Trader Joe’s JAVA OF THE GODS Small Lot Coffee (Java, Indonesia)

02 Sep 2024 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, Asian, coffee, fresh, General, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave Tags: , , , , , , , ,


RAVE

ORIGIN: WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

DARK AND HEAVENLY

Of course that old phrase “a cup of Java” immediately came to mind when I saw this name Java of The Gods.

Here’s a new Small Lot coffee at Trader Joe’s (Sep ’24) which I have to say for me at least is a BIG HIT. I give this one a very big thumbs up. If that name alone – JAVA OF THE GODS – doesn’t get your attention, just wait till you open up the bag and take a whiff. Its smells INTENSE. When I took a deep whiff, instantly my brain reacted with something like, “Yeah Baby!” This smells like COFFEE with a capital C. I seems more than worthy of the name “Java of the Gods“. If you like a dark roast, you should try this. It is heavenly.

“Dark Roast”. Do you see the sheen on the beans? Maybe you could call this “French Roast” as PORTO RICO IMPORTS – a place I used to buy beans from place – refers to the roast just before Espresso?

Porto Rico describef a French Roast like this : “The beans are deep brown and have developed a glossy coating, the result of the coffee oils being forced to the surface by the roasting process. The flavor of these coffees tends to be more developed then the lighter roasts. They will be strong with a deadly aroma. Also known as a continental roast, and Spanish roast.”

A DEADLY AROMA! Perfect. Grind up these beans and your kitchen will smell like Porto Rico’s store… I promise you will get an intense deadly aroma, with yes, as described right on the bag with notes of “Caramel, Nutty, Cocoa”.

I brewed up the ground coffee using a Moka pot. I even get a bit of crema done that way with this coffee. I would think these would work especially well in a true espresso machine. But even French Press or a pour over too. Any brew method should work as well. My brewed coffee was lovely. A rounded dark delicious cup of Java. I made a cappuccino with it, which is what I usually make in the morning. Naturally a dark coffee like this one is great for coffee drinks made with milk (cafe con leche, latte, cafe au lait….) as it will stand up to the milk.

I have a mental top 10 list of a few coffees at Trader Joe’s. This Java of the Gods got added to my list. This is a lovely coffee for anyone who can appreciate a dark roast. If that’s you, this small lot one is well worth a try

So we have another excellent SMALL LOT COFFE at a fairly reasonable price. Personally I will get a few bags next time I go while its still available, as TJ’s Small Lot coffees are Limited Editions and are around for a few months usually.

$9.99 (12 oz)

Review: Trader Joe’s “Kenya AA Karatu” Small Lot Coffee – Limited Edition, Summer 2024

26 Jun 2024 2 Comments

by promacnyc in All Natural, coffee, General, New, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, snacks, Staple, sweets, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, vegetarian, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


“Limited Edition” Small Lot Coffee

Here’s the latest Small Lot coffee offering from Trader Joe’s(Summer 2024).

This one is another African coffee, specifically from Kenya called “Kenya AA Karatu”. In Kenya, “AA” indicates the highest grade beans.

First off don’t you just love the very attractive design, related to traditional African textiles. Once again the really creative and terrific graphic designers at Trader Joe’s came up with something that is as usual Spot On and makes you want to buy it! And I did.

OK so the bag looks nice, but is this new Kenyan small lot coffee actually as good as it looks?

In a word, yes. Its good folks. Frankly my personal preference in roasts tends towards darker ones, as I usually make espresso style coffee drinks that have milk. But I appreciate any good coffee. I love coffee. And I found this one to be very good. So if you are like me trust me. You want to try this one too.

“Produced by a small collective of farmers in Central Kenya each sip is marked with notes of black curranty, citrus zest and cacao…” Sounds yummy, no?

These bag is labeled Medium roast. In this case I agree with Trader Joe’s description, which is not always the case. Maybe I would even say its “Light/Medium” roast. In any case the beans are not at all shiny, they are a dull cinnamon color.

Upon grinding up the beans you get a lovely aroma which yes it seems to have those notes the label mentions : “black current, citrus zest and cacao”.

With my freshly ground beans ready I brewed myself a cup of Joe.

Good? Very. Smooth but robust with a hint of acidity. You know how when you finish up a cup of a good coffee you like, you immediately wonder, “should I make another one”? Well I wanted another cup of this.

I think this latest small lot coffee is well worth a try especially if you are interested in African coffees. I so much prefer this one from Kenya over the last small lot coffee from Ethiopia from a few months back, of which I was not a fan. Pretty decent price at ten bucks a bag too (12 oz bag).

So if this review makes this Kenyan coffee sound worth trying – and it is – grab a bag it while you still can. The sign said “LIMITED” so will vanish whenever they sell out. If you try it and like it you might even want go back and get another bag or two for the pantry. That’s what I usually do when I hit on a Small Lot coffee that I fancy. In these foil vacuum packed bags, whole beans can survive a couple of months. Right now I have two bags of that medium dark organic BOLIVIAN coffee I am in love with in my pantry.

Trader Joe’s site says this about this Kenyan coffee:

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/kenya-aa-karatu-small-lot-coffee-078341

“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.”

KENYA AA KARATU $9.99 (12 oz bag)

Trader Joe’s All Natural Cooked BONELESS BREASTS OF CHICKEN (Was Discontinued!!)

03 Feb 2024 1 Comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, Discontinued, fresh, General, New, News, Products, Rave, recipe, Recipes, review, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


(Update Jan 2025: M.I.A. for some time. Are they Out of stock or possibly Discontinued?) March 2025L Well its official from Trader Joe’s. UNFORTUNATELY THIS PRODUCT WAS DISCONTINUED ) Too bad as these were really good!

(Though not at all the same as these at least the Grilled Frozen Chicken Strips continue to be available)

This post for Archival purposes.

ALL NATURAL CHICKEN, FULLY COOKED, LIGHTLY SEASONED, BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS

Trade Joe’s has quite a few, cooked, ready to eat, chicken items in the refrigerated section. Some of those are chicken breasts that have been already sliced . These however are whole cooked boneless chicken breasts, plain and simple, ready to use how ever you like. “All Natural, Minimally Processed…”

So convenient when you don’t feel like cooking but want a fast, easy protein. My review of these is that these boneless breast are super tasty. They are as juicy as possible, as they have not already been cut up, plus they are sealed up with the cooking juices. These are of course super convenient to have in the fridge. They will last at least a week, maybe more. For longer term storage you can freeze them and leave them overnight in the fridge to defrost.

Of course you are paying a bit more here per pound for boneless breasts as naturally one pays for the convenience of having it prepped and cooked. However the taste and quality is quite high. I even am pretty sure too these have been cooked Sous Vide (more on this later) Inside the package are four vacuum sealed pouches containing one perfect looking 4 ounce boneless breasts of chicken like you can see here. They even have grill marks on them, meaning they got some time over a grill.

WHAT IS SOUS VIDE?

Some people look down on boneless chicken breast, and think of them as dry and flavorless, but I promise you the way this is cooked proves otherwise. These are perfectly juicy.

My hunch how they make these: I believe these are cooked two ways: First they grill the outside a tiny bit to get those attractive grill marks but then they vacuum seal the breasts and cook them Sous Vide. Naturally I am just guessing but these kinds of pouches look exactly like how sous vide food looks. I also say this especially at how perfect the cook is on these boneless breasts. These are perfectly cooked. Juicy, tender, flavorful. If you are in the food game, let us know in the Comments if you too think these are cooked sous vide.

I gave one of these to my neighbor to taste. She thought they were delicious and immediately said she would be sure to buy them the next time she goes to TJ’s.

“Fully Cooked” – To me this is cooked just perfectly a point. In French cooking “à point” means “exactly right” meaning being “ideally cooked, no more, no less”. These breasts are just cooked just like that. Not overcooked. They are plump and juicy and there is a bit of natural cooking juices in the pouch – which you should be sure to save! This little bit of juice/stock can go over the chicken.

I sliced up a breast and ate it right out of the package as again, these are “fully cooked”. The cook on this is what you might call “medium rare”. If you’re someone who says they like chicken breast cooked until its “well done” you may not find it . Trust me it is. Its Perfect and is done like this so you can reheat it as they state. I put the sliced breast meat on top of a salad and it was delicious. Especially with some Magnificsauce on top. The package states you can “Reheat” this by simmering the pouch in water (or microwaving it). They suggest “simmering for 10-12 minutes”. It comes cooked “a point” so honestly I wonder if simmering this for 12 minutes might ruin it by overcooking it. I would simmer for 5 minutes tops ! Maybe if this is actually sous vide, 12 minutes might be OK. But once again it is already fully cooked. Though “just cooked” in the center which is personally the way I make boneless breasts. Your call on this point.

So I found these breasts very good and very tasty. The downside is of course the price is $9.99 for 1 pound of chicken however of course you don’t have to lift a finger to cook or prep it. You are paying for the convenience of having it ready to use, plus lets face it in a nice deli that sells cooked boneless breasts I’m sure would pay that much a pound if not more for cooked boneless breasts of this quality: perfect.

So when you want a perfect breast of chicken all ready this is very convenient.

The nutrition label says one breast is 150 calories with a whopping 27 Grams Protein and only 4.5 gr of fat. Sounds pretty healthy, no?

You can dress the chicken of course with sauce of your choosing. Some ideas? Magnifisauce, Sweet Chili Sauce, Garlic Dip, Tzatsiki….

I would buy this again.

IDEA FLASH! Mix with these with mushrooms, fresh or just use TJ’s frozen mushroom medley