Here’s the latest Small Lot coffee offering (Summer 2024) from Trader Joe’s, which is called “Kenya AA Karatu”. In Kenya, “AA” indicates the highest grade beans
100% Arabica, whole bean
Now first off you have to love this bag’s attractive design which Trader Joe’s excellent designers came up with. Spot On as usual. You see this and want to buy a bag. At least I did.
So the bag is nice but is this new Kenyan small lot coffee any good? In a word, yes, from me its getting a thumbs up. Its worth trying.
Even though my personal preference tilts toward a darker roast, as I usually make espresso style coffee drinks with milk, I thought this coffee from Kenya was very good.
After grinding the whole beans up, I took a whiff and got a heavenly aroma. Yes it seems to have those notes they mention …. “black current, citrus zest and cacao”. The beans are roasted to a Medium roast, and here I find the description accurate, which is not always the case with Trader Joe’s. I would say its a light/medium roast. The beans are not shiny with oil
I thought the brewed coffee was quite nice. Very drinkable. You know, the kind where you finish your cup and immediately wonder if you should make another one? The coffee was smooth with nice flavors.
This coffee is worth a try especially if you are interested in good African coffees. I preferred this one from Kenya over the last small lot TJ’s had from Ethiopia from a few months back which I was not a fan of.
If this Kenyan coffee sounds worth trying, and I think it is, if you see it grab it while you can, as its one of their “LIMITED EDITION” coffees and will vanish at some point when they run out of it.
“Once ground and brewed to your personal preferences, Trader Joe’s Kenya AA Karatu Small Lot Coffee makes a complex, yet balanced cup, with a bold, full body that’s complemented by a pleasantly citric acid structure. While it’s an excellent (albeit elevated) everyday kind of coffee, we find it serves especially well as part of a big breakfast or brunch: its bright notes of black currant and cacao make it a great pairing option with a flaky chocolate croissant, an auspicious eggs Benedict, or a tall stack of pancakes covered in fresh berries.”
I love pistachios and I love chocolate. So when I saw this new item Trader Joe’s recently came out with, naturally I wanted to try it. The concept sounds good.
But the reality? Well, while tasty three of us tasted this and had the same reaction. This isn’t a slam dunk success. Why not? Pistachios are kind of delicate and subtle in flavor. The texture is also a little soft. Coating them in chocolate sounds good but we found the the chocolate really dominates and overshadows the flavor of the pistachios. Unlike other nuts, say almonds where the almond can really stand up equally to the chocolate. You know you are eating almonds, as they have a more distinct in flavor not to mention a very crunchy texture.
So while I find it kind of tasty its a bit of a miss not a hit . I probably won’t buy this again. If I want a chocolate covered nut, I will just stick to the chocolate almonds or cashews.
Seen at Trader Joe’s in NEW ITEMS. They have a new peanut butter that has honey. 3 ingredients listed. Dry roasted peanuts, honey and sea salt. I didn’t try it yet but looks a bit interesting. It doesn’t say but I’m sure its smooth ( i’m a crunchy PB person). I am guessing especially if you have kids, this may be worth a try. Way better for them than say JIF. Good price too at three bucks for a 1 lb jar.
I generally don’t buy sweetened PB. My regular one is TJ’s PB in the blue jar (salted, crunchy) which only has peanuts (and a bit of sea salt). Its my downfall. I go through about a jar a week or two.
I love this product but unfortunately just when I was going to post this, I could not find it at my Trader Joe’s. Checking the website, it’s listed at the moment as “currently unavailable”. So I assume they are having trouble with supply or maybe its even been discontinued? Who knows? But I am crossing my fingers it comes back sometime in the future! If it comes back however I do highly recommend this product – and Authentic Indian bread which is a bit unique and different from typical Naan type Indian breads.
This Paratha is both flaky and crispy and quite delicious. Its kind of similar to some Chinese scallion pancakes (but no scallions) in style and texture.
“Heat our Malabari Paratha from frozen in a lightly oiled, non-stick pan until golden, and you’ll find a bite that is crisp on the outside and soft & moist on the inside. It’s the perfect partner for our Indian Fare meals, or any of our frozen Indian entrées.”
“Made for us by a supplier in the Republic of Korea, Trader Joe’s Jumeokbap are flavored with a mix of plant-based bulgogi and savory-seasoned vegetables, and take only about a minute in the microwave to go from frozen to soft, steamy, and ready-to-eat. Traditionally, jumeokbap are spherical, reflecting the shape of a closed fist. Trader Joe’s Jumeokbap are a little more pyramidal, making them a kind of vegan mashup of jumeokbap and Japanese onigiri.”
Since Trader Joe’s KIMBAP has blown up on social media – perhaps way too much for their own good as the have become hard to find! – Trader Joe’s apparently realized they were on to something… They figured out another Korean rice product they could do. This product at Trader Joe’s is JUMEOKBAP. This translates basically as “Fist Rice” referring to rice you can hold in your fist (hand) and eat. In other words a “rice ball” not too disimilar to the Japanese versional called Onigiri or Omsubi.
The Jumeokbap are in Frozen foods. A package has 3 individually wrapped rice balls well actually they are shaped like triangles.
As mentioned these are a bit similar to the Japanese Onigiri. However Onigiri generally uses plain not flavored rice wrapped around something in the middle. For example “spicy tuna” which is a typical onigiri. In these “jumeokbap” the rice is mixed with flavoring like soy sauce and sesame oil, and has other ingredients.
I found them to be tasty. The Jumeokbap rice balls aren’t huge. They are a little over 3 ounces each. The picture on the package kind of throws you off as far as the size – at least it did me. I would say just eating one rice ball may be just a snack. Two would make more of a realistic meal or side dish. These of course are vegetarian with a soy protein “beef less bulgogi” added as well as carrots and other things.
These were tasty especially with my hack – which is to grill them! (see picture below)
We both found the JUMEOKBAP to be tasty, and we did enjoy eating them with kimchi of course! (OK we got the kimchi at H-Mart as a new one opened up two blocks from our Trader Joe’s!)
To make the grilled version, I had the idea to kind of do them like “Yaki Onigiri” (yaki means grilled). In that case the rice balls get grilled. Frankly I thought these Jumeokbap were even better grilled up as opposed to just nuking them as the grilling added even more flavor.
HOW TO GRILL THEM: Instead of following Trader Joe’s instructions to just microwave them, what I did is first let them thaw out on the counter for a hour or two (wrapped) at room temperature. I put them in a cast iron skillet on medium heat, added a little oil and let them grill on each side for about 5-6 minutes or just until they got slightly browned.
Try them grilled! Its worth the tiny bit of effort. Now to make them “even more Korean” in addition to the grilling we then ate them wrapped up in some Trader Joe’s “seaweed snacks” (aka Roasted Korean Nori). This was also a great idea. So I suggest buying some of the Seaweed Snacks (“Kim or Gim”) as well to really enjoy these. And some kimchi of course even the TJ’s one in a pinch, is better than nothing.
Trader Joe’s says: “Made with organic wheat and whole wheat flour and sweetened with a touch of organic sugar cane molasses, Trader Joe’s Organic Seeded Bread is soft, chewy, and ever-so-slightly sweet. Loaded with organic sunflower, flax, poppy, and sesame seeds, it’s also as hearty as can be, with a perfectly toothsome, seedy texture. Use it for all of your sandwich-making needs, or toast and slather it with Cultured Butter and your favorite fruit preserves”
It’s just loaded with seeds.
I really like this bread and buy it all the time. It’s one of my favorite sliced breads Trader Joe’s sells. The name says it all: “Organic Seeded Bread” and they are not kidding about “loaded” with seeds. This bread has a lot both on the outside as well as on the inside, which makes this a pretty hearty bread which works great for sandwiches as well as toast.
Wholesome. Whole Grains. Sunflower, flax, poppy, white and black sesame seeds and millet, all organic of course. No dough softeners, preservatives or artificial ingredients. One slice has 6g of Protein.
(Just FYI I keep bread in the freezer, where it will last a month or two. Keep it tightly closed)
This is a “Limited Edition” Trader Joe’s new addition to their cheeses. Trader Joe’s “April 2024 Spotlight Cheese”
A few months ago I saw it and made a note to get it the next day but as luck would have it, the next day I didn’t see it anymore. As they say “Limited Edition”. But after a few months, luckily I saw it appear again yesterday. I grabbed one to try for review. In short, if you are lucky enough to see this cheese in stock, I say Grab One while you can! Its very good!
“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, and… moreish. All this complexity develops over 12 months of aging, and benefits from the skills of award-winning cheesemakers.”
I loved it and found it delicious. Nutty, tangy, its a slightly crumbly reddish special English cheddar from Somerset, England. Very high quality. The kind of cheese that a high end cheese shop would sell (and probably for a lot more).
I tried it on its own, with a slice of apple and put on my new favorite TJ’s cracker (Savory Square). Just delicious. I can certainly imagine people putting this on a nice cheese board! You can’t go wrong with this.
Trader Joe’s Vegan Banana Bread with Walnuts is achieved “without the use of dairy or eggs (or, of course, any other animal products).”
This is one of those TJ’s vegan products that appeals to non-vegans (like me) as well. I found this as tasty as other banana breads that aren’t vegan.
“Whenever we introduce a vegan version of an existing product, we always make sure that it will appeal to non-vegans as well-our philosophy being that when it comes to comfort food, you shouldn’t have to compromise. We’re happy to report that Trader Joe’s Vegan Banana Bread passes this test with flying colors, boasting a fabulously sweet banana-walnut flavor and dense, moist texture. Every soft, flavorful bite gives in nicely, without any of the rough or gritty consistency that you can occasionally encounter in certain other ‘alternative” breads.”
So these were not actually discontinued. Just OUT OF STOCK forever (a year?)
I had thought that Trader Joe’s discontinued their GREEN LENTILS. They vanished for a very long time (over a year?) However yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to see lentils back on the shelf with the grains. Trader Joe’s had sold a ton of these (and red lentils) during Covid, as people stocked up on things that lasted.
I love lentils. They are delicious and of course super healthy. Like all legumes they are packed with protein and fiber. One thing I really like is they are far easier than most beans to cook. Unlike dried beans, lentils don’t need to be soaked. Just toss them into a pot and they only need about 15-20 minutes.
Here’s a recipe I found for an excellent lentil dish with goat cheese, which can make a nice lunch or dinner. I revised the original recipe I saw from chef Jose Pizarro to make it easier and less complicated to source (finding wild garlic aka ramps is not so easy)
My simpler recipe still tastes wonderful…like some dish you would get at a fancy restaurant.
Now if only TJ’s will bring the Red Lentils back!
$1.99 for 16 oz bag.
LENTILS WITH GOAT CHEESE & HONEY (revised from Chef Jose Pizarro’s dish)
2 cups lentils water or veg stock or chicken stock 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 pkg Honey Chevre goat cheese 1-2 tbsp honey (or hot honey if you like spice!) 1 small handful scallions
Wash lentils, drain, put in pot and cover with plenty of water or stock (if just water season with some salt). Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or just until lentils are tender but still have the tiniest bite (the exact timing will depend on the kind and age of your lentils). We don’t want mushy. Drain the lentils and put in large bowl.
Mix in chopped garlic, add olive oil and vinegar, and season to taste with good sea salt and fresh pepper. Stir gently to combine. Tip the lentil mixture into a serving dish or divide between individual plates. Crumble up the goat cheese in little chunks and put all over the top, drizzle with honey, and scatter on chopped scallions.
(if you are vegan, you could leave out the cheese and still have a decent dish)
Saw these today at my local Trader Joe’s. These long peppers caught my eye and looked really good, though I didn’t get to try them yet. They say these are sweet, not hot, some gourmet variety for a long pepper. Most peppers I see shaped like this have been of the hot variety but not this one.
One idea for these is they would be perfect for stuffing and I found the growers website and they have a number of recipes for stuffed peppers which look and sound pretty pretty good.
I would expect these are one offs so if you want too try them and you see them, probably buy asap while they are in stock, which I expect is Limited.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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