Here’s a new (Summer ’24) Small Lot Coffee offering. This one is from Brazil, which is of course one of the largest coffee producers in the world. This particular small lot coffee is from the North East coastal region of Bahia, a very vibrant and culturally important region of Brazil.
The coffee is grown there but since Bahia doesn’t have ideal conditions for drying the coffee, the beans are transported elsewhere for that by truck. During these truck rides, the beans naturally ferment.
Trader Joe says: “Ripe Arabica coffee beans spend the long drive in a hot, closed truck. These conditions set off a fermentation process that, unlike the controlled and monitored process for most coffee, happens naturally and with minimal interference. Such spontaneity gives Tropical Bahia Brazil its unique character. A medium roast results in a balanced coffee that boasts layered flavors, notes of sweet fruits, and a touch of acidity.”
I would not say this is one of my favorite of the small lot coffees I have tried from Trader Joe’s (they have had some stunners, like that DOMINICAN one, I adored) – however this is a nice decent coffee, with a light balanced flavor and body with just a bit of acidity and fruitiness. The beans are a Medium Roast.
One nice thing about this coffee is it’s its price, at $7.99 one of the lowest priced small lot coffees I can remember them selling?
“...an unexpected delicacy. Upon tasting it, we were enchanted by the soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture and the smooth, almost squash-like eggplant flavor that came to life amidst the bright, savory-sweetness of the tomatoes and onions. Our tasting panel was taken by surprise—these wondrous, not-at-all-bitter eggplants really came from a can? Really? Really.”
Ingredients: Fried Eggplant, Tomatoes, Onions, Salt, Parsley, Sugar, Garlic, Red Pepper, Black Pepper (natural sounding stuff)
HOT SUMMER – Now I don’t know about you during mutiple heat wave this summer but I’ve been racking my brains trying to come up with really easy things we can eat for dinner. Things that make for as little use of the kitchen as possible. Many days this summer you didnt even want to think of turning on the stove and cooking. You just want EASY. Right?
So if I can buy something at Trader Joe’s that is decent and all I have to do is open up a package…. And it’s actually tasty, as I’m concerned, that’s terrific in my book. This eggplant dish is one of those kinds of items. It’s surprisingly good.
Yes, I am a cook/foodie so maybe I will fix it up a bit. Add a sprinkle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice. I wanted more garlic in this, so I smashed up a clove of garlic and added it in and it did improve it but even just out of the can, doing nothing really, still this eggplant dish is good and very tasty.
A can of this eggplant dish is super convenient to have on hand in your pantry. Along with some other Mediterranean food in cans from TJ’s which I also like (for example, the DOLMAS STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES & GIANT BEANS IN TOMATO SAUCE)
The eggplant dish is rich and smooth, with the eggplant falling apart and is well matched by tomato and onion also melted into the mix. Its not terribly far from a Ratatouille – which you could turn it into by adding some cooked zucchini and garlic. The Trader Joe’s description in this case is so right on I’m quoting what they say….
“…Our tasting panel was taken by surprise—these wondrous, not-at-all-bitter eggplants really came from a can? Really? Really. The Grecian Style Eggplant with Tomatoes & Onions is made for us in Bulgaria, where the eggplant is grown, by our famed Greek Dolmas producers. (They have a production facility in that Southeastern European country, so the eggplant can be cooked immediately upon harvest from the fields.) Whole, long, narrow eggplants—harvested at the height of the season—are split in half lengthwise and stewed in a rich, flavorful “sauce” of tomatoes and onions. Seasoned with parsley, garlic, red pepper and curry powder, and canned with soy oil, the gently- flavored, purple fruits of the nightshade family blossom with seductive Mediterranean essence.”
You can serve this as-is at room temperature with some good bread or crackers or flat bread/naan. Or warm it up if you like. Either way I would suggest giving it a little drizzle of good EVOO, maybe crushed garlic and chopped parsley. All of which will improve it even more, and then you could tell people you made it. Shhh… that it even came out of a can will be our secret!
I had about half of the can left over for another meal. Believe it or not the next night we were going to eat some Indian food. I wondered if I could mix it into some CHANNA MASALA? Guess what? The two worked surprisingly well turning it into eggplant and chick peas with Indian flavors which we enjoyed with Naan and Basmati Rice. So this could become other things…. Mix even with pasta and Feta cheese? Let us know if you have ideas to share.
Trader Joe’s Yuzu Kosho – Japanese Citrus Chili Pepper Paste
NEW ITEM!
“Savory, zesty and invigorating with a nice even level of heat”
Trader Joe’s recently introduced this new condiment which you could call an “Asian Citrus Wonder Paste”. Their new Yuzo Kosho paste has an amazing taste that is citrus-y, spicy, zingy and just loaded with Umami. This condiment is made by combining the Japanese citrus, yuzu with green chili peppers into a paste, which typically is then fermented.
Yuzu as you probably know is an Japanese citrus that looks like a cross between a lemon and a grapefruit.
Yuzu has an incredibly unique flavor. Chefs all over the world have fallen in love with yuzu, the juice as well as the flavorful peel. You see yuzu a lot in restaurants now and its a hot trendy item, no doubt one of the reasons Trader Joe’s is really going “all in” on yuzu stuff – they’ve just come out with 3 new Yuzu based products: this Yuzu Kosho, as well as Yuzu Miso and Green Tea and Yuzu spread.
Yuzu Kosho is a traditional Japanese condiment, which I have bought a few times in Japanese stores. I love that Trader Joe’s is carrying it now and for a good price too.
Using Yuzu Kosho: First thing to know is a little goes a long way so just a small dollop will give a big pop of citrus flavor with a bit of heat to your dish. Tasted on its own you will think its salty but you use it small amounts. Of course you may reduce adding the salt you might have used if you use this depending on what you are making.
What is it good with…? Just mentioning one thing, this stuff is just great with fish.
I was going to make broiled salmon yesterday, and remembered I had this new yuzu kosho paste to try out, and was waiting for something to use it with. I was going to make Miso Glazed Salmon so I thought what if I mixed a bit of the Yuzu Kosho in as well into Miso?
I took about a tablespoon or more of the Miso and maybe a scant teaspoon of the yuzu kosho. I mixed the two pastes up together and spread this mixture all over the salmon and just let it marinate for about 5 minutes.
I pre-heated my broiler and popped in the fish in a cast iron pan. I cooked it for about 6 minutes or so, keeping a close eye on it to make sure it didn’t burn. As soon as the top was a lovely deep golden brown I took it out and let it sit for a few minutes to finish cooking in the hot pan.
All I can tell you the salmon was delicious this way. Very yummy, people I promise you if you try this you will like it. I served the salmon with rice and edamame, and the whole dinner was was delicious. The miso and yuzu kosho combo was perfect. Even my Japanese/Korean wife gave my Miso Yuzukosho Salmon dish a big thumbs up. And she is tough !
As well as fish you could use yuzu kosho (and possibly the miso/yuzu combo) with chicken, tofu, mixed into vegetables… frankly almost anything.
Now Trader Joe’s just came out with Miso Yuzu too alongside the Yuzu Kosho. Its probably also good but I do like my miso/yuzukosho combo for the added kick.
“Use yuzu kosho whenever you want to enliven a dish with punchy citrus flavor and heat. But use it sparingly; a dollop goes a long way. Start by swirling a teaspoon into stir-fries, salad dressings, meat marinades, and sauces.”
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:
“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.”
Trader Joe’s SAVORY SQUARES Vegan Cheddar Style Crackers made from nuts and seeds. (Gluten-Free)
My neighbor bought these and told me to come try them to review them.
The two of us, neither being vegan nor gluten free, were still quite impressed with these. Both of us were quite surprised at how good these new crackers Trader Joe’s just came out with are. Gluten Free or not. They taste great. Yes “cheesy” without cheese or dairy. The main ingredients are tapioca flour, almond flour, sunflower seed flour, flax seed meal, potato starch, yeast extract and other things.
Made with all these kinds of nuts and seeds and other things they have a very Savory taste and cheesy as well. Both of us who you could say are hard core cheese lovers said like the way they did taste a bit cheesy. These are one of those products that are so good you will like them if you are vegan or non-vegan, gluten free or non gluten free. Thats how good they are.
If you just gave me these and didn’t tell me anything I would just assume they were regular cheese crackers not something that was vegan or gluten free. I would just say these crackers are really good, period. Meaning anyone is going to love these. This is not one of those gluten free products that is a mere shadow of the original its trying to come out like. This is a really terrific cracker that I expect anyone would love. They are so flavorful. Full of “umami”. Really these are the bomb people.
We ate the crackers just by themselves – again, terrific – but as we are definitely not vegan – we are both total Cheese Heads, we said these crackers are great. Now lets put some good cheddar cheese on them and see how they are with cheese!
Yes as good as they are by themselves of course we cheese freaks thought they went great with cheese too. If you do cheese boards these will go well with any kind of cheese, or any other topping for that matter.
But if you are Vegan, or Gluten Free you will love these for being that AND tasting really good!
The only downside of these is they don’t give you a ton in the box and they go fast!!
My wife’s gotten addicted to these. She is buying them every time she goes to Trader Joe’s. She says they’re the best cracker she ever had.
$3.99 box (5 oz)
Trader Joe’s says this:
“The cheese cracker is a time-honored treat, a classic savory snack for kids and adults alike. However, it’s not always an option, dietarily speaking, as most tend to be made with gluten and dairy ingredients. That’s where Trader Joe’s Savory Squares come in. Made with a mix of nut and seed flours, these superbly snackable Squares achieve an unmistakably Cheddar-y cheesiness and satisfyingly crispy crunch, all without the use of any gluten or animal-based ingredients.
Excellent for everything from simple, everyday snacking to scooping up your favorite creamy dip, these Savory Squares are ideal for bringing along on road trips, toting to board game nights, or packing into school lunches. They can be enjoyed totally on their own, as a standalone snack, or mixed in with other savory treats”
COCONUT CHICKPEA CURRY – “a creamy recipe with tumeric and aromatic spices” (PRODUCT OF INDIA)
I saw this in the NEW ITEMS shelf yesterday and tossed a pouch in my cart as I’ve found some of “Trader Joe’s Indian Fare” dishes pouches decent. Not to mention super convenient. For example the yellow tadka dal (which I’ve since learned to make on my own watching some YouTube videos).
This new one is COCONUT CHICKPEA CURRY with coconut milk as the first ingredient, followed by chickpeas.
Here is what TJ’s has to say about the product on their website:
“Made with a relatively simple recipe that includes coconut milk, chickpeas, chopped veggies, and spices like turmeric, cinnamon oil, and dried curry leaves, this heat-and-eat Curry achieves a remarkably complex, yet beautifully balanced mix of flavor, texture, and aroma—and all after a single minute in the microwave, or a few minutes submerged in boiling water.”
The Indian Fare pouches are easy to make and convenient to keep in your pantry. These are a bit faster even than frozen Indian meals perhaps by a few minutes – so not a huge difference. Be sure to try some of TJ’s frozen Indian items, many of which are VERY GOOD. See… Palak Paneer, Channa Masala, etc
MY REVIEW: You can microwave this or cook it on the stove. I did the latter. The Coconut Chick Pea curry was pretty good. Its mild from a simple, coconut milk sauce. This will be good with say Naan and Basmati rice. The dish is simple not complex, but fairly tasty with chick peas, some carrots, some onions in a coconut milk curry. However compared to say that other chickpea dish, I didn’t find this one as tasty as TJ’s excellent Channa Masala sold in the Frozen section. That dish is tastier, more complex. It tastes almost like it came from a restaurant. It is just tiny bit more expensive (50 cents) than this, but worth it. The Channa Masala is a 9. This is a 5.
However if you prefer your tastes for Indian dishes run toward mild and simple than perhaps this Coconut Chickpea curry may be to your liking. If you can, try both and decide which you prefer. My choice of the two is the frozen Channa Masala, which I adore.
$2.49 (10 oz pouch)
I believe this is VEGAN as it doesn’t list butter or ghee ?
Another of the Indian Fare Trader Joe’s stuff in a pouch, Madras Lentils
This is one of those rare Gluten Free products where the GF version is just as good, if not better, than the original one made with whole wheat.
I really like Trader Joe’s regular “Seeds and Whole Grain CRISPBREAD” which I reviewed before. Though I am not Gluten Free, I saw these and wanted to try the GF version of the terrific Norwegian crispbreads Trader Joe’s has. The ingredients are similar, mostly seeds, however the regular version has wheat in it.
They are all very hearty and very crunchy and are great as a cracker or as the base for an open faced Scandinavian style sandwich. Super with a spread or some cheese or even just butter. Or by itself it you like.
The GF version is also terrific. I can eat gluten so I don’t have to get the Gluten Free version but this is so good I would still buy it. Its excellent, really tasty. A little similar in taste and texture to the original one, but this GF version of course does not contain the whole wheat the regular version has, so no gluten here.
This version is made from sunflower seeds, oats, sesame seeds, flax seeds, rice bran and a few other ingredients. Healthy. Made in Norway. I love these style of breads and this gluten free one is also really good. The Gluten Free crispbread cost a bit more than the other ones. These go for $4.29, as compared to the regular Seeds and Grains Crispbread ($2.99).
UPDATE: MY TRADER JOE’S HAS A SIGN NOW THAT SAYS: “ASK AN EMPLOYEE FOR KIMBAP. LIMIT OF TWO PER CUSTOMER” – ergo try asking for if if you don’t see it on the shelves*
For months I’ve wanted to try this (relatively) new product Trader Joe’s introduced, ever since I first heard about it. But I could never find it in stock!! This went on for maybe six months. I never saw it in stock. Well it seems this is one of those Trader Joe’s products that blew up and went VIRAL due to social media.
“Trader Joe’s sold out of kimbap, its latest viral offering, thanks to TikTok”
In fact, I read that Trader Joe’s started to put up signs to limit any customer to buying just 2 packages.*
I could never buy it! But finally saw it yesterday and I literally I grabbed it. A day or two later, when I went back I actually saw some on the shelves so they had it so hopefully they’ve increased supply.
I’m not Korean. My wife is. So I have eaten a good amount of the real McCoy – freshly made KIMBAP (also called gimbap). I love it, just like I love all kinds of sushi or any Rice and Seaweed combination which is a match made in heaven.
A few years back my wife had a “secret little place” – a small window storefront in NYC’s Koreatown / 32nd Street area. At the time she worked nearby there. She would bring home kimbap from that little shop from time to time. I’ve since learned the kimpab shop is called “EM-O”. The kimbap from there is fantastic. If you ever have a chance to go there I suggest trying one from there (though they used to be about $7 each and now I understand they are about $11)! If you taste one from there (or a restaurant) you will have a basis for comparison for this stuff from TJ’s. No, this is not close BUT ….
Trader Joe’s came out with (frozen) kimbap, that is Made in Korea. Apparntly Costco also sells a similar item too.
“Known in Korea as gimbap, from gim for “seaweed” and bap for “cooked rice,” kimbap is similar to—but decidedly distinct from—a mega-sized maki sushi roll. Whereas maki is typically made with vinegar-seasoned rice and focuses on one filling (like a single variety of vegetable or fish), kimbap is made with sesame oil-seasoned rice, and can contain all kinds of combinations of savory fillings. Trader Joe’s Kimbap, for example, takes a veggie-forward approach. Our supplier, a kimbap expert in the Republic of Korea, arranges an assortment of sauteed greens, crunchy root vegetables, and crisp pickles around a base of braised tofu, wraps it all in a layer of rice and seaweed, then slices it into two-or-three-bite-sized rounds.”
My wife who is skeptical about all Trader Joe’s items was naturally quite skeptical that this frozen kimbap could be any good. Interestingly we both had the same reaction. “This stuff is better than I thought it was going to be”. So a qualified thumbs up. Sure its not like a freshly made kimbap from a special place that mades them.
However it was better than we thought. Its actually tasty. I don’t know if TJ’s Kimbap would impress most Koreans who grew up on their Mom’s kimbap but, as clearly the popularity of this has indicated, this might do in a pinch to satisfy your cravings. Especially I think if you do one of the things they suggest on the package. Grill the slices for a few minutes in a little bit of sesame oil. We had it both ways and liked the grilled ones better than non-grilled so I think that a little grilling will improve it and is worth your trying. Naturally the big difference between the freshly made stuff that you might get in a restaurant or made by your Korean grandma is just that, it was made fresh a few minutes ago. So like Sushi, of course that fresh handmade rice roll will be ideal eaten right then as the rice will be soft and slightly warm while the outer wrapping of seaweed will still have a nice crispy texture and crunch as you bite into it. Which this doesn’t of course. Naturally the process of freezing it and and then defrosting/microwaving it gives you a little mushy texture in both the rice and seaweed wrapping.
However even having said all this, Trader Joe’s Kimbap is still kind of tasty. Again we thought it would be terrible and we both said “this is better than I expected” (and again one of us is Korean/Japanese).
Koreans make many varieties of kimbap; it can contain lots of things, for example some are made with beef bulgogi however this Trader Joe’s one is a vegetarian version made with braised tofu and vegetables which include a few things like Burdock Root a crunchy root vegetable.
INormally kimpab is eaten at room temp. The package says to microwave it from frozen and not to defrost it, so I did as suggested letting it sit afterwards in the package for a minute. The rice came out just a tiny bit mushy and I thought next time I may try a 15 seconds less microwave time. One day I might just try defrosting this and see what that does in spite of what they say.
You can eat it right away as is. However they suggest on the package to pan fry it a bit with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. Let the slices grill on low for about 5 minutes per side. You can give it a little more flavor sprinkling toasted sesame seeds or FURIKAKE on it. Maybe make a little GOCHUGANG sauce to drizzle on our serve on the side to. I think this would match well with other food items (grilled chicken, shrimp, beef) or maybe even TJ’s vegetarian beefless BULGOLGI
One user on Quora, recommended putting a spoon of spicy tuna on each piece which should like a great idea.
$3.99 per package. I would buy it again. If I can find it that is!!!
MADE IN KOREA
If you are interested in HOW TO MAKE KIMBAP and maybe someday want to try it DIY; here’s a link I found:
Well it took 20 years but Trader Joe’s decided to finally raise the price of one of it’s most popular products, and the internet became abuzz with this new.
Trader Joe’s raised the price for BANANAS. They raised the price 20%. For the last 20 years Trader Joe’s has sold bananas individually at 19 cents each.
They’ve stayed 19 cents for 20 years!
However Trader Joe’s decided to raise the price of bananas from 19 cents to 23 cents (regular bananas) with Organic bananas, which were 25 cents for the same amount of time, now costing 29 cents each. Yes, this price increase looks small but this does work out to about a 20 per cent price hike. Inflation is supposedly down to 3 or 4%. So its a noticeable jump as most people who buy say 5 bananas at a time will be at least 20 cents more for them.
One more sign of inflation. As if we needed another one, right?
One Trader Joe’s spokesman said due to inflation they have finally had to raise the prices due to cost increases. Street vendors in New York City sell them usually 4 for $1 (25 cents each) Trader Joe’s used to undersell the guys on the street but now they are about the same price. I may buy them from them now, we’ll see.
It’s wonderfully flavorful with just the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Naturally it will go great with your Indian dinners such as your PALAK PANEER , or your Butter Chicken and Rice and some Naan and yogurt raita or tzatziki. However it will match well with many other types of food. Its great served on the side with grilled chicken or fish – or tofu for that matter. I even love it on top of cottage cheese! Great on a grilled cheese sandwich.
A jar is $3. I would buy this again. TIP: save yourself a trip and buy two jars!
“Made for us by a supplier in Sri Lanka, this magnificently Mango-forward Chutney is made with a thick, yet smooth and spreadable base of organic cane sugar and organic coconut sap vinegar, to which our supplier adds big, toothsome chunks of organic mango. They then flavor each batch with a suite of awesomely aromatic (and organic!) spices and seasonings that includes cinnamon, cardamom, chili powder, and garlic. Expertly balanced between its savory, sweet, and heat-based elements, the sky’s the limit with this vibrantly versatile Chutney. Try spooning a bit over pizza or pork chops, onto a freshly baked Organic Biscuit or toasted Tandoori Naan, or into a grilled cheese sandwich.“
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