I was surprised the first time I saw the famous red ILLY logo staring at me from the coffees shelf at Trader Joe’s. Really? Trader Joe’s is now selling ILLY coffee?!? Yes it is and let’s hope it stays that way. ILLY is one of the most famous coffee brands worldwide and in Italy for 80 years on. Their red logo is instantly recognizable around the globe. The ILLY coffee company has a long history. They produce terrific coffee. I think one only finds this premium brand at some special stores and not at the supermarket. So yes I was happily surprised to find I can buy it and TJ’s now and for a decent price too ($9.99 for 8.8 oz). This is a very good coffee, a blend of 9 different Arabica origin beans in a medium dark roast in a medium fine grind. It should be good for most any coffee maker, in an espresso machine, for a Moka pot (which is what I have switched to), doing drip or pour over coffee and great if you like strong dark roasts. I use this for a Cafe Con Leche (with milk) done in a Moka pot and its perfect for that.
Here’s what ILLY says about this FORTE BLEND which was developed about 80 years ago.
It’s vacuum sealed in this terrific looking metal container which even has a rubber gasket to keep air out once you open break the vacuum. Keep it in the fridge after opening and use within about two weeks when it’s at its freshest.
The can says Wild Little Thing is a “slightly sour ale”. I think that is a brewing method more than a description of it’s taste. I didn’t find it terribly sour at all but perfectly balanced. I was a little surprised I liked it so much as I found it way better than the package design (& crazy font) lead me to believe. Tasting it, I thought this is really good, even delicious, a bit fruity, neither too bitter nor too sweet, but with a nice balanced taste. It has a lovely rosé color, with a small pale head and tiny bubbles. A highly refreshing and “easy drinking” ale. It was delicious with food, it went very well with our tacos that night.
“This slightly sour Wild Little Thing has just the right smack of tartness for serious refreshment, while guava, hibiscus and strawberry lend fruity-sweet depth and a bright pop of color.”
Trader Joe’s JUST BEETS 100% juice plus a splash of lemon
“Naturally sweetened with a subtle earthiness” As the name says this is “100% pure beet juice pressed from whole beets (with just a hint of lemon from concentrate)”. Trader Joe’s carries this in the refrigerated drinks section, so it’s fresh. Kind of what you might get if you went into one of those fancy juice bars except this was not made right in front of you by a cool tattooed up Juice Guy with a goatee throwing beets into a juicer who charges you seven bucks plus a tip. Still I think this tastes fresh enough so that if you shook it up hard, put it in a carryout cup with a cover, told me you just bought this from a cool tattooed juice guy I would probably have no reason to think otherwise 😉 Though it has a pretty long “good by” date, I think it tastes best within 3-5 days after you open the bottle so I drink it within a few days. Personally I would not down the whole bottle in one sitting. I have a nice big shot glass of this every day (3-4 oz?). The label states 80 calories in 8 oz. You get 20 oz for $3.99 which is probably less than that fancy juice bar would charge.
I love beets. I like this juice. It’s healthy and good for you, and drinking this every day can help lower your blood pressure! Just remember later in the bathroom to relax and think “Oh yeah I had those beets today.” You know what I mean, you are OK and not peeing blood. Beets do that to you.
RAVE
Update (Summer 2022) Unfortunately this seems to have been discontinued. If one reason you bought the beet juice was to control blood pressure as I did here’s a useful tip for a substitute : drink 3 cups of HIBISCUS TEA daily. I do. I like this brand I get on Amazon https://amzn.to/3CLECHc
Hibiscus is known to be a natural safe product that reduces blood pressure. Fact Google it.
So let me just start off with the comment that I really like this tea but frankly found the name a wee bit misleading. When I saw the words “Wake Up Tea”, I just assumed this will make a cup of strong, dark, kick-ass, rocket fuel (English/Irish) tea… A dark cuppa that really wakes you up in the morning. But when I brewed up a cup as you can see in the picture its not a very dark super strong tea. However when I tasted it I thought, oh this quite good! So I really like this tea but my take is kind of Trader Joe’s should have come up with a different name minus “wake up”. “Winter Wake Up Tea” is probably not something I would brew to wake me up in the morning. But other than that comment, Trader Joe’s has come up with an EXCELLENT TEA BLEND with great spice flavors that would satisfy me at any time of day, and makes me feel all nice and warm and cozy!
TJ’s Winter Wake Up Tea is a wonderfully balanced tasty spiced tea, a blend of black tea, cinnamon, orange peel, ginger and cloves. If it was called something a bit different without “wake up” in the name, I would have simply started the review with “A most wonderful spiced tea that will make you feel warm and toasty on a cold snowy winter’s eve, and will warm your heart and soul! Drink it in front of the fireplace and just relax….” Personally Mr. Joe, I would have named it something like, say… WINTER COZY TEA. or WINTER SPICE BLEND TEA* or something like that.
Brew this up and you get a very nice spiced tea that reminds me slightly of CONSTANT COMMENT tea – a famous spiced tea blend created back in 1945. My parents always had it in our cupboard, especially making an appearance when “company” came over, as it was kind of special and would get a “yum… whats this tea?” comment from our guests. Ah the good old days! This TJ tea make a lighter cup than Constant Comment, with less black tea prominent in the blend but probably more spices such as cinnamon, ginger, plus clove and orange peel. It even is has the slightest bit of sweetness naturally as an under-note from a bit of licorice, which possesses natural sweetness.
So will this wake you up like the Irish Breakfast tea which actually is a “wake up tea”? Myself, to wake up I need a strong cuppa like TJ’s excellent Irish Breakfast Tea, or a typical English tea like Typhoo Tea or the like. But still enjoy this Winter Tea for what it is – a quite lovely spiced tea full of flavor.
Aha, methinks, I’ve a great idea! What if I combined the two teas together?! I brewed both teas up together, and very much liked the resulting concoction. If you do you want something a bit darker and stronger but with lots of nice spice flavors, just take 2 cups of water, bring to a boil in a pot, and toss in a bag of this Winter Tea plus a bag of Irish Breakfast Tea. Let it brew for at least 5 minutes. The result is nice mix-up of both, a strong “cuppa” plus lots of warm spices and flavor, not terribly unlike Constant Comment, and which actually now is a Wake Up Tea that will perk you up on a cold winter’s morn.
*So Mr Trader Joe, should you borrow my ideas and rename this product “COZY WINTER TEA” you better at least send me a case of this stuff!
I’ve tried a number of the “milk alternative” beverages at Trader Joe’s. Most of them are pretty good. The one I keep going back to is PACIFIC FOODS ORGANIC ALMOND MILK (“Original”). I think the reason is I find its taste is a tiny bit better due to the fact the almonds its made from are roasted.
The Pacific Foods website says: “We take organic almonds and add a gentle roast to emphasize the robust, authentic flavors of the almonds. The result is our smooth, signature taste that’s a pleasure to drink by the glass and blends perfectly in your dairy-free recipes.”
We all know roasting nuts brings out their flavor, right? This subtle but noticeable taste in this almond beverage makes a small but slightly significant better taste giving this almond beverage a little depth of flavor over the other almond milks TJ carries.
I mostly use Almond Milk in the morning on my cereal. But this is also good to drink on its own (well chilled), mixed with yogurt, which is usually the things I put on my breakfast cereal with some fruit. I use this almond milk to make Smoothies; and its great for those. I actually do drink regular (cow) milk too though. I use regular whole milk in my daily cappuccino. Almond or Soy milk adds a taste that I don’t like in coffee drinks, for my taste or a cup of English tea.
The Pacific Almond Beverage costs a bit than the other nut milk beverages. This sells for $2.19 (1 Qt) compared to for example TJ’s Almond Milk ($1.89). Still this is worth trying and comparing to see what you like best. This version (original) does have a little organic cane sugar in it, but its hardly “sweet” and I think that also makes it tastier. Cow’s milk has naturally produced sugars too you know, just check the label.
The dairy milk industry by the way has been going crazy for the last few years about the word “milk” being used for anything other than the liquid produced by lactating cows. Hence the wording: “plant-based beverage” on the this box! The FDA thinks people get confused seeing the word milk used for anything other than cow milk. I do feel bad for dairy farmer’s, who have seen milk consumption decline way down from say, when I was a kid.
NO RECIPE RECIPE: BREAKFAST SOAKED OATS aka OVERNIGHT OATS (No Cooking)
OVER NIGHT OATS ARE A YUMMY AND HEALTHY BREAKFAST!
The night before, put up some rolled oats (or quick oats) in a bowl or container. Pour an equal amount of almond milk over them to cover by a bit and stir to mix. A spoonful of chia seeds are nice too! Let this oatey mix sit and soften up overnight in the fridge. The raw oats will soften up without cooking and become yummy. If you use Quick Oats this can be ready to eat in 15 minutes or so. Dried fruits thrown in will soften and be lovely too (dried cranberries, dates, raisins….) In the morning the mixture will be ready to eat. Top your overnight oaks with your favorite fruits (bananas, berries…) yogurt or kefir and maybe more almond milk if too thick. Some crunchy topping? Granola or a cereal. Nuts. Sweeten with honey or some raw sugar if desired.
Kefir, is a cultured milk product, one that’s been produced for centuries by many cultures.
You might think of it as drinkable yogurt, however while similar to yogurt, kefir is unique. It has lots more cultures and probiotics than yogurt. It is loaded with probiotics, or healthy bacteria,. Therefore its seen as a beneficial food for health and digestion, especially for your Gut Health, which is a huge topic of research of late.
KEFIR has been quite the rage in the natural health community for some time.
On a practical food level you may find Kefir is just ideal to make your Smoothies with. I usually have it mixed with chia seeds and fruit and cereal in the morning, yes with a little yogurt added as well.
The origins of Kefir are believed to have come from the Caucasus, the mountainous regions dividing Europe and Asia where kefir has been produced for hundreds if not thousands, of years, like other fermented dairy products such as yogurt or cheese.
While Kefir is similar to yogurt in some respects, it has lots more healthy bacteria cultures than yogurt has and many more varieties. The label on Trader Joe’s bottle lists : “12 Live Active Cultures”. Compare that to Yogurt, which usually list around 3 or 4 kinds of cultures. I recognized about the first three “L” ones listed on the label (L. stands for Lactobacillus) for example “L. Acididopholus” however there are many more I don’t know such as “L. Plantarum”
Of course this means a lot more probiotics are going into your gut and digestive tract. Kefir is also supposed to be better tolerated by those who are lactose intolerant (can anyone verify their experience with this ? Please send in a COMMENT if you have some experience/knowledge about this).
In a blender, add 1 cup Kefir of your choosing, 1 cup of ice, one banana (fresh or frozen), a 1/2 cup of some fresh or frozen berries, a tablespoon of chia seeds and/or flax seeds and a maybe a drizzle of honey. Blend for a minute or two until the mix is smooth. Makes 2 1/2 cups +
I wanted to try TJ’s Kefir for awhile. So I first tried Trader Joe’s Mango flavor to start with. I liked the taste a lot. I found it really good. I mean the drink quite tasty with a nice mango flavor. I have heard that the Plain Kefir is naturally very tart and sour. TJ’s Mango version is sweetened with natural cane sugar and mango. Its not very sweet, nor is it very tart. Just right. You still get some a little tanginess. The Mango whole milk kefir drink was thick, almost smoothie thick (update: it’s no longer thick; its been changed since they first introduced it!)
Trader Joe’s also sells another flavor, Strawberry* flavor , a lower fat version made with skim milk and that is also good.
Plain Kefir – I haven’t tried the Plain yet thinking it might be too tart for me. If you didn’t grow up drinking plain Kefir, I am told it might take some getting used to as it is quite tart. In addition there is one made from GOAT MILK
Kefir is great poured on fruit. I pour a bit of the kefir over my morning bowl of oatmeal or cereal. I also mix this with soaked chia seeds and top it with granola and fruit. Also its good for OVERNIGHT OATS.
Kefir is both super healthy and tasty. If you like yogurt, you will like this and its something well worth trying. Even your kids might like the Mango and Strawberry kefir.
The Mango flavor of kefir is made with whole milk, the strawberry one is made with skim milk so a few less calories.
Trader Joe’s also sells Plain Kefir (unsweetened) if you are inclined to try it “au natural” (very tart I hear) as well as the aforementioned one made from Goat Milk! Baaaah.
Trader Joe’s KEFIR, 32 oz bottle, $2.99. $3.49
Is KEFIR worth buying? Definitely!
Your gut biome may thank you.
Kefir will improve gut health and probably help with constipation if that’s a problem from all the healthy gut bacteria in it. Mixing a 1/2 glass kefir with chia seeds or flax seeds might be a great morning routine to keep everything running smoothly! All I know is my system runs like clockwork every morning, through frankly I think my morning coffee also has something to do with that.
TIP: If you never tried Kefir perhaps I would suggest that you don’t drink a big 12 oz glass the first time you try it. Try maybe 2-4 ounces, till your body gets used to all that extra probiotic bacteria, lest it work its magic too well (if you know what I mean).
The Strawberry* Kefir is made with LOW FAT milk. The MANGO version is made with WHOLE MILK. Whole milk meaning 4% while low fat milk is 1 or 2%. So the Strawberry flavor has lower calories…. but you don’t drink that much of it, so it’s not a huge difference really.
Nutrition (per 1 cup): (MANGO Whole Milk Kefir) = 180 Cal. & 4.5 g of sat. fat VS160 Cal. and 1.5 g sat. fat for STRAWBERRY Low Fat Kefir which interestingly also seems to have 1 more gram of Protein per cup serving? Plain Kefir= 100 cals (1 cup) So if you want to save a few calories get the STRAWBERRY Low Fat Kefir or PLAIN Low Fat Kefir (though the Mango is very tasty!) Honestly, I can’t see anyone drinking it a whole cup at a time straight though of any variety, this is a small glass thing (6 oz?) or mix with some ice and a dash of water….
THANK YOU TO THE READER WHO LET US KNOW, “LIFEWAY” MAKES TRADER JOE’S KEFIR (Lifeway brand is sold at health stores) I have no doubt TJ’s is cheaper.
(update fall 2019: Trader Joe’s KEFIR used to be very thick. I mean really really thick. It changed. Its no longer as thick as when I first reviewed it. They changed it. Other readers have wrote in to say the the same thing. My gut feeling (hah!) tells me perhaps some people complained about it being too thick? I have found product changes at TJ’s again and again from when a product first came out to later on so I surmise TJ’s sometimes makes changes based on customer feedback….?
Update (fall 2020)– Note that the Irish Tea packaging changed since I first wrote this. The picture with guy on bicycle above is what it now looks like. They also changed from using 2 foil packs (great!) to the bags now wrapped in 2 plastic packs (humbug!). Me and 99.9% of the drinkers would prefer foil packs for freshness. Oh well. Some report the tea’s blend changed too. At least this is still 8 oz (80 teabags). For comparison Whole Foods sells their Black Tea whic is 70 teabags and 4.9 oz!! Wow, thats a lot less tea for your money! So at least TJ has kept the amount of tea the same, plus gives you more period which of course makes for a stronger cup of tea from a bag.
If you enjoy a nice “cuppa” like I do, you’ll likely enjoy TJ’s IRISH BREAKFAST TEA.
Trader Joe’s ORIGINAL IRISH BREAKFAST TEA BAGS is a newer incarnation of a previous version of Irish Tea they carried, then “revamped” a few years back. That previous Irish Tea packaging looked a bit different and tasted different too, according to the Internet’s tea aficionados. This new version is an improved, better version, also according to them who say it has more flavor and is a stronger blend, which is what you definitely want in a cup of “Irish Tea” as Irish tea should be strong enough to stand up to milk and sugar, the way most people probably drink it there, as well as in the UK. And the way I takes me tea, as well!
TJ’s gave the box a new design too, and the tea which was in a square bag, now comes in a round tea bag (no strings). Inside the box are 2 foil-wrapped packages with 40 tea bags each, which is great way to sell tea as the foil wrapper keeps 1/2 the tea totally fresh and airtight until you need to open the second package. When you rip open the foil pack you will smell the tea easily, its got a very nice earthy (boggy?) deep tea aroma. To me this is what good tea should smell like. I won’t be a snob and say no one should use a tea bag, let’s face it they are mighty convienient (yes on occasion, I will make a pot with loose tea).
According to the info on the box, TJ’s IRISH BREAKFAST tea is a blend of tea from 5 countries: India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malawi, and Kenya. A box is 80 teabags has a Net Wt. of 8 ounces which basically means each tea bag contains a decent amount of tea, enough to make a strong “cuppa”. When you see cheap tea that has 100 tea bags and says “6 oz” you already know that means there’s simply not enough tea in each bag to make a strong cup. Lipton comes as 8 oz of tea in 100 bags, so obviously each has less tea and won’t brew up as strong as this stuff. This is a black tea and properly steeped (4-5 minutes) the tea gives you a nice very strong, dark cuppa with a deep brown color. It is strong enough to stand up to milk and sugar, or not, as you like. The box with 80 tea bags sells for $2.99 (or $6/lb) which is a good deal even compared to TJ’s ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA (which comes in a box of 48 bags for $2.99) As the box says, “The Irish love their tea”. Some of us Yanks do too and we can easily enjoy this brand of tea easily and affordably from TJ’s to make our daily cuppa.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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