Trader Joe’s IRISH BREAKFAST TEA

12 Feb 2019 10 Comments

by promacnyc in All Natural, drink, General, Products, Rave, Trader Joes, update Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


new irish tea
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.

RAVE

Trader Joe’s FRENCH CULTURED BUTTER

28 Jan 2019 24 Comments

by promacnyc in All Natural, dairy, General, Prices, Products, Rave, Staple, Trader Joes, update Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


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 high quality butter, 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.

Trader Joe’s SMOKED ENGLISH CHEDDAR

21 Jan 2019 3 Comments

by promacnyc in cheese, Products, Rave, Trader Joes Tags: , , , ,


 


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 !)

What Can You Get for $1 at Trader Joes’s?

30 Dec 2018 1 Comment

by promacnyc in Trader Joes Tags: , , ,


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!)

  1. 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….

 

 

 

TJ’s UNCURED BAVARIAN BRATWURST

28 Dec 2018 8 Comments

by promacnyc in General, News, Pantry, Products, Rave, Recipes, spices, Trader Joes, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


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!

TJ’s Pastrami Style Smoked Salmon

11 Dec 2018 3 Comments

by promacnyc in General, Products Tags: ,


Trader Joe’s Smoked Atlantic Salmon “Pastrami Style” 

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 RICE CRACKER MEDLEY snacks

16 Nov 2018 6 Comments

by promacnyc in General, snacks Tags: , , , , , , , , ,


These are very tasty, very crunchy cracker type snacks. I would say these are one of my very top Trader Joe’s products. I usually buy a bag whenever I am there.

A favorite snack food in Japan are SENBEI (pronouced Sen-bay).

Senbei are a variety of snacks made from rice which is baked into a crunchy cracker and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavors. In Japan there are probably hundreds of kinds. I’ve been to special Senbei shops in Kyoto that are over 150 years old (the shop, not the snacks!)

These “Rice Crackers” that TJ sells are a mixed variety of typical Japanese Senbei snacks. The package says that they are Made in Thailand. If I didn’t see this I would swear these were made in Japan as they are exactly like Japanese Senbei, of which I am really fond of and have tasted plenty!

In the bag are a mixed variety of shapes and sizes as you can see in the photo here. There are both the flat cracker style ones, some short stick type ones, some plain and some coated with “nori” (seaweed). You don’t get more Japanese than these! There are even some of the typical spicy “Wasabi Peas” you probably have tasted, in this Rice Cracker Medley. Every different kind is tasty. My favorite ones are the biggest round crackers, which are a little thick and SUPER crunchy.  Trust me, when I say “super crunchy” you may not believe how “crunchy”, crunchy can be until you eat these. I’m talking LOUD, noises going off inside your head, you can barely hear, turn up the tv 10 notches, that crunchy, dig?

These rice crackers have a great deal of “umami“, the “5th flavor” that Japanese covet, and which every chef in America is currently interested in. These crackers go great with beer, they match well with cheese, or you can just eat them on their own. To me, they’re so good, I classify these as a “dangerous” TJ product – meaning a bag in my house can go really FAST between myself and my wife (who’s Japanese, aha!). I could almost eat a whole bag (but I don’t). If you try these you will probably also love them, and want to buy them every time you visit TJ’s. A bag costs $2.29, not a bad deal.

Trader Joe’s COFFEE BEAN BLAST Ice Cream

19 Sep 2018 7 Comments

by promacnyc in coffee, frozen, ice cream Tags: , , , , , , ,


Do you love coffee?

Do you love ice cream?

Then this is for you.

OMG amazingly good. Very good coffee flavor.

TIP: I improved it even more by sprinkling a little bit (or more) of very finely ground espresso coffee on top. Double Yum!

About $4 if I remember. Worth it.

Excellent TJ product.

 

RAVE

Trader Joe’s UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR CHEESE

23 Aug 2018 23 Comments

by promacnyc in cheese, dairy, General, Products, Rave, snacks, Trader Joes, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , ,


96923-unexpected-cheddar

RAVE

Unexpected Cheddar Cheese “tastes like an aged premium cheddar cheese with hints of Parmesan”.

In this case the hype is justified. Year in year out, Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar is one of their best selling products, and for good reason. It’s a fantastic cheese. A knock it out of the ballpark item. This is a cheese which if you put it on a cheese plate for people who never tried it, you are guaranteed to get “where do you buy this?” Now while I have not tried every cheese that Trader Joe’s sells (I wish!) I can say Unexpected Cheddar is one of the best cheeses I have gotten there, or anywhere frankly.

I am a big fan of a good Cheddar, and for my tastes, the sharper the better. Is it because I’m a damn Yankee (well a New Yawkah at least? Sharp Cheddar is a very East Coast/Yankee preference. On this side of the Atlantic at least as Cheddar is quite English in origin. Historically in my taste memories the Sine Qua Non of a classic sharp Cheddar, and one that was in our house since we were kids, is CABOT CHEDDAR cheese from Vermont.  If we didn’t have a piece of CABOT Extra Sharp in our fridge we would at least have a package of Extra Sharp Cracker Barrel. The reason being my dad’s favorite cheese was sharp cheddar.

TJ’s Unexpected Cheddar is a bit different from these classic cheddar’s. Cabot Extra Sharp is wonderful, and in fact it’s sold at TJs ( I recommend you try it)! But “Unexpected Cheddar” is unique with a texture unlike most any Cheddar you’ve tried. As Trader Joe’s own description is so perfect I’ll simply quote it: “Unexpected Cheddar has been a best-seller since it first hit our cheese cases, back in 2011. It presents itself as an aged Cheddar, and tastes like one as well. Until, it doesn’t. That creamy Cheddar takes an unexpected flavor turn, the texture seems to change as you eat – you might swear you were enjoying an aged Parmesan. On first try, it’s an unexpected pleasure. With subsequent purchases, the only unexpected part of the experience is that it continues to be such a great value. Then again, you’ve come to expect great values at Trader Joe’s, so our price of $3.99 for each seven ounce piece may not be so unexpected after all.”

Ignoring the marketing, the description of the taste and texture is exactly right. When you slice this, it might crumble on you, not unlike a piece of Parmegiano Reggiano. Unexpected Cheddar has some flavors which have that same “umami” overtones of a Parmigiano, Grana Padano or an aged Pecorino too. I’ve tasted this with wine, and it pairs wonderfully with both whites and reds. Or beer for that matter. I can see this as a good pick for a wine tasting or a beer tasting.

At $4 for 7 oz. figure this costs a bit under $10/lb. for a super premium cheddar, a very good deal as usual from Trader Joe’s. Once you buy this you may find it makes it onto your “Always Buy” list. To be honest in our house, the biggest problem with UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR is it goes so damn fast. Its too damn tasty, and it is way too easy for a package to get eaten in one day. So be warned. Be sure to try this melted, as it is perhaps even better melted! A slice on top of a burger? OMG. Grilled cheese sandwich? This may make the best grilled cheese you ever made. In an omelet? On pizza or as quesadillas… Yes, yes, all fantastic. So be sure to try it melted (tip: I would grate it up to use somewhere melted)

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/recipes/unexpected-grilled-cheese-sandwich

Fruits: It also goes exceptionally well with fruits. Apples, grapes, pears or figs. In particular, I find the ENVY or FUJI apples that TJ carries pair very well with U.C.C. It is a little tricky to slice this cheddar perfectly as it tends to crumble a bit but that’s OK as I promise you every last crumble will be consumed. If you serve this to guests, you will get praise. This is a must for your next “cheese plate”. Seriously if you always wondered what the buzz on this cheese was about, you must try it and you will understand.

As mentioned too, TJ’s carries the CABOT EXTRA SHARP VERMONT CHEDDAR., also well worth trying if you’ve never had it, as it is the classic East Coast sharp cheddar. You will find both the Cabot and the U.C.C. usually in my fridge.

NEW ITEM (Summer 2022) – UNEXPECTED CHEDDAR CHICKEN SAUSAGES : CHEDDAR SAUSAGES (excellent item)

Trader Joe’s ORGANIC SUGAR

05 Jun 2018 6 Comments

by promacnyc in General, organic, Products, Rave, Trader Joes Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


“Trader Joe’s Organic Cane Sugar contains only one ingredient: pure, natural, organic evaporated cane juice…”

…Grown in plantations in Paraguay, the sugar cane is cut by hand…. and delivered to a facility where the cane juice is extracted and evaporated into pure sugar crystals. The evaporation process produces perfect sugar crystals, rich in flavor and molasses.”

EXACTLY. Keep It Natural! The less you do (process) to food products, generally the better it is. For this sugar, the result is a high quality sugar with sugar crystals that have a distinct flavor and slight crunch to the tooth (crystals of this sugar are bigger than refined white “regular” Domino sugar). Its very similar to some sugar I usually look for in Hispanic grocery stores called AZUCAR MORENO (Blond Sugar) which is a “special” sugar that I find especially delicious in coffee. Its kind of hard for me to find Azucar Moreno consistently and this TJ product is almost an exact match for just a tiny bit more per bag, so its a good find for me.

What does this taste like? Very good. It has a very subtle taste of brown sugar but it’s lighter in flavor and color than say “light brown sugar” – which is actually regular refined “white sugar” that has had molasses added back to it. It is molasses, a by product of sugar refinery that has the taste we think of as “brown sugar”.

TJ’s ORGANIC SUGAR has more flavor than regular (white) sugar, but its not as “strong” as brown sugar. It will add just a bit more flavor but not overpower the ingredient it is added to. I think this is especially excellent in coffee, and I also like it sprinkled on plain yogurt, or oatmeal. On yogurt, I like the way it crunches a little bit when you bite it, it doesnt melt immediately, as the grains are bigger than regular white sugar.

A 2 lb. bag of ORGANIC SUGAR costs $3.49, ($1.75/lb) So compared to regular white sugar like Domino I would not call this cheap (Domino or other regular sugar usually costs about 50-60 cents a pound…?) So I personally don’t use this to replace all the regular sugar I use. I still use regular sugar in some things, but I use this stuff in my coffee for example, on my yogurt in the morning, my tea… on cinnamon toast….really whenever I want to taste a premium sugar. So you can use this perhaps as an “affordable luxury” where a little bit kind of goes a long way.

PS – Trader Joe’s does sells molasses, the leftover product that is what is normally extracted in the sugar making process. It has a very strong flavor, and is frequently used in baking. A little molasses also goes a long way. It’s delicious, especially used in baking. They also carry TURBINADO sugar. A bit darker than this one (has more molasses in it) and that is also really excellent!

UPDATE: When I bought this recently the back of the bag no longer says its “Grown on sugar farms in Paraguay”. It says something more generic. the bag had “PRODUCT OF ARGENTINA” electronically printed on it. This sugar compared to my last bag was noticeably a lighter shade in color than the previous bag I had. So it’s a bit different now.

 

 

 

 

 

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