Posts Tagged ‘review’
12/16/2016
December 16, 2016
Maybe this should be labeled as half-pound cake? The cake is surprisingly light and fluffy with a consistency similar to but firmer than a Twinkie. The cakes have a nice taste and are not overly sweet. There’s a thin layer of jam, with some pieces of fruit, embedded in the cake, sometimes rising to the surface. Each cake comes in an individual thin cardboard tray. This is a quality product similar to what local bakeries might have. The only negatives are the price and calories (watch it, the box listed calories are for half a cake – really?). The regular price is $3.99 per box of three cakes. It seems many people agreed about the price as this was marked down to $1.99 when I purchased it. One of the nice things about ALDI is we get to try some imported products that otherwise we’d never know existed. For that reason alone, this is worth a try, if and when it comes around again to the ALDI freezers – especially if the price is $1.99. Calories 380 per whole cake
Tags:aldi, calories, deutsche kuche, food, german pound cake, price, review, reviews
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | Leave a Comment »
12/10/2016
December 10, 2016
This is another fine wine from Italy at Trader Joe’s for a very reasonable price considering the quality. The wine is dry and totally smooth with an earthy mouth feel and enough bite/character to separate this from a lesser Chianti. This is possibly the most enjoyable wine I’ve had in 2016.
You may ask, what does the word Classico add to a Chianti? Chianti Classico specifically refers to an official area within the Chianti region of Italy. That specific area was also the first in what’s now the Chianti region to attempt to define and regulate its wine. Being the first to define the Chianti wine, and predating the official Italian regulations, the wine gets to wear the “classic” designation. Along with the geographical requirements, a Chianti Classico wine has a different set of production regulations which separate a Classico from the standard Chianti designation. After that it’s up to the skill and pride of the winemaker to produce a quality product. In this bottle, there is an overabundance of skill and pride producing a very very nice wine. Price $9.99.
Tags:2014, chianti classico, docg, Il Tarocco, inexpensive wines, italy, red wine, review, table wine, trader joe's, wine review
Posted in food, Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
12/10/2016
December 10, 2016
This was quite a surprise to find a mainstream store carrying something so spicy. Have the Zantac ready!
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Tags:aldi, black bean, calories, chipotle, food, price, review, season's choice, vegetable burger, veggie burger
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 7 Comments »
11/26/2016
November 26, 2016
I wonder if the jar was mislabeled? Except for on the label, what seems to be missing is the pineapple. There are plenty of references in the ingredients to pineapple. But if they’re in the jar, I missed them.
To be fair, wash away the red stuff and there really are pieces of pineapple in the salsa. Take a spoonful of the salsa by itself and there’s an interesting complex blend of flavors. On a chip, the complexities are muted.
I was expecting a sweet-hot salsa experience. What seems to be in the jar is a very mild tomato based salsa.
Aside from expectations, this is a nice tasting mild salsa. If that’s what you’re looking for give this a try. But if you’re expecting a pineapple experience, move on.
Calories 15 per 2 tablespoons (30g) Price $1.99 -12 ounce jar (340g)
Tags:calories, food, nutrition, pineapple salsa, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 7 Comments »
11/26/2016
November 26, 2016
It’s Swiss, but it’s French. Hmm? Well it’s a Swiss-style cheese made in France. But saying that would probably get me thrown out of the country. Both countries!
Let’s just say that if the word Madrigal was misread as Magical, that would be a good description of this cheese. At $5.99 a pound this is a very good semi-hard cheese that actually tastes like a Swiss-style cheese, albeit a milder Swiss cheese. The only thing to be careful about is the thin wax covering that sort of blends in with the cheese and tends to stick between the teeth if measures aren’t taken to avoid it. Don’t ask me how I know.
Calories 100 per ounce (28g)
Price $5.99 -per pound
Tags:calories, cheese, food, france, madrigal cheese, nutrition, Président, price, review, swiss-style, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 2 Comments »
11/19/2016
November 18, 2016
The medium-dark brown fairly oily beans produce a nice aroma on opening the can. Once brewed, the coffee produces a strong taste which is mildly bitter on the tongue. As it cools, the coffee transitions to an earthy taste and the bitterness declines. The bitterness is a good bitterness, like a good beer has some bitterness to it. However as with many things, bitterness is an acquired taste. If you’re adverse to bitter tastes, this may not be a coffee for you. There’s some sense of acidity on the roof of the mouth and in the stomach.
This is a good coffee for people looking for a stronger tasting coffee without going over the edge. The coffee is labeled as both organic and fair trade. Price $7.99 (14 oz can)
Tags:bolivia, bolivian blend, coffee, fair trade, food, organic, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's, whole bean
Posted in coffee, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | Leave a Comment »
11/19/2016
November 18, 2016
Dark chocolate covered liquid center cherries are my favorite treat. Come gift-giving holidays, the family gets off cheaply as this is my usual present. But no complaints. Will the addition of alcohol to the mix make these even better?
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Tags:calories, candy, confection, dark chocolate, food, hungary, liqueur cherries, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in cooking and related items, food, Trader Joe's | 3 Comments »
11/19/2016
November 18, 2016
This one is different. Read on.
There’s very little aroma when first uncorked. On first pour, the wine is ruby-red and much lighter than a typical red wine. The first sip reveals a mild semi-sweet fruity wine as the bottle claims. There’s nothing intricate in the taste and at the same time nothing bad in the taste.
This wine is all about your expectations. If you’re looking for something to savor and spend the night discussing the intricacies of Merlots and where this stands in that continuum, this wine is not for you. If you’re looking for something to have at home with dinner, or just want something to sip, relax with, and not have to in any way think about what’s in the glass, this will serve that purpose. With some mild red-sauced pasta, the wine worked well.
The key difference here, if you haven’t picked up on it, is the word semi-sweet. This is a style of wine not usually found on the shelves outside of Hungary where this wine is made. The sweetness of the wine is noticeable but not sickeningly sweet like some really horrible wines. This is a nice good quality wine with a different flavor profile. Price $5.99
Tags:2015, Balatonboglari, garamvari, hungary, merlot, price, review, reviews, St. Donatus, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 17 Comments »
11/12/2016
November 12, 2016
I needed to buy two bags of these chips to do this review. The first bag had very little seasoning. The second bag had more seasoning, but still on the light side. In other words, there wasn’t very much of that sour cream and onion flavor in either bag. Other than the seasoning, these are nicely done chips – thin, cooked perfectly, and not very salty. At $1.39 per bag they’re not much more than a 1 ounce bag from a vending machine. But if you’re looking for that sour cream and onion flavor, you may be disappointed with these chips. Calories 150/1 ounce (about 13 chips) Price $1.39 per 9.5 ounce bag
Tags:aldi, calories, clancy's, food, potato chips, price, review, reviews, snacks, sour cream and onion
Posted in ALDI, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 6 Comments »
11/12/2016
11/12/2016
Can single origin, 2 ounces less, 30 cents more, and a map of South America make a better cup of coffee? In short, yes if you follow directions.
There’s not much aroma coming from the bag when first opened. There’s not much aroma coming from the cup when brewed. There’s not a horrible taste coming from the cup, but not much of a coffee taste either. There’s a strange earthy/woody taste on first sip ending in a slightly bitter taste on the tongue and a little bit of acid feel in the stomach. It’s not the best cup of coffee on the planet, but it’s entirely drinkable especially when taken with food. Based on memory, compared to the other ALDI coffees reviewed here this is a better cup of coffee. Price: $4.29
About directions: I used too much coffee brewing my initial cups. When I cut the amount down to just a little more than what’s recommended on the bag, the coffee was much better as reviewed above.
Tags:aldi, coffee, colombian, food, ground, popayan, price, review
Posted in ALDI, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | Leave a Comment »
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