Posts Tagged ‘trader joe’s’
05/20/2017
May 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.
Tags:coffee, food, lys kaffe, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in coffee, food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | Leave a Comment »
05/12/2017
May 12, 2017
There’s a very nice, strong aroma coming from the glass on first pour which portends a full-bodied wine. The wine is fruity and dry at the same time in the mouth. There are no real negatives. Although for the very critical among us, there are hints of things to complain about. This is a blend of mostly Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, according to the internet.
Generally this wine is a love or hate affair when reviewed on the web. About 2/3 of reviewers like this and think it’s a great value wine. The 1/3 of reviews which hate this may be due to some “bad” bottles. Although my guess is those bad reviews are prompted by personal preferences. Most of the reviews were for earlier vintages. There were very few 2015 vintage reviews.
While this is not a great wine, and would anyone really expect a great wine at this price, if you’re not afraid to challenge yourself by adding some complexity to a wine, this is an inexpensive way to do that. And you just might like it. I did. Price $5.99.
Tags:2015, bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon, chateau poyanne, merlot, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
05/08/2017
May 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)
Tags:calories, cheese, Dutch, food, nutrition, price, review, reviews, smoked cheese, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 7 Comments »
04/30/2017
April 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).
Tags:coffee, food, monsooned malabar, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's, whole bean coffee
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 4 Comments »
04/15/2017
April 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.
Tags:calories, cheese, extra-sharp-cheddar, food, new york, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 6 Comments »
04/09/2017
April 9, 2017
The gimmick for this wine is the grapes grown at two different altitudes. That’s how it gets its name and label. The wine consists of 50% grapes grown at 1100 meters and 50% grapes grown at 700 meters. The idea is that each altitude (and environment) adds different characteristics to the grapes and ultimately the wine. And how does that work?
This wine is very similar to the Amancay Malbec reviewed last week. Both come from the Mendoza region of Argentina. The aroma is strong and earthy in the glass. The wine is dry and earthy in the mouth. The color is deep purple. There may be a bit more body and a bit less dryness than the Amancay. This would be a more interesting wine than the Amancay if not for a somewhat harsh aftertaste. Price $8.99.
Tags:2014, argentina, malbec, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 1 Comment »
03/31/2017
March 31, 2017
This Malbec from the Uco Valley of Argentina has a deep purple color in the glass with a mild fruity aroma. On the first glass there’s a bit of alcohol burn in the nose and the back of the throat. In the mouth there’s a dry watery feel. The dryness is not overpowering, but definitely there on the roof of the mouth. For those who don’t mind a dry red wine, this is a reasonably good wine for the price. The simple but elegant label is a bonus. Price $6.99.
Tags:2014, argentina, malbec, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
03/31/2017
March 31, 2017
This is a domestic (US) extra sharp cheddar from Wisconsin. While it’s a nice cheese, especially considering the only $4.99 per pound price, it’s not what I’d call an extra sharp cheddar. So just as a reality check, I went out and purchased an extra sharp cheddar from Kraft. The Kraft cheese is “sharper” but not as sharp as I remember it. Still however, the Kraft has more of the cheddar flavor I was expecting. As would be expected, both have more flavor when allowed to warm to room temperature. As a comparison, the Kraft came in at around $7 per pound slightly on sale at a regular super market. The texture was similar for both cheeses, solid but soft. For those wanting more flavor in their American-style cheeses, the TJ extra sharp cheddar will give you that at a reasonable price. For those wanting a still more flavorful cheese, look elsewhere.
Calories – 120 per ounce. Price $4.99 per pound. Coming up next week is a TJ X-tra X-tra Sharp New York Cheddar. We’ll see. As an aside, I nicely paired both of the cheeses above with some Amancay Malbec.
Tags:calories, cheese, extra-sharp-cheddar, food, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wisconsin
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 1 Comment »
03/27/2017
March 27, 2017
This Cab hails from Yecla, Spain. Briefly it’s an earthy, strong Cab that’s not very smooth bordering on rough. Along with the earthy mouth feel is a little heat on the tongue and back of the throat. Although I haven’t had any recently, this reminds me of a good two buck Chuck. In the glass the wine is a watery medium-dark red. This wine can easily overpower some foods. Other than the style, which some people may not like, there aren’t really any overpowering negatives. This is drinkable and not bad for a $5 wine as long as you like your wine and women (or men) strong and rough. One final thing, the wine is labeled as Kosher. Price $4.99.
Tags:2015, cabernet sauvignon, inexpensive wines, kosher, red wine, review, Spain, table wine, Terrenal, trader joe's, wine review
Posted in food, Trader Joe's, Wine | Leave a Comment »
03/27/2017
March 27, 2017
The star here is the corn masa. The dough (masa) retains a nice taste and texture, neither too dry and certainly not wet, in its trip from freezer to microwave. Although there’s not much of it, the cheese is chewy and stringy. Green chilies are randomly placed throughout the cheese, but otherwise not very noticeable. The heat level is mild unless you get a big piece of chile, then it’s a medium heat. By far the cheese filling is a minor player. The tamales come wrapped in nicely trimmed corn husks.
Calories 280 per 1 tamale (140g)
Price ??? (lost receipt) – 2 tamales in package
click images to enlarge
Tags:calories, cheese green chile tamale, food, nutrition, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 4 Comments »
May 20, 2017
Ain't Found A Good Title Blog 