Trader Joe's Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheese Sourdough Toasts

This is day three of New Products Week. 


I saw these on the new-items shelf at the Asheville Trader Joe's, having heard nothing about them. (In fact, I still have not seen any reviews or other comments about them online.) But even with no advance knowledge, there was little doubt in my mind that I would like them. I don't think you can put sourdough bread, cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes together in a way that I would not like. The only question was: How much would I like them?

The answer: A lot. (Or, just to annoy my friend Dan in Minnesota, a ton.) I could have eaten the whole bag in one sitting. The reasons I didn't were (1) Nina was here and sharing them, and (2) they were a pre-dinner appetizer, with lots of food yet to come.

I love the flavors. I love the texture--super crunchy. I love the piece-to-piece variation; some are thicker or thinner, larger or smaller, more or less cheesy, more or less toasted, but all scrumptious.

They're so damn good that they may join my Top Ten list. But sometimes my initial enthusiasm for a new product is not borne out by repeat experience, so I'm going to hold off for now, and revisit that question after a sufficient cooling-off period and a re-tasting or two.

I'm sure there are lots of interesting things one could do with these culinary-wise (Nina instantly had some ideas), but I have a hard time believing that there is any preparation or combination that I would like better than I do just eating them plain, as they are, right out of the bag.


Will I buy it again? 

Damn straight, Skippy.

Nina's View

This is a rare case where I totally and utterly and completely disagree with Bob. Usually, my disagreement is a matter of a degree— maybe I like something much more or dislike it much less. Sometimes I have a broader experience of a food type and can therefore compare it to a standard exemplar in a way which Bob cannot.

In this case, however, I wish to dump out a huge heaping wheelbarrow of NOPE on this product.

Crunchy? Yes. TOO CRUNCHY. Your gums will bleed.

Sourdough? Yes, BUT NOT IN A GOOD WAY. In fact, everything in these crackers tastes sour, including the cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

Cheese? Yes, but back-of-the-tongue nasty cheese. Mostly burnt, too.

Sun-dried tomatoes? Yes, sort of. Little red bits with very little flavor, and that which there is, is kind of stale and off.

I think Bob's affection for this product is a classic example of priming. Bob knows he likes the ingredients, therefore OF COURSE he will like this product. If I blindfolded him and told him they were crackers made of spelt, dried okra, and tofu—well, I think he'd like them a whole lot less.