“Grown in the Northern Highlands of Vietnam, this 100% Arabica coffee expresses notes of roasted herbs and cocoa in every satisfying sip. It’s bright and balance profile a result of the high elevation and mild climate of its growing region. Makes it especially suited to pairing with pastries and fresh cut fruit”
“Trader Joe’s Vietnam Medium Roast Small Lot Coffee benefits from the Vietnamese Northern Highlands’ high elevation and comparatively temperate climate, which both allow the Coffee beans to ripen slowly and steadily, developing a pleasant equilibrium between the more acidic, cocoa-like elements and savory, herby aspects of its unique flavor profile.”
“while supplies last—these truly are Small Lot Coffees, and once they’re gone, there’s no telling when (or if!) they’ll be back!”
LIMITED ITEM
Trader Joe’s just came out with this new VIETNAM SMALL LOT COFFEE. I believe this is the first coffee they’ve had from Vietnam to my knowlege. It’s Medium roast. The whole beans looked and smelled lovely, and the bag I got was pretty fresh. The roast date was only about 3 weeks before I bought it, not too bad for Trader Joe’s.
Reading the package – which is so beautiful by the way – I was a bit surprised reading the words “Roasted Herbs”. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that before to describe a coffee.
So how is it?
I actually really liked this. In fact the more and more I tried it over the next few days, it grew on me, more and more.It is a bit unique (roasted herbs?) . Yes for the “cocoa” notes and there that other note, I can’t quite put my finger on. A slight funkiness? In a good way. Possibly that must be the “roasted herbs” part. OK, then. In fact, here in the U.S. some Vietnamese people make Vietnamese coffee with the New Orleans brand Cafe Du Monde which has roasted chicory in it!
In addition to brewing it as I normally do, in my Moka pot, I thought, I why don’t I try making a “Vietnamese Coffee” with these beans since I have that typical Vietnamese Phin Filter for making Viet Ca Phe. You may have had this style coffee, maybe in a Vietnamese restaurant. Cafe Sua Da can be served either cold and hot. Like a drip espresso style with the coffee mixed with condensed sweetened milk. It’s delicious.
When I made it with this Vietnam Coffee, here too, the result was delicious. It was particularly good made that way. BTW Trader Joe’s sells cans of Sweetended Condensed Milk too. But it was good too, just made regular fashion.
If, like me, you are into checking out pretty much any SMALL LOT COFFEE they come out with, at least to try once, I would say this one is worth trying. It’s an interesting and tasty coffee. Lastly I am so impressed with the incredible illustration on the bag design with water lilies, lotuses, mountains, and water…
TRADER JOE’S SMALL LOT VIETNAM COFFEE – $11.99 (12 oz) bag
Those Vietnamese “phin” filters are not expensive (under $12) . Condensed milk goes for about $3.
“In Vietnam, coffee, whether it’s brewed and served at home or in restaurants, is brewed leisurely. Hot coffee (cà phê nóng) is preferred in the morning, while iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá) is saved for the heat later in the day.” – HungryHuy
“Rich creamy CHOWDAH made with hand shucked Atlantic surf clams, tender potatoes, and sauteed onions”
Even Trader Joe’s knows to pronounce it properly, with a Boston accent: Its pronounced “CHOW-DAH”
New England Clam Chowder is one of my favorite kinds of soups, especially in colder months, though could be enjoyed most anytime. A creamy, tasty clam chowder is just so satisfying. Hearty and flavorful. Trader Joe’s sells a ready to eat version for $4.99, which is a good price compared to say a restaurant, or Whole Foods.
Ingredients here include: Fish stock, light cream, clam juice, clam meat, potatoes, onions, butter, flour, clam concentrate, salt, sugar, garlic, vinegar, red pepper….
Here’s my hones review of Trader Joe’s New England Clam Chowder.
It was recommended to me by a friend as a good soup from Trader Joe’s. I see why she recommended it. They got the flavors right. The flavor of this is pretty much right on the money for a tasty chowder.
What I liked: The flavor is quite good, from the combination of cream, milk, fish stock, clams and clam juice. Very tasty.
What I feel could be better: Could be bit thicker. While I don’t like a gloppy chowder where they put too much flour in it, this is a bit on the thin side for a chowder. Hence all the good stuff will be one the bottom of your bowl. I suggest you could toss in some Oyster Crackers as they do up in Boston. (TJ’s sells Oyster Crackers.)
The taste of this chowder is great, and if it had a bit more stuff, it would be terrific. A few more potatoes in it for one thing. Of course I would love a few more clams too. At least the clams that are in this are good. The hand shucked Atlantic Surf clams are flavorful, cut into small pieces and are soft, not rubbery (or sandy!)
Lets be honest, its Trader Joe’s, not Whole Foods which has lots of stuff in it but they charge maybe 8 bucks for 16 ounes? I saw a clam chowder at Fairway yesterday which looked good with lots of clams. But a 32 oz container there was about $11.
So overall though it could use a bit more of the main ingredients, it’s got very good flavor.
My wife and I had this for dinner. The container (20 oz) gave us each an average size, not whopping, bowl. But along with some bread, salad and a side, it made for very satisfying dinner.
Could be a great lunch too of course. Heat and Eat so could not be easier. A whole container is 530 calories. I even thought for a next time to throw in some (frozen) scallops they sell.
TIP: Enjoy this with TJ’s Oyster Crackers to put on top of this. If you love black pepper, add a nice bit like I did. Some chopped parsley would send this up a notch too.
Ditto; should you have a slice of cooked bacon, throw it in. Salt pork is very traditional for chowders.
Three baristas were asked to pick the best store bought coffee.
All three of them picked the Trader Joe’s coffee I had also picked some time back after tasting it.
Here’s what they said:
“After weighing roast level, sourcing, and flavor balance, the coffee experts we spoke to recommended Trader Joe’s Bolivian Blend for a good everyday coffee.”
I’m no barista, just a coffee lover so when I read this in Real Simple I felt just a wee bit vindicated, in that three coffee professionals picked the coffee I had picked as a Winner at Trader Joe’s. If you want to check out the original article at Real Simple here is the link to it,
Since TJ’s introduced this ORGANIC BOLIVIAN coffee, it has become my Go-To Trader Joe’s regular coffee buy. This is just a great All Around coffee. And they almost always seem to have supply of it in stock. Whole bean. Medium roast. Good for all brewing methods. Ten bucks, not outrageous for and Organic and Fair Trade whole bean coffee.
My review of the Organic Bolivian Blend if you missed it is here (link) It’s now $9.99 for a bag (12 oz)
I saw something a bit interesting yesterday at Trader Joe’s. There were a few new bags of pasta, marked 99 cents . In fact, so new they hadn’t gotten around to having TJ’s regular handmade signs they are famous for.
The familiar pastas in the colors of the Italian flag, that have been 99 cents, had gone up. Now $1.29.
Trader Joe’s Italian Penne Rigate (Product of Italy) were 99 cents forever. The new bags of pasta that are 99 cents say PRODUCT OF EGYPT on the back.
No doubt this is a cost measure in order for Trader Joe’s to continue to be able to have some pastas to sell for 99 cents, I am guessing due to rising costs on the ones from Italy. Guessing they couldn’t continue to sell some of the cheaper Italian pasta for $1 a bag so found these from Egypt as a replacement.
I didn’t try these new ones at TJ yet from Egypt but in the past, I’ve gotten bags of pasta elsewhere that were Egyptian, which were fine. By the way, don’t be surprised that pasta is popular in Egypt. In fact, the national dish, KOSHARY is eaten by millions of Egyptians every day, often for breakfast. It’s a hearty dish made with pasta, rice, lentils, and other legumes. Filling!
The “better” Italian organic and artisanal pastas at Trader Joe’s are the same prices as they’ve been around $1.49-1.99 and up. Like the ORGANIC Cavatappi, was still $1.99. Their Italian Organic Spaghetti ($1.49) is fantastic. So those are an even better deal now, and I love all of those.
But if you are on a real tight budget, at least you can still buy pasta for 99 cents at Trader Joe’s. As I’ve said before, a jar of their sauce (1.99) and a bag of this pasta (.99) can feed a family for under three bucks.
So there are quite a few classes of pasta at Trader Joe’s…. The better ones are more Artisanal, and use Bronze Dies…. Most of those are marked Organic.
It’s been on Trader Joe’s shelves for over a decade, about which they jokingly say: “(If you’ve ever wept over the loss of a favorite product, you’ll know this is a lifetime in Trader Joe’s years!) It’s a unique combination of Cheddar flavor and Gruyere creaminess; buttery & nutty, with a sweet, mild finish. This Cheese is crafted just for us by a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker and aged 90 days to achieve its distinctive taste and texture. Try it on a burger, in a grilled cheese sandwich, or cut into chunks on a cheese tray.”
This has become one of my favorite cheeses at Trader Joe’s. I now have to have this on hand always, as I love it so much. If you’ve seen this but never actually tried it, I recommend this very good cheese.
It’s a kind of unique all around tasty cheese that everyone likes. It tastes exactly like what you might imagine a melange of Gruyere and cheddar would taste like together. Nutty, buttery and a little cheddar sharpness. I love it as is just with an apple or other fruit. Delicious.
What about cooking with this? Even better. I find this is just super for say making grilled cheese sandwiches, omelets, cheese quesadillas... In other words, its a fantastic melting cheese, especially delicious if you can get it a wee bit brown and crusty.
Here’s the cheese used on TJ’s yummy PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH bread where I made a really interesting and delicious grilled cheese sandwich with the Melange and mustard on the sourdough.
Like everything else it has gone up, now $7.99 a pound. A hunk usually runs bout 5-6 bucks.
Trader Joe’s Broccoli Cheddar soup is another one of Trader Joe’s tasty and handy Ready To Eat soups, sold in the refrigerated case.
I hadn’t tried this before but Trader Joe’s says they’ve “improved the recipe”.
This is a very hearty soup/chowder, made with a creamy base . What I really liked is that this had a ton of large pieces of tasty broccoli, as you can see in the picture. I mean it was just loaded with nice big pieces of it, in addition to carrots.
On the cheese front they use two kinds of cheddar’s, a Sharp Cheddar and their fantastic Unexpected Cheddar.
I just happened to have a little piece of leftover cooked bacon in the fridge, so I thought why not add it on top. I chopped it up and topped the soup with it, and it did add a superb note (just saying if you have any, use it) Also when serving it can’t hurt to sprinkle on a little bit of your favorite cheddar on top.
We ate this soup for dinner recently and found it quite delicious, close to say a Whole Foods version. This made a tasty. satisfying dinner along with some a slice of toasted sourdough bread and a big salad, that made a easy tasty meal.
The container was just enough to serve two of us, about 10 ounces each, for dinner with a small but filling bowl. This is a very hearty soup, pretty much like a chowder. Good anytime but perfect for a cold Autumn or Winter day.
1 cup (approx 1/2 container) have 310 calories.
Stove Top: Pour soup into a pot and heat on Medium for 5-6 minutes until heated through, stirring occasionally. Allow to sit for a minute before serving.
“Excellent as an entrée and spectacular as a side, our upgraded Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup makes a particularly great pairing option for a hearty sandwich or crisp, leafy green salad. Creamy, comforting, and rich, we also like simply serving it with a hunk of crusty bread for dipping, or hollowing out a Sourdough Boule and enjoying it inside a bread bowl.” – Trader Joe’s
Apparently that gift package was very popular, and they sold a lot of them. While all the three of those tomato sauces were a hit, this one in particular, they say seemed to be a standout, with people asking for them to come out with it on its own in a big jar. Hence this 24 oz jar of sauce. This is the one made from cherry tomatoes (“datterino” in Italian, as in “little dates”) and roasted garlic.
“Trader Joe’s Caro Sugo Datterino Cherry Tomatoes & Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce is available only in our stores for a limited time. We find that its combo of Puglian Datterinos (or “little dates,” so named for their date-like appearance) and rich Roasted Garlic (along with basil, sea salt, and onions) gives it a bright, bursting flavor profile that synergizes fantastically well with all sorts of pasta shapes. Of course, that’s just where we’d start: you may find your Datterino Sauce destined to be used in a lasagna, on a homemade pizza, or as a full-flavored dipping sauce for some air-fried Breaded Mozzarella Cheese Sticks.”
Here’s my honest review of this sauce.
First off, I really liked the “original” CARO SUGO pasta sauce. I mean, I love it. It’s just terrific.
This Caro Sugo DATTERINO sauce using cherry tomatoes is terrific as well. Trader Joe’s Caro Sugo Datterino sauce is an excellent fresh tasting tomato sauce that has a “homemade” taste, not like something you just poured it out of a jar.
It’s simple and delicious with very good ingredients, like those special cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic and a few other all natural ingredients. It’s not a smooth puree like something commercial, but has body, a little chunky. You will even see some sprigs of whole fresh basil leaves in the sauce, just as if your Italian Nonna threw them in at the very end.
I ate the sauce with pasta and spinach on the side. I also made some pizza with it, and it was fantastic in both. Very versatile sauce you could use with anything and level up your Italian dishes.
It’s a LIMITED ITEM. So if you want to try this one, grab it while you can.
Trader Joe’s Almonds are grown in Kern County in the San Joaquin Valley where the weather conditions are ideal for the production of California’s finest quality almonds.
I”ve gotten every kind of almond at Trader Joe’s including raw but I always come back to the roasted and salted variety. We switched over to the 50 per cent less salt kind and guess what? We don’t miss that “extra” salt at all. These are perfect. If you want to cut down a bit on sodium, trust me you won’t miss that extra amount.
These almonds are delicious. So delicious in fact, I have be very careful lest I find that half the bag has magically disappeared.
The quality of Trader Joe’s nuts is well known, not to mention TJ’s nuts I think are better on price than almost anywhere else?
Trader Joe’s is selling these for $6.49 now. DRY ROASTED.
Certified Organic, 13g Whole Grains per serving, 70 cal slice
This is a NEW ITEM (AUG 2026)
21 Grains and Seeds Thin Sliced Organic Bread, with whole wheat and “organic seed and nut mix” containing organic sunflower, flax, pumpkin, sesame, black sesame, poppy, millet, rolled oats, quinoa, rye, spelt, yellow corn, amaranth, buckwheat, khorasan, purple corn, brown rice, sorghum, vital gluten, seeds and flours and other goodies like molasses.
A very nice slightly nutty tasting light brown whole wheat bread. Sliced thinly. One slice is 70 calories.
Made great toast with this as well as grilled cheese sandwiches. I would buy this again.
$4.49 for a 20 oz loaf
“Trader Joe’s Organic Thin Sliced 21 Grains & Seeds Bread is multi-faceted. Each Grain and Seed contributes its own characteristic taste and texture to produce a brown bread that is moist and slightly sweet, with a satisfyingly robust flavor. It’s excellent for sandwiching Organic Reduced Sugar Strawberry Preserves and Creamy Salted Peanut Butter. It’s also fantastic when two pieces are toasted in a pan with a generous number of Cheddar & Gruyere Mélange slices all melty in-between. And since our supplier has Sliced each loaf nice and Thin, it’s ideal for smaller-portioned sandwiches and toasts: each Slice comes in at about 70 calories.”
No added sugar or other ingredients. Just 100% juice from real pomegranates. Not from concentrate.
Trader Joe’s came out with this pure 100% pomegranate juice in a small, single serving size bottle, about 8 ounces. Easy to carry. This tasted just like I was eating a pomegranate. Naturally sweet-sour.
Want my honest review? It’s yummy, people! If you love pomegranates you will love this. I found it delicious and very refreshing ice cold. A bit tart, but a bit sweet just like pomegranates taste. Deep ruby red color.
Trader Joe’s version of POM maybe? Pretty sure this a bit cheaper though.
Trader Joe’s has a bigger 1 qt. bottle of pomegranate juice however that one is from concentrate. This isn’t. Just real natural juice from pomegranates.
Recent Comments