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 carries these cat treats: “Bench & Field Holistic Natural Feline Treats with added vitamins and minerals”
My cats go crazy for these treats. I have to have these in our house At All Times.
Both my two cats go bonkers for them. The photo of crazed Siamese cat is my cat, ‘Aspen’ in the middle of a “taste test”. In think you can tell these get is 100″ Seal of Approval. In fact, it was impossible for me to get a clear photo, as he kept tugging my hand holding the treat with his massive (polydactyl) paws.
“ASPEN APPROVED”
These treats are sold at Trader Joe’s under their own brand. “Bench & Field” a natural pet food company who’ve been in business since 1926!
They are labeled “HOLISTIC NATURAL FELINE TREATS with Added Vitamins and Minerals.”
“Omega 6:3 enriched with Menhaden Oil. 4 Calories per treat”
They’re shaped like a little fish, and fish (anchovy and sardine) is the first ingredient, with a bunch of other natural ingredients. Chewy.com sells them for $6 a jar. TJ’s sells them for about half of that! Trader Joe’s makes large cash buys with vendors to lock in a good price for us consumers.
I’m pretty sure your cats will enjoy these treats, especially if they like fishy things like sardines and tuna.
If you want to “up” your butter game at home, you have to try this excellent, High Quality French butter that Trader Joe’s sells. But be warned, if you try this butter, you may never go back to regular.
Butter is important. Especially in France. Even in France, the butter from Brittany is considered to be among the finest in the country. Spread a bit of this French Cultured butter from Brittany on almost anything… Say some asparagus, or cooked peas, green beans, or a baked potato… Maybe on some steamed Yukon Gold potatoes, or a nice slice of of toasted bread (or sliced Brioche?)… on top of an omelette…
Try this on almost anything and you will notice how good, really high quality premium butter is.
I’ve lately grown to buying two kinds of butter at Trader Joe’s. “Regular” butter and “Premium” (meaning imported). Good stuff. And this French butter is definitely the Good Stuff. If I’m having some toast in the morning and I put some of this French butter from Brittany on it, or anything, its heavenly. At any other store you would pay something like $6-7 for this 1/2 lb. pack. Trader Joe’s now sells it for about $3.80 for 8,8 oz.
I’ve gotten to really like the two Imported “premium” butters that TJ sells. Irish KERRYGOLD butter comes in a gold or silver package (salted/gold, silver/unsalted). Imported from Ireland, Kerrygold is an excellent highqualitybutter, and I love that one too. It costs a bit less than the French one: Kerrygold Irish butter is $3.19 for 8 oz.
“Trader Jacque’s FRENCH CULTURED SALTED BUTTER” comes in a blue package. It may have the slightest of edges on the Kerrygold Irish butter (but frankly both are superb butters). The French butter comes from Brittany (Bretagne), the region in the North West of France famous for cows, butter and cheeses (and Calvados!)
I’ve tried to do taste tests comparing the Irish vs. French butter and pick one over the other but they are both so good I almost can’t pick one as “better”. Both have a rich flavor that says “imported” premium butter. I started to buy the French butter as a neighbor says the French one has a slight edge. The difference may be that the French butter is “cultured” (fermented with enzymes similar to those in yogurt) to give a little bit of a tangy taste vs. the non-cultured Irish Kerrygold. Honestly though, I go back and forth on which I like more, the Irish or French butters, and always give up. Try them both and see which you prefer (if you can)! Both the Kerrygold Gold and the French Cultured are salted butters but are way less salty than you may think for salted butter you are used to (like Hotel Bar). Still, if you want an UNSALTED butter get the silver Kerrygold package. The gold package is salted (but lightly).
These imported butters naturally cost more the regular butter Trader Joe’s sells for $3/lb. I would say the normal TJ butter is equal to Hotel Bar butter or similar. But this French butter (or Irish Kerrygold) does up your “butter game”. FRENCH CULTURED BUTTER comes in a 8.8 oz pack which sells for $3.49, (PRICE INCREASED SINCE WRITING*) So figure its costs about twice as much as the regular butter. Still TJ’s French butter is I think the equal to butters you might buy in a supermarket in France. And if you compare this to imported premium butters you might see sold in an upscale supermarket here which carries imported butters, well they are crazy expensive (12/lb?). So as usual Trader Joe’s is selling this premium imported butter at a still fairly reasonable price (around $6 lb.) for an excellent French butter. The Cultured French Salted French butter only comes in a salted version but I find it fine, not overly salty at all, it’s just right for most applications. I’ve grown to love it. In fact, my Japanese sister-in-law loved this butter so much when she was visiting us that she actually carried back two packs all the way home to Japan in her bags!
Give it a try. Say slather some of this butter on a piece of warm French baguette just out of the oven, and you may never go back to regular butter, mes amis, c’est La Vie en Rose!
“Cultured butter is typically created by adding live bacteria (cultures) to the butter before it’s churned, versus regular butter which is cream that just goes straight to the churning machine. … Results in a higher-fat product, which in turns makes the butter more silky and gives it a richer taste.”
RAVE
* UPDATE: Price of the French Butter price went up. Now $3.69 (Summer 2019) Irish Kerrygold still $3.19. To save a little I’ve been getting the Kerrygold recently.
Current price: $4.50?
UPDATE 2 (Nov 2020) This French butter was M.I.A. for some time. due to a supply chain problem (Covid-19). The Irish Kerrygold butter is in stock so I have been buying that instead. Its as good or better but prices have gone up some though.
I’ve never seen this cheese before at TJ’s and as I’ve previously mentioned, Cheddar is one of my favorite cheeses. I love “smoked” cheeses too, generally and thought this looked worth a try.
Not only is it smoked, it says “With Spring Onion and Chive” and from the picture you may be able to make out the green flecks in the cheese as well as the brown edge which smoked cheeses have.
I liked the taste of this cheese a good deal. Its very interesting and unusual. The two added flavors (smoke and onion) add an entire new dimension of flavors and fit in nicely and are balanced. While pronounced, the added flavors do not overpower the taste of the cheddar. In a traditional English pub, a cheddar cheese along with some pickled onions and bread are an old traditional menu item…A “Ploughman’s Lunch“. So cheese and onion… perfect together.
We tried it on some crusty baguette. Upon tasting this Smoked English Cheddar my wife said, “I think this would be good with some red wine”. She’s smart, it definitely would. “That’s exactly why I bought it”, I said. We’ll test this theory out later tonight.
Update: It was superb with a nice red wine (Malbec)
This Smoked English Cheddar sells for $9/lb. and gets a Recommended and a
RAVE
(update! – this product may have become unavailable !)
How about this for a review? Though I am not vegetarian, I buy this all the time. This is a terrific product for anyone. It seems to be one of the more popular products at Trader Joe’s. I often notice shoppers grabbing 2 or 3 packages at a time and sometimes its even sold out. Clearly there is a reason.
TJ’s ORGANIC BAKED TOFU is healthy, tasty and versatile. Its high in protein. It can work as a protein/main that one can use in many ways, so is great for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. BAKED TOFU as the name implies is tofu that’s been marinated then baked, which removes a lot of the water in it and gives it a pleasant, firm, and satisfying, well, “meaty” texture, which is why its great for non-vegetarians and vegetarians alike. Though I’m not vegetarian I buy this all the time because its a great ingredient. This can make a very good substitute for a meat protein like say, chicken? In fact this can be used as the “main” protein in many dishes. This is terrific for use in an Asian Stir Fry dishes (see my Tofu with Broccoli stir fry below for one idea). It can be eaten on its own as the Main. You can eat this just As-Is, cold or room temp, with a nice sauce or dressing such as their Sweet Chili Sauce or Sriracha Ranch Dressing, or Spicy Peanut Dressing…. or make up your own. As you can see from what I did with it, it can still be cooked (see pic below). I sometimes grill it, which I think improves it’s flavor even more. There are two flavors available, TERIYAKI and SRIRACHA. Though I am a big fan of Sriracha sauce I find the Teriyaki version is my preferred of the two versions they have. So if you are trying this for the first time, I suggest trying the Teriyaki version first, then the other. But honestly both flavors are good, do try both at some point and see which of the two you like best. Perhaps you will always buy one of each kind, as I see many people do!
What I did with it here (pictured below) is just cut it into slices and sautéed it in a non-stick pan with some Toasted Sesame Oil for about 5 minutes a side until it was golden brown. I then added Soy Sauce and a little raw Sugar (the two basic elements of Teriyaki sauce) and a good deal of fresh black pepper and cooked that for a few minutes more until the sauce has cooked in and thickened a bit. Basically I wanted some more Teriyaki flavor and some sauce. Fresh Garlic (and fresh ginger) would be great to add too, of course for even more flavor.
If I had added more soy sauce and sugar and cooked it down, that would have made more Teriyaki sauce. I think thats one good way to make it. This can be served with that sauce on the side or spooned over. You can use almost any sauce, prepared ones at Trader Joe’s such as Teriyaki, Dumpling Sauce, SoyYaki, Sriracha, Green Dragon Sauce, or even Sriracha Ranch Dressing. Serve the tofu along with some rice, a vegetable, and salad and you have a great tasty, healthy, fast, easy dinner.
If that’s too much work for you, you can just open the package up and just slice it into cubes and throw it on top of a bed of arugula, Power Greens, spinach leaves, etc., and drizzle your favorite sauce or dressing on top, maybe add some peanuts or cashews and voila – you have a nice Lunch or Dinner in seconds.
Chinese Style Tofu with Broccoli
Roughly I would say one 7 oz. package serves about 2 people, if you serve with above other stuff. So get another package if you are 4. Some readers report just slicing it up thinly and using in sandwiches, as one might use sliced chicken. As the package says “be creative”. This would be good with the SOBA STIR FRY KIT. You could also use this, or the Sriracha version, as your “main protein” plus veggies with TJ’s very good THAI CURRY SIMMER SAUCE for a Thai curry. In short I find this is great stuff to always keep on hand in the fridge, and I almost always have a package in mine, as it’s already cooked it has a long BEST BY date (about 5-6 weeks) so its not like a meat product. Some more uses: cut into strips, sprinkled with more seasonings (chili powder and garlic powder), stir fried, then added to lots of veggies in an asian stir fry. A 7 oz. package has gone up in price now to $3.69 (current price, May 2019, NYC)
Recipe – Chinese Tofu and Broccoli; cut up broccoli into bite size pieces (don’t throw out the stem! Just peel the stem and slice it up thinly) Par-boil the stems first for one minute in salted water. After a minute throw in the rest of the broccoli and cook for another minute or so till bright green. Immediately remove and rinse veg with cold water; put aside. Cut up the tofu into bite size pieces and saute in a wok (or pan) 4-5 minutes till brown then flip and do the other side. While the tofu browns, make the sauce (2 teaspoons soy, 1 tsp oyster sauce, 2 cloves garlic crushed, 1 inch ginger sliced julienne, 1/2 cup water. Mix in a large rounded tsp of corn starch and stir. After the tofu is all brown remove. Add another tsp oil and stir fry the broccoli till crispy tender. Add the tofu and sauce and cook for about one minute until the sauce is slightly thickened and serve with rice. Optional: top the dish with Lao Gan Ma or TJ’s Chili Crisp.
Let me begin with saying I really like Trader Joe’s Firm Organic Tofu. I found that it’s pretty good, and priced fairly resonably compared to other stores. That is the tofu I usually buy at Trader Joe’s. Its got a pink label and comes packaged in water. This SUPER FIRM tofu on the other hand called HIGH PROTEIN ORGANIC SUPER FIRM TOFU is not sold package in water the way almost any tofu you have bought comes. This one is just sold wrapped in a plastic wrapper. I gave it a try but I wasn’t crazy about it. I found the texture too tough as a tofu lover, not to mention I am married to an Asian woman (She hated this tofu and made me promise never to buy it again!)
Still other people here have written in, via the Comments section saying they really like this Super Firm tofu. Therefor I think this may be one of those things that you will just have to try for yourself to see if you like it or the regular firm tofu. Some folks apparently really like it. I did not but then as the French say, “A Chacun Son Gout” (To each his own)
To me TJ’s frozen “Mandarin Chicken” is terrible but I know that it’s Trader Joe’s biggest selling product. Go figure.
Actually there are a number of items that cost only 99 cents or $1, and we’re talking good things at that, nothing junky.
These are a few of my favorite items that Trader Joe’s sells for a buck or less, that I almost always just toss in my basket at TJ’s. IMHO these are some of Trader Joe’s best bangs for the buck (literally!)
PANE ITALIANO – This is a wonderful Italian bread that TJ’s sells for just 99 cents for an 8 oz. loaf. Says “Artisan Bread”. It’s a very tasty bread, airy and light, makes great toast, great for sandwiches…everything. I even cut it in quarters and use this with hamburgers as the bun (matches great too). Perfect for a panino. Like almost any bread, its going to be improved popped into the oven for 5-10 minutes. I buy a package of this bread and can’t tell you how fast it goes. So buy 2 (freeze one). This is a steal at a buck.
2. DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS – Do I need to add anything more? Just using the words chocolate and peanut butter in the same sentence ought to do it for you, as it does for me. Think “Reese’s for Adults”. I’d say inspired by but far better than Reese’s. Chez moi these should be marked “Dangerous” or just “Crack”. TJ’s usually places these near/next to the checkout line, so that you CAN NOT RESIST BUYING THEM. And I can’t. Every. Time. I. Go. There. A bag goes for 99 cents (10 pieces).
3. BANANAS – Pickup either 5 Bananas for 95 cents (19 cents each for “Regular”) OR 4 bananas for $1 (25 cents each for Organic one). Your Choice. I generally buy whichever looks bigger/better that day.
4. FROZEN BRUSSELL SPROUTS – I find it’s really handy to have a package of these in the freezer. Are they fresh? No, they’re frozen but at 99 cents for a pound that are all prepped (no need to clean) they’re very handy and a steal.
I can think of a few more items that fit into the “TJ $1 LIST” but will leave it to you readers to come up with some suggestions via a COMMENT….
I saw this package of Trader Joe’s “BAVARIAN BRATWURST” sausages the other day, and they looked worth trying for review. They were indeed worth it. These are just terrific, an excellent product that I would gladly buy again. The sausages come fully cooked so they only need browning about 4 minutes per side. It’s labeled PRODUCT OF GERMANY as well as NO NITRATES OR NITRITES (ie, uncured) – two big pluses obviously. Originally for Oktoberfest and though they look a bit like “Weisswurst” (sausages made from veal) these delicious TJ “Bavarian Bratwurst” are made from only pork, water and spices… and we are talking an impressive variety of spices blended perfectly for a unique, great flavor. It’s these well-balanced spices and perfect texture which make these sausages quite different from say, the flavor of your typical American “Brats” or other sausages. The spices include: black pepper, marjoram, nutmeg, mace, ginger, coriander, and cardamon. Reading this spice list sounded to me like typical Christmas spices…. so I thought this could be a nice meal around Xmas time (or Oktoberfest for that matter!) But of course these are great any time of the year if you see them.
What I did with these was grill them up in a little butter with sautéed potatoes and onions. I served this classic combination with some really nice red cabbage in a jar (from Poland) I had just happened to find in a 99 cents store (!) Bratwurst and Potatoes are of course perfect together and and this actually became a Christmas Eve dinner along with the red cabbage and some nice German beers plus bread and veggies. Everything matched up perfectly for a small German-style mini feast (recipe below). But if you want easy peasy simple these also great just grilled and put on a hot dog bun, brioche bun, crusty roll or baguette with some good mustard and sauerkraut. Classic! These sausages make an easy meal. A 12 oz package with 4 good size sausages goe for $3.99 (ie, $1 each). So another pretty good deal from TJ’s and more than worth your trying. When I first saw these it was Xmas season and was not sure if they are available all year or if they’ seasonal (Update: TJ’s seems to carry these sausages all year!)
If you cooked these on a grill in summertime, it would be a huge hit I would think. You could try them with potatoes as I did or go the Easy Route, just brown them and serve them with mustard, kraut and some good bread or buns.
A NO-RECIPE RECIPE: Cut up some Yukon Gold potatoes into cubes and par-boil them for 5-10 minutes in salted water till almost tender but not completely cooked. Drain them and sauté them with some onions in oil (with a little butter for extra flavor). Cook on medium heat, toss occasionally until golden brown on all sides. Make room in the center and grill the Bavarian Bratwurst 4 mins per side until browned. I slash them slightly before grilling. When done serve with good mustard. Cold beer would of course not be amiss with these Bavarian Bratwursts!
I truly love a good, crispy authentic French Baguette and am always on the look out for a good one. In my search around NYC, I’ve bought and tried many a baguette from many bakeries around town, especially those I’ve seen listed as “Best in NYC”. While some are better than others, really almost none I thought lived up to the “Best Baguette” title (and lets face it compared to what you might buy at almost any bakery in Paris, we’re at a severe disadvantage).
The KAYSER baguette is actually “Best in NYC” IMO. THIS is what a baguette should taste like! I’m always amazed at how fantastic MAISON KAYSER’S breads are. Watch the video below with Maitre Eric. If you make bread you will understand one reason is they use a very long ferment time and special traditional “levain” which produces a far superior taste and structure. Not sure if they import flour from France or not… But if you are able to, if they have a bakery where you like, try a MAISON KAYSER baguette. You too may have an “Aha!” moment, and learn that a really good Baguette is possible to make in the U.S. after all (link to Master Baker Eric Kayser in action on Youtube)
That said, as good as the bread is there, it does have a small drawback. Not only do you have to make a special trip there, MAISON KAYSER stuff, due to the quality, does not come cheap. A baguette from KAYSER commands a premium price, and I’ve seen many prices hikes. A baguette now sells for about 3.50 for a baguette and $3.50 for an “Epi” baguette. (EDIT: cost of a baguette there has creeped up every few months; a baguette is now a pretty steep $3.75 – AUG 2019)
All of this leads me to so when I saw a “FRENCH BAGUETTE” at Trader Joe’s for $1.69 (in a brown/green bag) I thought let’s give this a try, frankly not expecting too much. This bread was pretty good, crispy, well baked. I’d even say it was on a par with many bakeries I’ve tried around NYC, albeit paying about double the price. I give the regular TJ French Baguette a “very good for the price”. But they have a better baguette there. Its the one in a WHITE BAG. Seek it out. So the day I tried the “OK baguette” from TJ, by coincidence the next day I happened to be there again and that day the Sample Station was serving samples of another baguette they sell: ORGANIC FRENCH BAGUETTE (come in a white bag). The sample they were giving out was a hunk of the organic baguette baked with cheese to super crispy (Wow, do they know how to feature a product! The store smelled amazing)
Now this baguette was another level higher. I confess I went back for seconds. The two bread packages look different : WHITE for the ORGANIC one (sealed in a heavy white paper bag). This one sells for $1.99. The other is in a BROWN & GREEN bag, and that is 30 cents less ($1.69). So why is the WHITE BAG baguette so much superior? Well it does say ORGANIC and as well as “ARTISAN STYLE“. The organic version is an improved version of the “normal” (non-organic) Baguette and is only 30 cents more.
The slightly more pricey ORGANIC BAGUETTE has a much more profound flavor plus a better, chewier interior texture or crumb (“la mie”, the interior of a bread). One reason is the bag states they use a 3-hour rise (fermentation) which I am guessing is probably twice or more as long as the regular baguette? Plus I’m betting the organic flour in this one is a better quality flour? In short, the extra 30 cents you will spend for the upgraded Baguette is well worth it. Buy the white packaged one. The only “downside” to it is this. ARTISAN ORGANIC FRENCH BAGUETTE is sold a bit under baked. The package states that you should bake this bread in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes for its full effect. If you don’t, its still not bad, but you won’t really taste it at its prime and the way its intended to taste. It’s worth the time and effort.
In a hurry? In an pinch, at least toast some slices up under the broiler (or in a toaster oven). I’ve even toasted it up on the stovetop in a black cast iron pan. Its worth the trouble. If you take the time to bake this you will get an excellent baguette! While I can’t say the TJ Organic French Baguette is exactly the equal to one from Maison Keyser, its not terribly far away either. Its one of the better commercial baguettes I’ve bought, period. This especially tastes great if you eat it with some really good butter like TJ’s “CULTURED FRENCH BUTTER” or Kerrygold Irish butter Good butter on this baguette still warm just out of the oven is amazing! Try it. Or do as TJ’s sample guy did and bake in some cheese. Ditto, amazing.
In summary, this baguette is another excellent product from Trader Joes. For $1.99 it’s an excellent value, and worth buying if you can find it. It seems to sell out quickly. I guess word has gotten out what how good and what a good value this baguette is.
When I pick up smoked salmon from TJ’s this is usually the one that I get. Its got a little extra flavor from the spice rub and herbs like dill, but these are not overpowering to the taste of the smoked salmon, the balance is very good as well as the texture of this smoked salmon. For us, this smoked salmon is a pretty affordably priced special treat, at around five and a half bucks. I find this is better than the slightly cheaper plain smoked salmon ($5?).
A SUNDAY BREAKFAST: this is what I might do with it …. some smoked salmon on a fresh TJ Artisan Bagel with a shmear of cream cheese, a squeeze of fresh lemon and topped with a little arugula and a grind of fresh pepper. This combo is quite yummy, and makes for a special Sunday breakfast chez nous.
A 4 oz package of this smoked salmon costs $5.49 (Dec. 2018). Will give this a mild Rave.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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