“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 you are into checking out pretty much any SMALL LOT COFFEE they come out with, like me, I would say this one is worth a try. You have to at least look at the bag to admire the incredible illustration, water lilies, mountains, 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
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 all the time. If you’ve seen this but never actually tried it, I highly recommend it.
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.
It’s gone up, like everything else (!) to now $7.99 a pound. A hunk usually runs about 5-6 bucks.
Trader Joe’s has this to say: “Our Plum Torte comes to us from a longtime supplier in Canada, who just so happens to be an expert in the art and science of fruit-forward pastries. Here, they start with halved, slightly tart, quite juicy Plums (the first ingredient!), arrayed within a layer of batter. The Torte is baked until just done, then frozen in this state of perfection. Once you get it home, some time in your oven is all it takes to achieve the alluring aromas, slightly crispy edges, and tender, fruity Plum Torte of your dreams.”
Yes the first ingredient listed is plums, and as you can see in the picture you will find a good amount of them. Big halves of juicy delicious plums throughout. which make this a super yummy plum cake.
Yes, it’s a bit on the pricier side for a Trader Joe dessert dessert but the quality is there, with good ingredients. Plums and a lot of butter. It tastes like something you bought at some bakery, though at probably double the price.
Here’s my honest review: Myself, my wife, and a neighbor taste tested this PLUM TORTE. All three of us found it surprisingly good, remarking about all the tasty plums baked into a tasty, buttery cake. We thought it was quite delicious just as is, however we thought the plum torte would be spectacular if one matched this with either some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
We did have one problem which was getting a clean slice out of the pan. Our torte wanted to stick to the tray. But it was my fault, as I learned after carefully reading the instructions. I had not taken it out of the tray as recommended and put the frozen torte onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (we did “baked from frozen”). Read the two methods for baking this carefully, as they differ slightly.
They give you two ways to bake this, from Thawed and from Frozen. The Thawed method has you thaw it overnight in the fridge, so plan ahead for that one. With it thawed overnight, you bake it for only about 5-8 minutes at 350F. That method has the cake stay in the tray, and they suggest for serving you cut “off the edges of the paper tray”.
The baking from frozen method is slightly different and has you remove it from the tray (we missed this part and had left it in the tray) They say put the frozen torte on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 18-20 minutes or “until heated through”. Or maybe try using the baking sheet for either frozen or thawed?
Either way let it cool for a few minutes of course.
I think the trick with this is to get it baked enough so the edges get a slight crispy-ness as that would be the optimum texture. The torte is not very sweet. The plums are a bit tart. In fact, if you like you could dust the top with a little powdered sugar, maybe even crunchy TURBINADO SUGAR.
This would be excellent to serve for company or guests.
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.”
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.
(New, Aug 2026) With the addition of this chocolate bark I think Trader Joe’s carries three different chocolate “barks” now? There is the original regular bark, the dried raspberry one and now this one with pistachios and jalapenos. Yes, you read that correctly. This chocolate bark contains (dried) jalapeños. So this new one is a bit of an unusual chocolate as it is has some Heat.
While I was going to the checkout line, I saw this bag in the NEW ITEMS stand next to the line. A new Chocolate Bark ? Yes please. I just grabbed the bag without looking too hard. Somehow my brain saw the word “pistachios” but somehow I actually missed “dried jalapeños”! Ha ha, I only noticed it when I got home.
Fortunately I actually like spicy chocolate and I was intrigued. Chocolate with spice is not that unusual. In Mexico for example this is common. Chocolate with something spicy is a combo that goes well together. Sure that may not be for everybody but it is for yours truly.
Here’s my honest review:
I tasted it. I soon realized I could not stop eating it after that first bite. To me, it’s addictive. After you bite a piece of the bark, you first taste the delicious sweet dark chocolate, then a few seconds later your tongue will register a bit of heat (dried jalapeño). Not a crazy level of heat. Just enough to let you know its there. And to make you want another bite. The pistachio element is a bit overshadowed by the jalapeno but it’s there somewhere in the background, and blends well with the chocolate. There’s just a hint of sea salt.
HOW SPICY IS THIS? “Low to Medium” spicy? Its a bit spicy. Not Crazy. You will taste the heat but it’s not blow the roof of your mouth off stuff (to me). I don’t appreciate crazy Hot Ones levels of heat. This is not that – though of course spicy tolerance is personal. You will have to try it for yourself.
They got the balance right. Sweet and savory and a bit spicy. While this is a bit spicy its more than tolerable as the sweetness of the dark chocolate matches perfectly to the amount of heat. I love it. But this will not be for everyone. My wife didn’t like it, even though she likes a little spiciness in food.
Trader Joe’s has this to say about their new product:
“Now, separately, the four elements of Dark Chocolate, Pistachios, Jalapeños, and Sea Salt may make utterly intuitive pairings with one another. But it’s only within the context of this Bark that this curious combination gets to shine together. And so, every bite becomes a symphony of rich, buttery, nutty, grassy, spicy, savory, and sweet, all at once.” https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/dark-chocolate-bark-with-pistachios-dried-jalapenos-sea-salt-083323
I really liked this new chocolate bark. If you like spicy chocolate, you will too. If you are very sensitive to spicy heat, maybe its not for you but I say, try it. Worst case, you bring it back and tell them you didn’t like it. That’s the great thing about Trader Joe’s, isn’t it? If you are not happy, just bring it back for a refund.
I would buy it again. I have to. The bag went very fast.
A Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk and flavored with basil pesto. It’s crafted for Trader Joe’s by a Spanish cheese maker using a sheep milk cheese which is brined and then aged for at least six months. Then they inject the cheese with an herby pesto, thoughout the cheese which you see as streaks of green all over.
“Available in our stores only for the month of August, The Sheepish Pesto makes an eye-catching and appetizing addition to any cheese board, charcuterie platter, or hors d’oeuvres table. It can be enjoyed cubed and skewered with tooth picks, sliced into triangles and savored with wine, or shaved thin and sprinkled over a leafy green salad. And for an easy entrée, try shredding it fine, melting it with butter, diced onions, and garlic, and serving over your favorite pasta with cracked pepper for a one-of-a-kind “Cacio e Pesto.”
It’s pretty bold. At first I thought the pesto had a slight tendency to overpower the cheese itself but this is an interesting cheese and quite tasty, and grew on me as I kept eating it. I can easily see this as something cheeseboard aficionados would like to add to a nice #cheeseboard as this is a bit unusual, and very tasty with lots of herby umami notes. Matches well with grapes and other fruits. Good melted too. They suggest using it for a Cacio and Pepe pasta.
LIMITED TIME (AUGUST) If it sounds like something you want to try, better hurry which it lasts
“Trader Joe’s Just Salmon Skin Baked Dog Treat are made from salmon raised without antibiotics in the cold waters of Northern Scotland. The skin is simply baked with nothing else added” (from the package)
INGREDIENTS: Salmon skin
These are pieces of Salmon skin and nothing else, baked into little pieces, ending up as crispy crunchy bite size snacks. They are not stinky, just the tiniest bit fishy smelling.
I think your dog will love these.
Me, I have cats. Sure these are labeled “for dogs” but is there any law that says cat owners, like yours truly, can’t give them to our feline friends too? I mean there’s nothing that is bad for cats in these. Its just salmon skin. Fish. Period. No additives, no nothin’. So I tested these to see if my two cats would like them for treats.
Result: One of my cats loves these treats and crunches a piece into smithereens in seconds. The other, a pickier eater, will on occasion eat one but sometimes will ignore the treat, while kind of looking at me like I’m cheating him with just skin and not the FREEZE DRIED SALMON pet treats which are pieces of salmon with flesh. Which by the way is labeled “For Pets” not just “For Dogs” like this one.
“Serve at room temperature for best flavor. Great addition to a cheeseboard; enjoy with an oaky Chardonnay”
RAVE
PRODUCT OF U.K.
IVY’S RESERVE SOMERSET RED is an award winning cheese, featured by Trader Joe’s sometime back as their “Spotlight Cheese”.
Is it worth buying? Here’s my honest review.
OMG is this cheese good. Just excellent. I enjoyed tasting it so much that I had to stop myself from devouring the package. “I just need one more taste”. If you haven’t tried it already, put this cheese on your list. Especially as it’s TIME LIMITED. Meaning Trader Joe’s won’t have it always, they will have it until it runs out. Hopefully they will get more then.
This is yet one more fantastic super premium Imported cheese you can buy at Trader Joe’s for a decent price. Note that this is one of those products sold under it’s own brand, not as “Trader Joe’s”. That means they really wanted it.
IVY’S RESERVE SOMERSET RED is a mature “aged cheddar” (aged over 12 months). You can see it’s crumbly. It has a mouthwatering edge of sharpness and a lot of umami with a lovely orange red color. While in the cheddar family this is specifically “Red Leicester” which is similar too but more crumbly than cheddar.
“Crafted in the style of a Red Leicester, Ivy’s Red is a special edition among Wyke Farm’s variety of Cheddars. It definitely stands out for its burnt-orange color and nutty & fruity notes, which are delivered with a firm texture that is rich, creamy, a bit tangy”
It’s a farm cheese, produced at Wyke’s Farm in Somerset, England. The label for Ivy’s Reserve Somerset Red describes it as “nutty, mellow & moreish,” More-ish is a British term that means, “having a very pleasant taste and making you want to eat more.”
Well that’s exactly the effect it had on me. I kept wanting just one more taste. When I finished my taste test, I saw a good portion of the package somehow had magically vanished 😉
Lovely deep orange color with the taste of aged authentic British cheddar. A little earthy, a little tangy. Aged over 1 year.
MELTED? Yes please. I had to try it melted, and of course this is fantastic melted. Put it in anything you can think of. I think this might make the best melted cheese sandwich? I would try that as well as an omelet perhaps?
Trader Joe’s has a picture with a cheese board and I am sure this would be a big hit on any #cheeseboard. They picture it with some some chutney, dates, nuts and crackers. Indicating how great this could contrast with the sweet spiciness of say, their MANGO CHUTNEY.
It says “LIMITED” so don’t expect to always find it but if you see it, I highly recommend trying this. At a high end cheese shop I would not be surprised to see this imported farm cheese selling for at least $20 a pound.
Trader Joe’s sell this for $5.49 (for a 7 oz piece)
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