsessed with sourcing—the majority of their coffees are Raiz Sustainability Verified— and they partner with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Their NAMI partnership is actually so interesting and a model I hope more brands take on: NAMI has an equity stake in the company.
We love Craig. Sure, Robert Downey Jr. is the *technical* celeb of the two co-founders—but to me, Craig is of equal celeb status. Nate and I met Craig at Expo West and ended up talking to him for a solid half hour. He is so passionate about this brand, an absolute wealth of knowledge, and a true CPG legend in every sense.
Where to buy: Online and In-Store (Target, Walmart, CVS, Key Foods, etc)
✨ Special Guest ✨
Rachel Braun is an independent producer + creator, the brilliant mind behind
(a fantastic tech + biz newsletter), and a friend of ! She’s someone who seems to know all the under-the-radar cool sh*t, so we were dying to learn about her favorite weekly pickup →What was your favorite pickup this week? One of my all-time favorite snacks is an extra dark pretzel with mustard, and nothing beats Löwensenf Extra Hot. This mustard has been a staple in my house for as long as I can remember. The brand was founded in Germany in 1903, and their Extra Hot is honestly the best mustard you’ll ever try.
What makes Löwensenf Extra Hot different from other hot mustards is how it gets its heat, which comes purely from natural mustard oils (specifically allyl mustard oil) extracted through wet-grinding brown mustard seeds. Unlike other hot mustards, it contains no added spices like chili. Made in the traditional German Düsseldorf style, it delivers a sharp, smooth heat that lingers.
Clean, simple, intense. Just how I like it.
Where did you purchase it, and why that channel? Whenever I’m in the Upper East Side, I make sure to swing by Heidelberg, a lovely restaurant named after the town I grew up in in Germany, or Schaller’s Stube, the neighboring quick casual spot with the best Beyond Meat brat I’ve ever had. Schaller’s Stube is the sausage bar that's connected to Schaller & Weber, a German market and butcher shop that offers a variety of European grocery items, including Löwensenf Extra Hot.
Why do you love it? It’s more flavorful than other mustards. It doesn’t rely on gimmicky heat or added sugar, so the flavor feels bolder. It’s smooth enough to spread, thick enough to dunk, and sharp enough to wake up whatever you’re eating.
I’ve tried a lot of mustards, and I keep coming back to this one. If you can, make your way to the Upper East Side and grab a bottle or two.
If you want to share a brand you’re loving for us to review, or if you have the perfect special guest in mind, email us: nate@expresscheckout.co and jenna@expresscheckout.co :)
I need to get my hands on the soft services moisturizer
Love this!