Of course that old phrase “a cup of Java” immediately came to mind when I saw this name Java of The Gods.
Here’s a new Small Lot coffee at Trader Joe’s (Sep ’24) which I have to say for me at least is a BIG HIT. I give this one a very big thumbs up. If that name alone – JAVA OF THE GODS – doesn’t get your attention, just wait till you open up the bag and take a whiff. Its smells INTENSE. When I took a deep whiff, instantly my brain reacted with something like, “Yeah Baby!” This smells like COFFEE with a capital C. I seems more than worthy of the name “Java of the Gods“. If you like a dark roast, you should try this. It is heavenly.
“Dark Roast”. Do you see the sheen on the beans? Maybe you could call this “French Roast” as PORTO RICO IMPORTS – a place I used to buy beans from place – refers to the roast just before Espresso?
Porto Rico describef a French Roast like this : “The beans are deep brown and have developed a glossy coating, the result of the coffee oils being forced to the surface by the roasting process. The flavor of these coffees tends to be more developed then the lighter roasts. They will be strong with a deadly aroma. Also known as a continental roast, and Spanish roast.”
A DEADLY AROMA! Perfect. Grind up these beans and your kitchen will smell like Porto Rico’s store… I promise you will get an intense deadly aroma, with yes, as described right on the bag with notes of “Caramel, Nutty, Cocoa”.
I brewed up the ground coffee using a Moka pot. I even get a bit of crema done that way with this coffee. I would think these would work especially well in a true espresso machine. But even French Press or a pour over too. Any brew method should work as well. My brewed coffee was lovely. A rounded dark delicious cup of Java. I made a cappuccino with it, which is what I usually make in the morning. Naturally a dark coffee like this one is great for coffee drinks made with milk (cafe con leche, latte, cafe au lait….) as it will stand up to the milk.
I have a mental top 10 list of a few coffees at Trader Joe’s. This Java of the Gods got added to my list. This is a lovely coffee for anyone who can appreciate a dark roast. If that’s you, this small lot one is well worth a try
So we have another excellent SMALL LOT COFFE at a fairly reasonable price. Personally I will get a few bags next time I go while its still available, as TJ’s Small Lot coffees are Limited Editions and are around for a few months usually.
Trader Joe’s says: “Trader Joe’s Instant Cold Brew Coffee starts with 100% Arabica coffee beans from India. Our supplier uses an all-natural, proprietary extraction method that took them over two years to develop. It’s truly a unique process that yields a fine, dark powder. Add one heaping teaspoon of this Instant Cold Brew Coffee to 12 fluid ounces of cold or hot water, then stir until dissolved. The result is a cup of Cold Brew that’s full-bodied, dark, and smooth, with a caramel-like aroma and rich, cold-brew coffee taste.”
I am a big fan of coffee, a real coffee. While I am not half as geeky and fanatic about it as many coffee geeks, I do love me some (great) coffee. Hence I almost never drink any “instant” coffee, which I find not even in the same league as a brewed coffee.
As far as the Cold brewed coffee trend that has caught on the last few years, well I always will prefer a regular brewed coffee too over that. If I want it Cold, I let it sit, chill it and enjoy it then, maybe with ice. But Cold brew doesn’t excite me compared to a chilled down brewed cup of coffee or some pre-made, iced brewed coffee. Still, I wanted to try this “Instant Cold Brew” from Trader Joe’s.
As I am not a big fan of any instant coffee I can’t say I am crazy about this one either however I found it actually made me a drinkable cold coffee beverage on a hot day. So maybe this is good for one of your Coffee Emergencies, where you didn’t plan ahead!
The label says add 1 heaping teaspoon per 12 oz of water but I think I will play with this and add more to make it stronger. This is of course very convenient which is its main selling point. It is convenient I’ve even used it to add to something as an ingredient where coffee was called for.
Here’s a new (Summer ’24) Small Lot Coffee offering. This one is from Brazil, which is of course one of the largest coffee producers in the world. This particular small lot coffee is from the North East coastal region of Bahia, a very vibrant and culturally important region of Brazil.
The coffee is grown there but since Bahia doesn’t have ideal conditions for drying the coffee, the beans are transported elsewhere for that by truck. During these truck rides, the beans naturally ferment.
Trader Joe says: “Ripe Arabica coffee beans spend the long drive in a hot, closed truck. These conditions set off a fermentation process that, unlike the controlled and monitored process for most coffee, happens naturally and with minimal interference. Such spontaneity gives Tropical Bahia Brazil its unique character. A medium roast results in a balanced coffee that boasts layered flavors, notes of sweet fruits, and a touch of acidity.”
I would not say this is one of my favorite of the small lot coffees I have tried from Trader Joe’s (they have had some stunners, like that DOMINICAN one, I adored) – however this is a nice decent coffee, with a light balanced flavor and body with just a bit of acidity and fruitiness. The beans are a Medium Roast.
One nice thing about this coffee is it’s its price, at $7.99 one of the lowest priced small lot coffees I can remember them selling?
Here’s the latest Small Lot coffee offering from Trader Joe’s(Summer 2024).
This one is another African coffee, specifically from Kenya called “Kenya AA Karatu”. In Kenya, “AA” indicates the highest grade beans.
First off don’t you just love the very attractive design, related to traditional African textiles. Once again the really creative and terrific graphic designers at Trader Joe’s came up with something that is as usual Spot On and makes you want to buy it! And I did.
OK so the bag looks nice, but is this new Kenyan small lot coffee actually as good as it looks?
In a word, yes. Its good folks. Frankly my personal preference in roasts tends towards darker ones, as I usually make espresso style coffee drinks that have milk. But I appreciate any good coffee. I love coffee. And I found this one to be very good. So if you are like me trust me. You want to try this one too.
“Produced by a small collective of farmers in Central Kenya each sip is marked with notes of black curranty, citrus zest and cacao…” Sounds yummy, no?
These bag is labeled Medium roast. In this case I agree with Trader Joe’s description, which is not always the case. Maybe I would even say its “Light/Medium” roast. In any case the beans are not at all shiny, they are a dull cinnamon color.
Upon grinding up the beans you get a lovely aroma which yes it seems to have those notes the label mentions : “black current, citrus zest and cacao”.
With my freshly ground beans ready I brewed myself a cup of Joe.
Good? Very. Smooth but robust with a hint of acidity. You know how when you finish up a cup of a good coffee you like, you immediately wonder, “should I make another one”? Well I wanted another cup of this.
I think this latest small lot coffee is well worth a try especially if you are interested in African coffees. I so much prefer this one from Kenya over the last small lot coffee from Ethiopia from a few months back, of which I was not a fan. Pretty decent price at ten bucks a bag too (12 oz bag).
So if this review makes this Kenyan coffee sound worth trying – and it is – grab a bag it while you still can. The sign said “LIMITED” so will vanish whenever they sell out. If you try it and like it you might even want go back and get another bag or two for the pantry. That’s what I usually do when I hit on a Small Lot coffee that I fancy. In these foil vacuum packed bags, whole beans can survive a couple of months. Right now I have two bags of that medium dark organic BOLIVIAN coffee I am in love with in my pantry.
Trader Joe’s site says this about this Kenyan coffee:
“Once ground and brewed to your personal preferences, Trader Joe’s Kenya AA Karatu Small Lot Coffee makes a complex, yet balanced cup, with a bold, full body that’s complemented by a pleasantly citric acid structure. While it’s an excellent (albeit elevated) everyday kind of coffee, we find it serves especially well as part of a big breakfast or brunch: its bright notes of black currant and cacao make it a great pairing option with a flaky chocolate croissant, an auspicious eggs Benedict, or a tall stack of pancakes covered in fresh berries.”
When I saw this new Small Lot coffee I first did what I always do, try to smell it. One can usually get an idea of it’s smell by giving the bag a gentle squeeze near the round airvalve. I gave this one a whiff and thought it smelled good. Promising.
When I tasted the brewed coffee though, while I liked it a bit, there was something about it I just didn’t like. Frankly one reason being I am currently entranced (love) by another TJ’s coffee at present and have been since I first tasted it. Their excellent Organic BOLIVIAN BLEND. That may be one of the best coffees I think I ever have gotten there.
This new Small Lot coffee is from Ethopia, so African. African coffee are are unique and different than Latin coffees.
They are frequently referred to as being “wine-y” and having a bit more pronounced profile with a bright acidity it them. I have tasted and really liked many African coffees. Let’s face it when it comes to coffee – Ethiopia is The Source. The Beginning. Historically thought of as the locus, the Origin of Coffee, period. Coffee and coffee culture to is said to have begun there many centuries ago. Ethiopia and Coffee are linked in a way perhaps like no other place in the world.
If you like African coffee you might like this; It does has a typical “winey” profile which many African coffees exhibit and some people really like. I do sometimes but I didn’t love this coffee. I will give it a few more chances to win me over. But again one reason is at the moment my taste buds are really tuned in to “my new coffee” that Bolivian Blend coffee.
If you’ve never had an African coffee, you might want to taste this and see what you think for yourself. However I would first recommend another African coffee there. Trader Joe’s other Ethopian coffee, the Fair Trade Organic Ethiopian Blend Coffee…. which has gotten many good reviews from a number of sites and one that I do like a lot.
Or try the “best of both worlds” – a coffee which is a blend of African & Latin coffee (Afro-Latin Blend BUUNNI Azmari coffee) That one is another excellent coffee at Trader Joe’s and one that is on my top coffee list there.
Fair Trade Organic Bolivian Blend Coffee, Medium Dark Roast
RAVE
‘RICH AND FLAVORFUL WITH NOTES OF SWEET CARAMEL‘
“Sourced from the heart of Bolivian coffee country”
I love this new coffee Trader Joe’s introduced:
ORGANIC BOLIVIAN BLEND
In fact I find it so good this has became my favorite coffee Trader Joe’s sells! It’s so bloody good!
I’m pretty sure I may have never even tasted a Bolivian coffee before this one. Coffee from Bolivia is a bit rare in the U.S. Certainly not as well known as other South American producers as Brazil or Columbia or even Honduras. This however could change if people try this new Bolivian coffee Trader Joe’s came out with. I think its just a wonderful tasting coffee. TJ’s says….
“Our Bolivian Blend is a medium dark roast with a smooth textured body, delicate acidity and sweet flavor characteristic of caramel…. A Fair Trade coffee sourced from small family farms in the land located between the peaks of the Andes and Amazon Basin…This region has ideal growing conditions for this unique perfectly balanced coffee.”
I didn’t know what to expect but all I can tell you is when I brewed up a cup of Joe from these beans I was both surprised and quite impressed. It tasted so good. I just loved it the moment I tried it. I find this coffee perfectly balanced with nice hints of acidity and caramel that makes a perfect cup of coffee. I let some other people try it and they also loved it.
So I’m giving this ORGANIC BOLIVIAN BLEND a huge RAVE. Once again, Trader Joe’s world traveling coffee buyers managed to source some wonderful coffee beans, this time from the mountains of the Bolivian Andes.
Upon opening the bag, you get a wonderful aroma from these beans which are Medium Roast, and I found the roast right on the money. Grind the beans and you will get an even more wonderful heavenly smell; These just say “now this is coffee” to me.
I think this is one of the best coffee’s I can remember tasting from Trader Joe’s. It instantly became my new FAVORITE coffee and when I wake up now all I think about is making some of this coffee.
It doesn’t say “Small Lot” which means a limited supply but not wanting to take any chances as I’ve missed out in the past on some great coffees that went out of stock quickly, I went back and bought two more bags of this Bolivian Blend a few days later.
Interestingly enough brewing this in my Moka Pot, this coffee is making way better crema than I am used to getting. I mean I am seeing much more crema from this than other coffees I’ve been using and I’ve done nothing different. Same grind, process, method, which leads me to think its the coffee.
I think this will be good for any brewing method. Espresso machine, Moka, drip or pour over.
Not only is this very good its a Fair Trade coffee direct from small growers
“Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Coffee Buzz Bars are made using a unique combination of conched Columbian Cacao Nibs and Columbian Coffee Beans, blended with sugar and natural vanilla flavor. There’s a distinct yet mild coffee flavor and 70 mg of caffeine in each bar”
(a regular cup of coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine)
First off, I have to mention I love this package design. Eye catching colors with lovely hand made drawings of coffee and cacao on thick paper stock.
Trader Joe’s really cares about package design, more than other grocery stores. They focus on designing products that make you want to pick them up. If you are interested in learning a bit more about that here’s a link about Trader Joe’s product design
OK, ok but how’s this chocolate? I liked it but my wife did not. To state the obvious this is not a kids bar of chocolate. Definitely for Grown Ups. Barely sweet, just sweetened enough to balance out the bitterness of coffee and cacao nibs. Me, I think they got it just right, definitely a nice balance of quality chocolate with coffee undertones and a nice balance of bitter and sweet however some may not go for this. On the other hand if like me, you are someone who loves both your coffee and your chocolate you may like this. Worth trying to find out.
“A light roast with notes of dried fruit and orange”
This is the latest “small lot” coffee Trader Joe’s has come out with (Dec ’23). This coffee is from Brazil, called “Cachoeira da Grama”, which comes from Brazil’s Vale de Grama in the Sao Paolo region.
Trader Joe’s describes the beans as a “light roast” on the package and in this case, I agree (we know TJ’s roast descriptions can vary wildly). The package says these coffee beans were “double fermented”: “this innovative double fermenting process brings about the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, and the light roast unveils lively notes of dried fruit and orange.”
Naturally whenever I taste a new Trader Joe’s Small Lot coffee, I can’t help but to compare it with my memory of other small lot coffee they’ve had. How does this new one compare to the best of their Small Lot coffees some of which were so freaking good, they blew me away?
I neither loved nor hated this; it falls in the middle. This Brazilian one is good and is a decent coffee with yes notes of “dried fruit and orange”. While I thought it was fine I didn’t find it terribly special. Yet when I searched online about this coffee I found some reviewers just raving about it. Me, I would not give this a Rave however lets face it, things like coffee, or wine for that matter, are the most personal of taste preferences. At some point only you can decide what you think.
I found this this a decent coffee but when I thought of others… a few amazingsmall lot coffee gems Trader Joe’s had in the past – I would not put this one up there with at least two others I recall. Not terribly long ago, TJ’s had a terrific small lot coffee that came from the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – I found that one to be wonderful. A standout. Ditto for another one which was really good, the HONDURAN Small Lot Coffee.
Both of those two small lot coffees were incredible finds to my taste and I cross my fingers I may see someday either of them again someday at Trader Joe’s as I would buy either in a second. But I won’t hold my breath because as we know all too well, one of the first things about Trader Joe’s one learns the hard way is if you fall in love with something you may have your heart broken someday.
Trader Joe’s Brazil Cachoeira da Grama Small Lot Coffee was $9.99 (12 oz) a decent price for a small lot coffee. The small lot are “Limited Editions” so if you want to try it, grab it asap.
I would not buy this again. It was good but not as special as other Small Lot Coffees I’ve tasted. But I saw that some people really liked this, so as the French say, “à chacun son gout“
Just FYI – One of my Go To coffee’s at Trader Joe’s is the AZMARI BUNNI, Afro-Latin blend (light roast). It’s a consistently excellent and well balanced blend which I find to be a terrific all around coffee that never fails to please me in the morning. They carry this regularly now. If you have not tried it I suggest starting there.
“Notes of dark chocolate, blackberry and brown sugar”.
Here is another limited edition Small Lot coffee offering from Trader Joe’s called La Morena Peaberry. This coffee comes from the Huehuetenango region in Guatemala from a woman-owned farm collective, La Morena.
The graphic design of the bag is just great. Trader Joe’s has some come up with some great graphics for many of the small lot coffees.
The bag says “medium roast”. I would call it a light medium roast. The coffee beans are the famed “peaberry” coffee beans which are smaller, and supposed to have more concentrated flavor.
“While there are usually two beans in each coffee cherry, approximately 5% of coffee crops yield Peaberry beans, which are smaller and prized for their concentrated flavors… In these Peaberry beans, those flavors express themselves as dark chocolate, ripe blackberry, and a sweet, cozy finishing note of brown sugar. We recommend enjoying each cup in a context where you can slowly savor every sip, like paired with a flaky pastry, avocado toast, or a few squares of our Dark Chocolate Bar with Almonds.”
This may be the first Guatemalan coffee I ever tasted. This coffee has a nice aroma, flavor and was smooth. I liked it. I’d give it a 7/10.
Now my current favorite of recent small lot coffees from Trader Joe’s is the Dominican Republic Jarabacoa (for me 9/10) which I just loved, just one reason being I am partial to a bit of darker medium roast. This Guatemala coffee is a bit higher priced than some of the other Small Lot coffees at $10.99 (12 oz) however surely “peaberry beans” go for a premium price from the grower. I liked this coffee but I am not sure I would buy it again, the only reason being that I’ve had some other small lot coffees that I’ve liked more (as well as a few I’ve like a lot less.) The last small lot coffee, that Dominican one I liked so much, I’ve stocked up on a few bags of that (its $9.99). Before that, I just loved the HONDURAN small lot coffee. Please don’t get me wrong. As coffee preference is so personal I would say this may be worth a try if you love to explore coffees from unique regions and expand your coffee taste buds and knowledge.
You may have heard about how good this $5 cake Trader Joe’s is. It’s terrific. This cake quickly became a famous Trader Joe’s dessert and I have to agree with how good it is.
TJ’s Chocolate Ganache mini sheet cake is really delicious. I am a big chocolate fan and this hits the (chocolate) spot right on the nose and satisfies it. The cake is moist and the frosting is perfect with a rich dark chocolate flavor. I am actually not a big fan of butter cream frosting, which I find too rich and heavy, however this cake has a cream cheese frosting instead of butter frosting and which is perfect. I love it, it’s so good. The only problem I have with the cake is how hard it is to stop eating it.
There is also a vanilla version of the sheet cake, called Chantilly Creme, also with a cream cheese frosting. I’d seen online many people say its also wonderful as well. I still haven’t tried that one yet but both are no doubt worth trying.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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