“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 the first coffee they’ve had from Vietnam. Medium roast. The whole beans looked and smelled very lovely, Mine bag 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. Its tastes a bit unique. 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 coffee with the New Orleans Cafe Du Monde which has roasted chickory!
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
TRADER JOE’S MAPLE STREUSEL BREAD – “A Soft Moist Loaf With A Rich Maple Flavor, Topped With A Crumbly Streusel”
LIMITED TIME, Seasonal, Autumn
<TIP: This Makes Great French Toast ! >
I came across the Maple Streusel Bread, which is a Trader Joe’s seasonal Fall item. Actually I could smell it when I got close to these, even through the bag. This has a wonderful, enticing maple aroma.
Even though I knew it’s not exactly health food, I thought I should try this and review it. For you guys. That’s my excuse, as I normally eat try to stay eating pretty healthy 😉
Sweetness I would say is like that of cinnamon buns, though here the aroma is that of maple. Rich maple flavors. The bread is a bit dense and has a crumbly streusel topping and icing, and swirls of stuff throughout the bread. Its a bit sticky when you handle it.
I tried it a number of ways. Plain, right out of the bag. A bit sweet but not bad. Next I put on a little butter. Yummy. Next I thought I should try toasting this. You will learn right away that this can get burned pretty easily with the sugar and stuff. So be careful making this, as sticky stuff melts as you heat it.
The slice of toast below is actually not burned, just toasted up to the perfect point where it was really golden brown and delicious with some salted butter spread all over it. Toasted it was already way better. So yummy. You could sprinkle on cinnamon too for that cinnamon sugar taste.
TIP: When toasting this, keep a close eye on it as it can go from perfect to burned quickly. Go slow (low heat). I toasted it on my cast iron grill pan. It will drip some. If making in a toaster oven, put foil underneath as it will drip and get sticky.
Next I saw on the web that people LOVE THIS FOR MAKING FRENCH TOAST. Yes. That sounds like a good idea.
I tried it as the bread for French Toast. Yup, it turned out terrific. Again, cook it slowly and carefully on fairly low heat. I cooked it in in my grill pan, in about a tablespoon of Kerrygold salted butter.
When its finished it looks wonderful and basically makes its own syrup from the maple and stuff. It almost doesn’t need any maple syrup but add if you want to really double down on the maple. I think could also be good with fresh berries, Greek yogurt or even a bit of good jam.
MAPLE STREUEL BREAD FRENCH TOAST: Egg/milk mixture. 1 egg plus a splash of milk will cover about 2 or 3 slices. Let it soak for some time to absorb the liquid, maybe 10-15 minutes. so it penetrates the whole slice. I cooked it in good (salted) butter. Cook till golden brown and delicious. Serve.
$4.99 (20 oz) About 13 slices in the loaf.
1 slice has 150 cals. And yes a pretty big 13 gram sugar (which is 26% of rec. daily amount)
Features real maple syrup, a brown sugar swirl, maple streusel topping, and sweet icing.
Nutrition: Contains 150 calories per 43-gram slice, with 4g of total fat and 13g of sugar.
Texture: Dense and rich loaf, often described as cake-like.
Popular Uses: Best enjoyed toasted with salted butter or used to make French Toast.
Availability: Offered for a limited time during the autumn
Perfect for cozy fall breakfasts and making irresistible French toast!
The only bread for French Toast? Well, I think the Sliced Brioche regular of pumpkin also make great French Toast.
“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.
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.
“Each Kit contains a pound of pre-washed, pre-oiled, and ready-to-cook gold Potatoes, along with a packet of flavorful seasonings that includes dried Parsley, Garlic, onion, and sea salt. Simply mix the contents of the seasoning packet with the Potatoes, then cook, per packaging instructions, in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.”
I saw this yesterday and I had to smile a bit. Huh? What’s a Potato “Kit”?? Is it a sign of how well Trader Joe’s knows their typical (lazy) busy hard working customers.
Anyway I looked inside the box: the “kit” contains a pound of small little potatoes, plus a bag of dried parsley and dried garlic.
I didn’t try this because I can make this type of potato dish, easily, with fresh, not dried, ingredients. Will fresh parsley and garlic taste better than the dried stuff in the kit? You betcha.
Making this from scratch is not terribly harder than this “kit”. I mean you buy potatoes. Say the small red potatoes at Trader Joe’s which only cost $1.99/lb. Fresh parsley. $2. And you will have plenty extra for another dish. Don’t plan to use it up within the week? Just chop and freeze it. Hopefully you have some garlic. A bulb is 590 cents.
GARLIC PARSLEY POTATOES recipe
Boil some small red potatoes cut in half in lightly salted water for about 10-15 minutes (?). Cook until just barely cooked through (pierce with knife to test). Throw the drained potatoes into a nice heavy pan (cast iron or non-stick). Add about a tbl of oil or oil/butter mix. Cook on medium. Let them get a little color for about (6-10 minutes..) shaking or turning them until evenly browned all over. Then throw in chopped garlic (3 cloves or as you like) and cook for about a minute. Add handful chopped parsley. Toss in a tablespoon or so of butter (optional). Salt and pepper to taste. SERVE
(tip: with thin skinned potatoes like the ones pictured here you do not have to peel them)
Trader Joe’s Sliced PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD made with pumpkin purée & pumpkin spices
$4.99 (17.6 oz, 500 gr)
NEW ITEM (LIMITED TIME)
As I’ve mentioned a few times, actually I’m not one of those people who goes nuts every Fall when Trader Joe’s comes out with all the Pumpkin stuff. However on occasion I may see something that looks interesting and peaks my interest. Like this bread I saw in the New Items shelf while I was checking out:
Trader Joe’s SLICED PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD
After doing a little research I saw that some shoppers supposedly are raving about this bread and snapping it up. So I got one to try out. Here’s my honest review.
I liked this, in fact more than I expected to. I liked that the amount of spice in this is subtle. This bread is not overly flavored with “pumpkin spices”, there’s just a hint of spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), almost background and what’s there matches well with the pumpkin flavor. This is actually made with pumpkin (puree) so you get a subtle taste of pumpkin. Pumpkin puree is the third ingredient listed (flour, water, pumpkin purée…) . The bread has a slight sweetness but just a hint-it tastes like bread, not dessert. Really well balanced. The slices are a perfect thickness. The bread has a little structure, not too soft, it has a nice crumb with some air holes. Just a bit of sour tang. As far as it being “real sourdough” well….I think of this as a “sourdough style” bread. I don’t think anyone is going to confuse this with a “real sourdough” but that’s OK for me. It lists “microbial enzymes”… not sourdough starter as a purist might argue. But its in the family.
As is untoasted, I thought it tasted fine, however my first thought was, I should toast this. It will be best toasted. My hunch was right. This is great for toasting and grilling. Doing that releases all the flavors and gets great texture.
First I just toasted up a slice and tried it simple – just spread with good butter. Simple but so delicious. Also excellent with butter and raspberry jam. Experiment and find your favorite jam combo. Trader Joe’s APPLE PIE JAM perhaps? This bread toasted with butter and their PUMPKIN BUTTER?
What about using this bread to make FRENCH TOAST? Try that with this bread over the holidays?
How about a Grilled Cheese Sandwich?
It may sound a bit odd, but try this for a grilled cheese sandwich.
I saw that suggestion somewhere on the internet about using this pumpkin sourdough with TJ’s Cheddar Gruyere melange cheese. So I made it. They were not wrong. This combo was So Good. We had these for dinner! We really liked the way these grilled cheese sandwiches came out (if you need a “recipe” see below)
Cheese: I saw the recommended one as Trader Joe’s GRUYERE CHEDDAR MELANGE. I used that and it was a perfect match.
Here’s how I made my grilled cheese sandwich with the PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH.
Sliced up Gruyere Cheddar Melange cheese. Spread the bread slices with a thin layer of your favorite mustard. I used a mix of Dijon and Regular mustard. I like mustard so I did it on both insides.
Add a decent amount of cheese and carefully close up the sandwich. Grill in a heavy pan with a bit of butter on low-medium. Let it grill up for about 3-4 minutes per side or until it looks nice and Golden Brown and Delicious (check occasionally after 2 3 minutes, it can get dark easily) Flip the over carefully, press gently with a spatula until the second side is done and the cheese is all melty and delicious. Serve with pickles.
I’m sure it would also be good with some kind of cheddar but I have to say, that Gruyere melange perfect, subtle and nutty and matched perfectly with the pumpkin sourdough.
My only complaint with this bread is they don’t give you enough for five bucks! Its kind of small, half loaf of bread which is just over a pound. Our loaf went pretty fast, in fact we were fighting over who would eat the last piece of toast.
1 slice is 110 calories.
Product of Canada
CONTAINS SESAME SEEDS
LIMITED TIME – you can always buy some and freeze it
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.”
You will find these pickles in the Refrigerated case at Trader Joe’s, near the sauerkraut and kimchi and all that good pickled stuff. Wait? Trader Joe’s sells pickles in the fridge as well as the jarred kinds on the shelves?! Yup, you should check these out.
If I can buy refrigerated pickles, that’s what I will usually go for, over the shelf stable non-refrigerated ones on the shelves.
Why? Jarred shelf-stable pickles have been pasteurized so they can sit safely at room temperature for a long time. Refrigerated pickles have not been Pasteurized (with heat). I find the cold, fresh pickles in the fridge generally have better, firmer texture. Crunchier.
Pasteurizing kills bacteria, even the healthy kind we like! Pickles in the refrigerated section are unpasteurized, kept cold to slow down natural fermentation processes.
My review: Trader Joe’s refrigerated Kosher Dill pickles were very tasty, nice and fresh tasting with garlic and dill flavors with nice crunch. The ingredients include coriander garlic, mustard seed, coriander, bay leaf, dill…. all the classic kosher pickle flavors. What I would call a “full sour Kosher pickle”, dark green.
These Trader Joe’s fresh refrigerator pickles come in two shapes, Spears or Slices, as you prefer.
A sandwich with a pickle is heaven. Either are perfect for a GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH. Maybe with IVY’S RESERVE RED….
These Sausages are made with organic ground chicken, organic sweet Italian seasoning, organic basil, organic garlic, organic paprika and celery powder. The seasoning is good. These are a good thing to have on hand in the fridge to come up with an easy protein and meals.
I found these sausages quite tasty. Grilled up for example simply as I made them here with just some green peppers in olive oil with garlic. You could add lots of other things, like onions and tomatoes. Serve that with rice, or buttered pasta or what have you. Or just grill them and put them on a some toasted bread or a brioche bun.
TJ’s says “the mixture is stuffed by hand into natural casing and hung on racks, where it cooks at a low temperature for a long period of time. After cooking to perfection, the casing is removed and the sweet-smoky sausages are ready to enjoy”
Are these sweet? No, the word refers to “sweet or hot” Italian sausages. If you want spicy/hot using these, of course all you have to do is just add your favorite spicy thing. For me, these are great with TJs terrific Italian BOMBA.
FRIED / BOILED – I think they taste best using the STOVE TOP or GRILLED methods, even if just in a pan with a little oil or butter, either sliced on a diagonal or whole. Just simmering / boiling may be a little too plain, i think some browning up does add quite a bit of flavor but that’s your call.
If not using the whole package, just wrap tightly and freeze the rest for later use. They will defrost fast.
Trader Joe’s SWEET ORGANIC ITALIAN CHICKEN SAUSAGE is $5.99 (the package contains five sausages) They used to be 4 bucks (sigh)
They have no added nitrites or nitrates, One sausage is 110 calories
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