Posts Tagged ‘food’

Trader Joe’s – Lys Kaffe – Coffee – Whole Bean – Food Review

05/20/2017

trader joe, review, price, whole bean coffee, lys kaffe, light coffeeMay 20, 2017
The beans are light brown with no oil.  Lys means light in Norwegian and Kaffe means coffee. All  the pieces fit together to support the claim on the package of “light roast”. The advantage of a light roast is that the  more delicate flavors in the coffee are brought to the front. They are not hidden behind stronger flavors brought out by a dark roast.

Made in a press, the coffee is on the thin and watery side. After all it’s a light roast by design. Once the mouth adjusts to the fact that this is supposed to be a light roast, there’s a nice flavor to the coffee. When cooled some there’s a bit of sourness.  There’s little to no acid and no bad tastes, making this a very smooth coffee. It’s a different experience and an enjoyable one at that. The coffee reminds me of the Jacobs Kronung coffee reviewed a long time ago.

While the taste is different, for comparison purposes, the “strength” of the coffee is somewhere above a strong tea.  For people who don’t like coffee, this may be a gentle way to give coffee a try.  For an everyday dark roast drinker, this is a way to take a break and clear the taste buds – think of  it as sort of a colon cleanse for the mouth?  Price $7.99 (12 ounce can).

For another reviewer’s thoughts on this coffee, see Become Betty here.

ALDI – Bremer – Gravy & Salisbury Steaks – Food Review

05/12/2017

ALDI, Bremer Gravy and Salisbury Steaks, Nutrition, Review, Calories, PriceMay 12, 2017

This isn’t a well-aged prime New York strip steak to be dabbled with ketchup.  And really that wasn’t expected.

This is something for the person who worries about food wastage or worries more about being able to eat this evening.  With the primary ingredients of the steak being; mechanically separated chicken, beef, pork and soy protein concentrate, this product seems very old school.  By old school, I mean, don’t waste any ingredient or any part of any ingredient.  While we don’t exactly know which parts of what went into the grinder, we can evaluate what came out.

What came out of the grinder are six Salisbury steak patties and a whole bunch of gravy.  The steaks are bland.  The gravy has a touch of beef flavor to it.  The texture of the steaks is somewhere between chewable and gumable.  There’s nothing especially bad about the taste, and there’s nothing especially good about the taste.  For hungry people on a budget none of this is going to matter because it’s also warm and filling.

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Trader Joe’s – Dutch Smoked Cheese – Food Review

05/08/2017

Trader Joe, Dutch smoked Gouda cheese, review, price, nutritionMay 8, 2017

The aroma and flavor are pleasantly smokey, reminiscent of a barbecue.  The cheese is semi-soft to cut and creamy in the mouth.  The smoke flavor is a nice contrast to the texture of the cheese.  For $4.99 a pound this is a nicely flavored smoked cheese from Holland. If you’re in need of a smoked cheese and in or nearby a Trader Joe’s, this is a good and surprisingly economical choice.

Price $4.99 per pound   Calories  90  per ounce (28g)

ALDI – Priano Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce – Food Review

05/08/2017

ALDI, priano, four cheese alfredo sauce, nutrition, price, calories, reviewMay 8, 2017

The second ingredient is cream.  That’s a good sign as that’s what an Alfredo sauce is all about.  From the jar the sauce is a little watery, as water is the first ingredient.  However it thickens some when added to warm pasta.  Even better is heating the sauce either before the pasta is added or after the pasta is added.  To save a pot, and some cleaning, I added sauce straight from the jar to the cooked warm pasta and then nuked the plate in the microwave for about a minute.  That thickened up the sauce and made it stick to the pasta nicely.  There’s a suggestion on the jar which hints at the need for heating the sauce to thicken.

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Wernesgrüner Pilsner Beer – ALDI – Food Review

05/08/2017

ALDI, review, price, wernesgruer pilsner beerMay 8, 2017

WHOA !, this is bitter and not good tasting from start to finish when drank from the bottle.  The top of the mouth feels dehydrated.  That’s a first for me.  With food in the mouth, the taste is toned down and the beer is more drinkable.

When poured into a glass, the beer is pale yellow and highly carbonated. The beer mellows out some in the glass after the head subsides.  Other reviewers give this mixed reviews with a few above average ratings, but most average or below.  While some people may like this beer, for most of us it’s probably better to pick up a different one.   Price  $5.99 – 6 pack

ALDI – Clancy’s Cinnamon Churros – Food Review

04/30/2017

ALDI, Clancy's, Cinnamon Churros, Nutrition, Price, Calories, ReviewALDI, Clancy's, Cinnamon Churros, Nutrition, Price, Calories, ReviewApril 30, 2017

If you like cinnamon and sugar you’ll like these. Think of this as very light French toast in a bag. The wheat based churros are crisp, airy and light, fried into a spiral shape about 2 inches long and 3/4 inches around.  Crunchy, sweet and not overly spiced with cinnamon, it’s hard to put these down.  And that’s the only problem, it’s so easy to eat the whole bag (3 servings per bag) at once.  That would put you back 360 calories for the day and still wanting more.

Calories  120 per 1 ounce serving    Price 89 cents per 3 ounce bag

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ALDI customer contact URL – https://www.aldi.us/en/contact-us/

Trader Joe’s – Monsooned Malabar Coffee – Whole Bean – Food Review

04/30/2017

review, coffee, whole bean, trader joe, monsooned malabar, priceApril 30, 2017
This is a new small can which I hope does not indicate another trend of getting less for more.

Once opened, the beans have a nice medium brown color with a satiny finish.  The beans seem a bit oily for a medium roast.  This is a very earthy full-bodied tasting coffee with a bitter taste.  The bitterness is different from that produced by some darker roasts and unfortunately not any better.  Because of this bitterness this is not a coffee I’d pick up again.  If you like dark roast coffee, this may be for you – with a big may?

The can is 10 ounces, but at a price more indicative of a coffee packaged in a 13 ounce can.  That’s about a 30% increase per ounce for a coffee which is not very special.  Now it could be there is a limited supply of this coffee and this is simply a way for Trader Joe to ration it out so more people can try it.

As is often the case, Trader Joe has some creative writers doing product descriptions.  If you come across this coffee, be sure to read the story on the back of the can.  But do that in the store.  And after you do, put the can back on the shelf and drop a can of your regular coffee in your cart.  Price $6.99 (10 ounce can).

ALDI – Pepperoni – Mama Cozzi’s – Food Review

04/23/2017

ALDI, pepperoni, review, price, calories, mama cozzi, nutritionApril 23, 2017

The problem with this is finding it!  It’s not in the snack section.  It’s not in the meat section.  It’s in the Italian section, sort of around the tomato sauces and things like that.  Good luck.

Once found, this is a reasonable pepperoni.  It’s very thinly sliced like most other pepperoni found around.  The best way to get the most flavor out of it, is to slowly hold it in the mouth.  If popped in the mouth, chewed and swallowed quickly, much of the flavor will be lost.  As well as by itself, I also tried this on a homemade pizza.  On the pizza it was a little overwhelmed.  Perhaps a thicker cut would’ve helped.

pepperoni, price, review, nutrition, calories, ALDI, mama cozziPrice $2.09  Calories 140 per 30g (about an ounce or 14 slices)

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ALDI customer contact URL – https://www.aldi.us/en/contact-us/

 

 

Trader Joe’s X-TRA X-TRA Sharp New York Cheddar Cheese- Food Review

04/15/2017

Trader Joe, NY x=tra x-tra sharp cheddar cheese, review, price, nutritionApril 15, 2017

Of the cheddars reviewed here, this one is the best cheddar yet at Trader Joe’s, if you like an American-style cheddar.  Aged “over” 18 months, the cheese is just starting to get crumbly.  Over that time the flavor has matured into a nice tasting cheddar.  Compared to a Kraft sharp cheddar, this one is a bit tastier and definitely not as creamy.  Both those things are good if you’re looking for an aged cheese.  While tastier, the flavor is not overwhelming as the name might imply.  Calories – 110 per oz (28g).  Price $5.99 per pound.

Trader Joe’s – Sriracha Potato Chips – Food Review

04/15/2017

Trader Joe, sriracha potato chips, snacks, nutrition, price, reviewApril 15, 2017

Sriracha Sauce has had its 15 minutes of fame.  Like many other “instant” successes, Sriracha is still around even if not as prominent.   Many companies have gotten on the Sriracha bandwagon over the last few years with their own Sriracha labeled product variants.  Unfortunately many times these variants lose something in the translation.  This chip is one product where much of the label has made its way into the product.

Trader Joe, sriracha potato chips, snacks, nutrition, price, reviewIf you’re familiar with Red Hot Riplets chips, this compares in a tamer way.  Instead of “dumbing down” the Sriracha flavor and heat to meet the lowest common denominator of the purchasing public, this chip retains a unique flavor and a heat which is above average for a chip.  While spicier than most chips, the heat here is still in the mild to medium range.  The lattice cut also adds a nice firm crunchy texture to the chip.    Price   $2.29 – 7 ounce bag  Calories  150/ounce (28g) (about 13 chips)

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