“Grown in the Northern Highlands of Vietnam, this 100% Arabica coffee expresses notes of roasted herbs and cocoa in every satisfying sip. It’s bright and balance profile a result of the high elevation and mild climate of its growing region. Makes it especially suited to pairing with pastries and fresh cut fruit”
“Trader Joe’s Vietnam Medium Roast Small Lot Coffee benefits from the Vietnamese Northern Highlands’ high elevation and comparatively temperate climate, which both allow the Coffee beans to ripen slowly and steadily, developing a pleasant equilibrium between the more acidic, cocoa-like elements and savory, herby aspects of its unique flavor profile.”
“while supplies last—these truly are Small Lot Coffees, and once they’re gone, there’s no telling when (or if!) they’ll be back!”
LIMITED ITEM
Trader Joe’s just came out with this new VIETNAM SMALL LOT COFFEE. I believe this is the first coffee they’ve had from Vietnam to my knowlege. It’s Medium roast. The whole beans looked and smelled lovely, and the bag I got was pretty fresh. The roast date was only about 3 weeks before I bought it, not too bad for Trader Joe’s.
Reading the package – which is so beautiful by the way – I was a bit surprised reading the words “Roasted Herbs”. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that before to describe a coffee.
So how is it?
I actually really liked this. In fact the more and more I tried it over the next few days, it grew on me, more and more.It is a bit unique (roasted herbs?) . Yes for the “cocoa” notes and there that other note, I can’t quite put my finger on. A slight funkiness? In a good way. Possibly that must be the “roasted herbs” part. OK, then. In fact, here in the U.S. some Vietnamese people make Vietnamese coffee with the New Orleans brand Cafe Du Monde which has roasted chicory in it!
In addition to brewing it as I normally do, in my Moka pot, I thought, I why don’t I try making a “Vietnamese Coffee” with these beans since I have that typical Vietnamese Phin Filter for making Viet Ca Phe. You may have had this style coffee, maybe in a Vietnamese restaurant. Cafe Sua Da can be served either cold and hot. Like a drip espresso style with the coffee mixed with condensed sweetened milk. It’s delicious.
When I made it with this Vietnam Coffee, here too, the result was delicious. It was particularly good made that way. BTW Trader Joe’s sells cans of Sweetended Condensed Milk too. But it was good too, just made regular fashion.
If, like me, you are into checking out pretty much any SMALL LOT COFFEE they come out with, at least to try once, I would say this one is worth trying. It’s an interesting and tasty coffee. Lastly I am so impressed with the incredible illustration on the bag design with water lilies, lotuses, mountains, and water…
TRADER JOE’S SMALL LOT VIETNAM COFFEE – $11.99 (12 oz) bag
Those Vietnamese “phin” filters are not expensive (under $12) . Condensed milk goes for about $3.
“In Vietnam, coffee, whether it’s brewed and served at home or in restaurants, is brewed leisurely. Hot coffee (cà phê nóng) is preferred in the morning, while iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá) is saved for the heat later in the day.” – HungryHuy
Trader Joe’s Broccoli Cheddar soup is another one of Trader Joe’s tasty and handy Ready To Eat soups, sold in the refrigerated case.
I hadn’t tried this before but Trader Joe’s says they’ve “improved the recipe”.
This is a very hearty soup/chowder, made with a creamy base . What I really liked is that this had a ton of large pieces of tasty broccoli, as you can see in the picture. I mean it was just loaded with nice big pieces of it, in addition to carrots.
On the cheese front they use two kinds of cheddar’s, a Sharp Cheddar and their fantastic Unexpected Cheddar.
I just happened to have a little piece of leftover cooked bacon in the fridge, so I thought why not add it on top. I chopped it up and topped the soup with it, and it did add a superb note (just saying if you have any, use it) Also when serving it can’t hurt to sprinkle on a little bit of your favorite cheddar on top.
We ate this soup for dinner recently and found it quite delicious, close to say a Whole Foods version. This made a tasty. satisfying dinner along with some a slice of toasted sourdough bread and a big salad, that made a easy tasty meal.
The container was just enough to serve two of us, about 10 ounces each, for dinner with a small but filling bowl. This is a very hearty soup, pretty much like a chowder. Good anytime but perfect for a cold Autumn or Winter day.
1 cup (approx 1/2 container) have 310 calories.
Stove Top: Pour soup into a pot and heat on Medium for 5-6 minutes until heated through, stirring occasionally. Allow to sit for a minute before serving.
“Excellent as an entrée and spectacular as a side, our upgraded Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup makes a particularly great pairing option for a hearty sandwich or crisp, leafy green salad. Creamy, comforting, and rich, we also like simply serving it with a hunk of crusty bread for dipping, or hollowing out a Sourdough Boule and enjoying it inside a bread bowl.” – Trader Joe’s
“Each Kit contains a pound of pre-washed, pre-oiled, and ready-to-cook gold Potatoes, along with a packet of flavorful seasonings that includes dried Parsley, Garlic, onion, and sea salt. Simply mix the contents of the seasoning packet with the Potatoes, then cook, per packaging instructions, in the oven, microwave, or air fryer.”
I saw this yesterday and I had to smile a bit. Huh? What’s a Potato “Kit”?? Is it a sign of how well Trader Joe’s knows their typical (lazy) busy hard working customers.
Anyway I looked inside the box: the “kit” contains a pound of small little potatoes, plus a bag of dried parsley and dried garlic.
I didn’t try this because I can make this type of potato dish, easily, with fresh, not dried, ingredients. Will fresh parsley and garlic taste better than the dried stuff in the kit? You betcha.
Making this from scratch is not terribly harder than this “kit”. I mean you buy potatoes. Say the small red potatoes at Trader Joe’s which only cost $1.99/lb. Fresh parsley. $2. And you will have plenty extra for another dish. Don’t plan to use it up within the week? Just chop and freeze it. Hopefully you have some garlic. A bulb is 590 cents.
GARLIC PARSLEY POTATOES recipe
Boil some small red potatoes cut in half in lightly salted water for about 10-15 minutes (?). Cook until just barely cooked through (pierce with knife to test). Throw the drained potatoes into a nice heavy pan (cast iron or non-stick). Add about a tbl of oil or oil/butter mix. Cook on medium. Let them get a little color for about (6-10 minutes..) shaking or turning them until evenly browned all over. Then throw in chopped garlic (3 cloves or as you like) and cook for about a minute. Add handful chopped parsley. Toss in a tablespoon or so of butter (optional). Salt and pepper to taste. SERVE
(tip: with thin skinned potatoes like the ones pictured here you do not have to peel them)
Trader Joe’s Sliced PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD made with pumpkin purée & pumpkin spices
$4.99 (17.6 oz, 500 gr)
NEW ITEM (LIMITED TIME)
As I’ve mentioned a few times, actually I’m not one of those people who goes nuts every Fall when Trader Joe’s comes out with all the Pumpkin stuff. However on occasion I may see something that looks interesting and peaks my interest. Like this bread I saw in the New Items shelf while I was checking out:
Trader Joe’s SLICED PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD
After doing a little research I saw that some shoppers supposedly are raving about this bread and snapping it up. So I got one to try out. Here’s my honest review.
I liked this, in fact more than I expected to. I liked that the amount of spice in this is subtle. This bread is not overly flavored with “pumpkin spices”, there’s just a hint of spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), almost background and what’s there matches well with the pumpkin flavor. This is actually made with pumpkin (puree) so you get a subtle taste of pumpkin. Pumpkin puree is the third ingredient listed (flour, water, pumpkin purée…) . The bread has a slight sweetness but just a hint-it tastes like bread, not dessert. Really well balanced. The slices are a perfect thickness. The bread has a little structure, not too soft, it has a nice crumb with some air holes. Just a bit of sour tang. As far as it being “real sourdough” well….I think of this as a “sourdough style” bread. I don’t think anyone is going to confuse this with a “real sourdough” but that’s OK for me. It lists “microbial enzymes”… not sourdough starter as a purist might argue. But its in the family.
As is untoasted, I thought it tasted fine, however my first thought was, I should toast this. It will be best toasted. My hunch was right. This is great for toasting and grilling. Doing that releases all the flavors and gets great texture.
First I just toasted up a slice and tried it simple – just spread with good butter. Simple but so delicious. Also excellent with butter and raspberry jam. Experiment and find your favorite jam combo. Trader Joe’s APPLE PIE JAM perhaps? This bread toasted with butter and their PUMPKIN BUTTER?
What about using this bread to make FRENCH TOAST? Try that with this bread over the holidays?
How about a Grilled Cheese Sandwich?
It may sound a bit odd, but try this for a grilled cheese sandwich.
I saw that suggestion somewhere on the internet about using this pumpkin sourdough with TJ’s Cheddar Gruyere melange cheese. So I made it. They were not wrong. This combo was So Good. We had these for dinner! We really liked the way these grilled cheese sandwiches came out (if you need a “recipe” see below)
Cheese: I saw the recommended one as Trader Joe’s GRUYERE CHEDDAR MELANGE. I used that and it was a perfect match.
Here’s how I made my grilled cheese sandwich with the PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH.
Sliced up Gruyere Cheddar Melange cheese. Spread the bread slices with a thin layer of your favorite mustard. I used a mix of Dijon and Regular mustard. I like mustard so I did it on both insides.
Add a decent amount of cheese and carefully close up the sandwich. Grill in a heavy pan with a bit of butter on low-medium. Let it grill up for about 3-4 minutes per side or until it looks nice and Golden Brown and Delicious (check occasionally after 2 3 minutes, it can get dark easily) Flip the over carefully, press gently with a spatula until the second side is done and the cheese is all melty and delicious. Serve with pickles.
I’m sure it would also be good with some kind of cheddar but I have to say, that Gruyere melange perfect, subtle and nutty and matched perfectly with the pumpkin sourdough.
My only complaint with this bread is they don’t give you enough for five bucks! Its kind of small, half loaf of bread which is just over a pound. Our loaf went pretty fast, in fact we were fighting over who would eat the last piece of toast.
1 slice is 110 calories.
Product of Canada
CONTAINS SESAME SEEDS
LIMITED TIME – you can always buy some and freeze it
Certified Organic, 13g Whole Grains per serving, 70 cal slice
This is a NEW ITEM (AUG 2026)
21 Grains and Seeds Thin Sliced Organic Bread, with whole wheat and “organic seed and nut mix” containing organic sunflower, flax, pumpkin, sesame, black sesame, poppy, millet, rolled oats, quinoa, rye, spelt, yellow corn, amaranth, buckwheat, khorasan, purple corn, brown rice, sorghum, vital gluten, seeds and flours and other goodies like molasses.
A very nice slightly nutty tasting light brown whole wheat bread. Sliced thinly. One slice is 70 calories.
Made great toast with this as well as grilled cheese sandwiches. I would buy this again.
$4.49 for a 20 oz loaf
“Trader Joe’s Organic Thin Sliced 21 Grains & Seeds Bread is multi-faceted. Each Grain and Seed contributes its own characteristic taste and texture to produce a brown bread that is moist and slightly sweet, with a satisfyingly robust flavor. It’s excellent for sandwiching Organic Reduced Sugar Strawberry Preserves and Creamy Salted Peanut Butter. It’s also fantastic when two pieces are toasted in a pan with a generous number of Cheddar & Gruyere Mélange slices all melty in-between. And since our supplier has Sliced each loaf nice and Thin, it’s ideal for smaller-portioned sandwiches and toasts: each Slice comes in at about 70 calories.”
No added sugar or other ingredients. Just 100% juice from real pomegranates. Not from concentrate.
Trader Joe’s came out with this pure 100% pomegranate juice in a small, single serving size bottle, about 8 ounces. Easy to carry. This tasted just like I was eating a pomegranate. Naturally sweet-sour.
Want my honest review? It’s yummy, people! If you love pomegranates you will love this. I found it delicious and very refreshing ice cold. A bit tart, but a bit sweet just like pomegranates taste. Deep ruby red color.
Trader Joe’s version of POM maybe? Pretty sure this a bit cheaper though.
Trader Joe’s has a bigger 1 qt. bottle of pomegranate juice however that one is from concentrate. This isn’t. Just real natural juice from pomegranates.
Trader Joe’s MANDU, Korean Kimchi PotstickerDumplings (frozen)
Product of Korea
VEGAN
“Korean dumplings (mandu) come in an array of shapes and fillings. These particular pot-stickers are made with Kimchi, Glass Noodles and Vegetables with traditional spicy and tangy flavors from the kimchi which comes though in savory, piquant notes. They are best prepared “gun mandu” style, crisped in a pan on both sides to create a textural variety” -on the package
Trader Joe’s just introduced these new Mandu Korean Kimchi Potsicker frozen dumplings which are Made in Korea.Mandu is the Korean word for “dumpling”. These mandu have an interesting shape, a long rectangular “beggar’s purse”. They are plant based (vegan). Price-wise they are pretty good deal. A one pound bag which is about 18 dumplings goes for $3.49 (NOTE: the 2nd time I got them, they had raised the price on the sign at my TJ’s to $3.99!?)
Eat these square dumpling with your favorite dipping sauce (Tip: no sauce is included) However even if you eat them without any sauce, the kimchi filling is nice and savory and a bit juicy.
These Kimchi Mandu could be served as a snack, appetizer, a lunch, or as part of a dinner.
We ate them for dinner, pairing the dumplings with rice, some kimchi, and a tofu dish I made. Braised Korean style tofu (dubu jorim) and all those combined to make a great dinner.
So how are Trader Joe’s latest frozen dumplings? TJ’s new Mandu are quite good as long as you like “spicy” food. In fact, I think these new frozen dumplings may now be up there among the best dumplings Trader Joe’s sells., along with the very popular pork and ginger Soup Dumplings of course. Theses are a little different.
I cooked the mandu up as they suggest which is to pan fry them. This gives the wrappers a nice chewy, yet crispy texture which contrasts nicely with the soft kimchi and glass noodle filling inside.
How To Cook Trader Joe’s Kimchi Mandu Dumplings: A good pan is important. Heat a good non-stick or cast iron pan, which is what I use for dumplings. Add about a scant tablespoon of oil (Added Korean points if you use a bit of toasted sesame oil. TJ sells that). On medium heat, add your frozen dumplings (carefully) to the pan. Let them cook, for 2 minutes. Flip after two minutes, and keep turning them every two minutes as well as moving them in the pan until they look all golden brown and delicious. This may take about 8 – 10 minutes total, though they say 6-8. Be sure to turn them over and move them around the pan to get an even cook all over. The edges of the pan have less heat than the center.
(Note: I took the picture about 1/2 way done.)
When done, the dumpling wrapper will have a nice slightly chewy, slightly crispy texture.
Tip: The instructions on the bag don’t mention air fryers, however some people online say they can be made in them If you do it that way, I would spray or brush them with some oil to get crispy texture. Please add a COMMENT if you make them in the air fryer with how they do that way.
Here’s my honest review of these new KOREAN KIMCHI MANDU.
These dumplings are good. Tasty and filling and yes they are a bit spicy. So if you hate “spicy” these may not be for you.
I think Trader Joe’s Korean supplier did a pretty good job with these, which come in a little unusual shape, rectangular, with a pretty good wrapper thickness in relation to the filling. The texture of the wrapper is good when pan-fried. Filling is tasty and you will know they do contain kimchi when you eat them. Even my (Korean-Japanese) wife approved of them as “tasting Korean” as regards the filling which is savory from kimchi and has a slightly chewy texture from “glass noodles”which are made from potato starch, plus other vegetables and flavorings.
NOTE: These dumpling are a bit spicy with a bit of kick from the kimchi – I would not call it crazy spicy, I would say the heat level is on the low-middle side? Unless you are extremely sensitive to spicy, these should be OK.
Each small dumpling is about 2 inches long and is about 2 or 3 bites. 3 dumplings = 100 calories.Nutrition label says 1 serving = 3 dumplings (Ha! More like 5 or 6 for me)
You don’t have to have sauce with these but I think are good with some dipping sauce, even if just soy and some rice vinegar.
I made a nice dipping sauce for them with soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and scallions. Make your own sauce with your favorite ingredients. The easiest could be just soy sauce and some rice vinegar. Or just use your favorite bottle of Trader Joe’s sauce you like for dumplings. Chopped scallions would be nice and/or cilantro if you like it.
Product of South Korea
KOREAN KIMCHI MANDU – $3.49 (16 oz bag) *TJ website says $3.49, however my local TJ’s has a sign for $3.99 (NYC) Confusing!
Tip; Kimchi is of course spicy and gives these dumplings a bit of a kick. If you are very sensitive and can’t handle any level of “spicy” these may not be your jam.
Before I saw this at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago, I’m prettu sure I’ve never even seen a coffee from PAPUA NEW GUINEA. So I had no idea what to expect. But I kind of like to check out every “Small Lot” coffee Trader Joe’s comes out with. Just in case. ‘Cuz you never know. Sometimes you may find a Gem.
Like this coffee! Which is from the “Sigri Estate in Papua New Guinea”. I really was pleasantly surprised with this latest of Trader Joe’s Small Lot coffees. I thought this one was a winner. Likely the Best of the Small Lot coffees they’ve come out with in some time for my taste.Honestly, Trader Joe’s describes it perfectly and I could not do better. So quoting them….
“Brew up a cup of this Papua New Guinean whole bean coffee and you’ll notice its distinctive profile. The light roast presents moderate acidity and body with fragrant aromas of almond, berries, and açai. You’ll taste layered sweet and fruity flavors, detecting notes of pineapple, brown sugar, and honey.”
I find this all true. It tastes pretty unique which I guess is why they describe it with “notes of pineapple and brown sugar”, the first time I have seen the word “pineapple” used to describe a flavor profile of a coffee. I find the taste hard to pinpoint but sure, “pineapple and brown sugar” works, and all I know is that I quite liked flavor of this which is pretty unique but satisfying. Smooth but Robust. Wonderful coffee aroma when you first grind it up.
TJ’s labels this a “LIGHT ROAST”. I agree this is light (not blond) and the light roast here is perfect. Trader Joe’s seems to skew towards darker? Most of their coffee seem to be roasted at least medium, which is fine by me, as I like medium to dark and even espresso, but a light one here and there is nice, so here you go. If you like Light, give this a try and see what you think.
BREWING: I brewed it 2 ways, a drip coffee with a paper filter and also in my Moka pot. Both worked equally well and produced excellent coffee. It even produced a good amount of “crema” when I brewed it in my Moka pot, which to me also seems to indicate a good coffee. I’m sure this would be good for any brewing method including true espresso machines.
A quick search on Google revealed this about coffee from there: “Papua New Guinea (PNG) coffee is highly regarded for its smooth body, gentle acidity, and complex, sweet-toned flavor profile. Grown primarily in the fertile Central Highlands, these heirloom Typica and Bourbon beans—originally descended from Jamaica Blue Mountain—offer tasting notes of tropical fruit, dark chocolate, and mild spices.”
“Trader Joe’s Papua New Guinea Small Lot Coffee was grown on the distinguished Sigri estate in the Waghi Valley of PNG. There are numerous micro-climates all around this mountainous island, and the coffee growers of the Sigri estate have intimate knowledge of their own land, which translates into premium, AA (large grade), 100% Arabica beans.”
While I previously I had no knowledge of PNG coffee, I am a now big fan of this one at least. I look forward every morning to grinding these beans up to brew up my morning cup of Joe. In fact I will go back and pick up a bag or two of this ! Run, don’t walk and grab this one. IT’S LIMITED
This one was quite fresh too, as per the “roasted on” date. I bought it only about one month later in was roasted so pretty fresh.
Sidenote thought: Can you imagine the team working for Trader Joe’s on their “Small Lot Coffee” projects?! I’ve often thought this may be the coolest job in the world. Get sent all over the world looking for unusually good coffee finds in unusual places. Exploring small producers in far flung corners of the world, on the hunt for coffee that will end up as the next “Small Lot” find. Sounds like a Dream Job?
I actually really love a good hot dog, however as someone who tries to watch what they eat, hot dogs now are something I will basically only eat once a year – on July 4th! So when I do eat a hot dog, it’s got to be really good, of course, and would prefer it be one that is at least trying to be one of the “healthier” versions. But still really tasty.
For me, Trader Joe’s Organic Uncured Grass Fed All Beef Hot Dogs fits the bill exactly. Most important, these are good and tasty hot dogs, that are made better than many others that have questionable ingredients, something hot dogs are notorious for. These have good ingredients. Made with USDA certified organic beef from grass fed cows. They don’t contain added nitrates or nitrites as preservatives (ie, “uncured”). They use natural ingredients to “cure” them, specifically celery and sea salt. The ingredients are not mysterious. The rest of the ingredients are all organic seasonings, things like garlic puree, minced onion, paprika, and red pepper flakes. “No fillers. No kidding”.
We got these for a July 4th get together this year and these dogs were a big hit. Everyone commented on how good the hot dogs were. Nice and tasty, well seasoned the way I like my dogs with: “Organic black pepper, organic ginger, organic nutmeg, organic red pepper, organic paprika, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder, organic coriander, organic celery powder, organic garlic puree….”
These were so yummy on those good buns with good sauerkraut. I can’t wait for July 4th to roll around year again! You and your kids however may eat them anytime you are in the mood for hot dogs and want them to be as good as possible.
110 calories per hot dog
$5.99 (10 oz package, which has 6 hot dogs)
I would buy these again.
“NO PRESERVATIVES; KEEP REFRIGERATED BELOW 40 F AT ALL TIMES”
Trader Joe’s has added this pasta shape to their selection of organic premium “artisanal” pastas, cavatappi which means “corkscrews”. They say it’s one of their favorites. Having tried it, it’s now one of my favorite pastas as well that they sell.
ORGANIC CAVATAPPI look kind of like a long twisted macaroni with ridges. The shape and the ridges are designed to hold sauces.
Cavatappi is an excellent addition to Trader Joe’s line of premium pastas. They still sell some pastas for 99 cents. This one is $1.99. What makes “premium” pasta premium and worth more? TJ’s premium pastas are a level up from the regular ones. Think of high end pasta like you see in specialty stores, many of which are $4-8 a pound. The better, high end pastas mean things like being bronze die cut, made from organic semolina wheat, usually are slow dried, etc. All of which makes for better pasta.
“Made in Italy for Trader Joe’s by our skilled supplier in Italy using organic semolina wheat. “
Cavatappi is perfect for marinara, or alfredo sauces. It’s also great used for baked mac and cheese and is great for cold pasta salads. Its shape helps it hold onto sauce in different ways, offering lots of flavor and a nice chewy texture.
“Cavatappi makes a consummate complement to a marinara or alfredo, makes a marvelous base for a baked mac and cheese, and produces a primo pasta salad for picnics and potlucks.”
I made a delicious (tuna and pesto)pasta salad using the cavatappi
Tuna & Pesto Pasta Salad: Boil a cup of cavatappi pasta in in salted water for 9-10 minutes or until done to the way you like (me, al dente). Drain the pasta and rinse in a colander under cold water until cooled down to room temp. Place pasta in a bowl, and add 2 tablespoons of Trader Joe’s jarred PESTO (adjust more if you need it). Add a can of tuna in olive oil (I used the oil and juice too, your call). Add juice from 1/2 lemon or more. (option, add a handful of chopped parsley or arugula) Mix well and serve.
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