Trader Joe's Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips--Chili & Lime Flavored

I started seeing notes on Twitter about this product a couple of weeks ago, every one of which was along the lines of, "OMG! Trader Joe's has its own Takis now and they're fabulous!"

I could tell just from the name of the product that I would surely like it. But I had never heard of Takis. I looked it up and learned that they make a bunch of different flavors of rolled tortilla chips, and that this new TJ's item is a close match to the most popular one, called "Fuego."

Sadly for me, a couple more trips to my local TJ's failed to turn up this hot (in more ways than one) new thing. But last night, Nina presented me with a bag. Lately it seems that her TJ's runs are more fortuitously timed than mine.

They are fabulous, just as everyone was saying. They're powerfully flavored, with both the chili and the lime being ramped up to 11. They're perfectly fried, making them super crunchy without being at all brittle, with that unpleasant sensation of pieces flying off everywhere. Even if they were unflavored, they would be extremely satisfying to bite into.

Nina was offering me some new dip to go along with these chips. I never even tried it. First, the shape of these makes them less than ideal vehicles for scooping up dip. But more importantly, they were just so damn good by themselves that I didn't want to alter the experience.

Sitting down to write this review, I wondered if there were any dissenting voices. I found three other reviews online so far--here, here, and here. No dissenters; they are all enthusiastically cheering the arrival.

I agree. This is a sure-fire hit, and so good it's being inducted into my Top Ten list.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes yes yes yes yes. It's one of the rare items that's going on all three of the lists that I keep in the upper-right corner: buy again, staples, and top ten. I think it's going to be one of the handful of TJ's snacks that I keep on hand nearly all the time.

Now place your bets on which other flavors in the Takis lineup TJ's will rip off next. Maybe the chili and cheese?

Trader Joe's Organic Kosher Hot & Spicy Dill Pickle Chips

I didn't think I'd like these, so they sat in my refrigerator for several months before I finally worked up the will to try them.

I could not have been more wrong in my prediction. Not only did I like them, but I liked them so much that they immediately became my first choice in this product category. They are not so hot as to dominate the flavors from a burger; rather, they add a perfect amount of accent flavor and heat. Just as important, they're wonderfully crunchy and thick, unlike many pickle chips that are thin and limp and just kind of sad.


Will I buy them again? 

Yes. What's more, they will be a staple that I'll always keep on hand. I suspect I'll still occasionally buy plain ones, and go back and forth between them. But the best burgers I've ever made since giving up ground beef have been the three I made over the last week with these pickles and the new TJ's Brioche Buns. It's a combination that has changed veggie burgers from occasional use and "also ran" status to among my favorite things to cook for myself. My enthusiasm even extends to adding them to my Top Ten list. (That list now has 76 items in it. It's a paradox. Deal with it.)

Trader Joe's Old Fashioned Waffle Cones

These are very nearly perfect. They taste as good as most of the ones you'll get at an ice-cream shop. They're reasonably sturdy--almost no premature breaking or crumbling, and they don't get soggy from contact with the ice cream. They're not strong enough that you can shove whole scoops of ice cream down into them and expect them to hold up. But with just a little care--dropping small dabs of ice cream in first, then gradually increasing, until you're ready to top the whole thing with a big round scoop on top--you can end up with the satisfaction of a genuinely filled cone, with no significant voids inside.

The packaging is a problem; they come nestled in a big polystyrene clamshell. But I suppose if they didn't, I'd be complaining that several of the cones were broken when I opened the box. As it is, they were perfectly protected.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes, at least once in a while. It's been years, maybe decades, since I bought ice-cream cones at a store. I suppose that's because I had found them disappointing. I just got used to eating my ice cream from a bowl. Now that I've had half of a box of these new ones from TJ's, I'm reminded how both the flavor and the form factor of a good cone enhance my enjoyment of ice cream. On the other hand, 12 is a lot of cones for a guy living alone to get through before they go stale, so I don't think I'll be keeping a supply on hand all the time. But I'll say this: I see no reason to buy any other cones now. These are the best you'll find in any store. They are Top Ten List material, even if the number in a package means they'll be a rare purchase for this single dude.

Trader Joe's Mint Chip Ice Cream

I love this. It's the best mint/chocolate chip ice cream I've ever had. The mint and chocolate are better balanced than in most, with generous chips. I love that they don't bother tinting the ice cream green, as most do. It's one of my favorite TJ's ice creams.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. I'm adding it to my Top Ten list.

Trader Joe's Moroccan Inspired Cheddar Cheese

This is now the 9th peppery cheese I've bought from Trader Joe's. (For a list of the others and links to their review, see here.) It may be the best of the bunch. It's at least tied with the Toscano Cheese with Black Pepper, and along with that one will be joining my Top Ten list.

Unlike most of the others, the blend of spices here adds a lot of flavor, rather than just heat. Now, I can't identify exactly which flavors are doing what; the harissa paste and "spice blend" and crushed chili peppers and cumin powder all contribute in ways that my palate is too dumb to identify separately. But the sum is an absolute delight.


Will I buy it again? 

I already have. Before I had even finished the first block, I was back at the store and bought three more for the freezer. Sadly, this is the "spotlight cheese" of the month, which means it's likely to go away in a couple of weeks and never come back. Get it while you can.

Trader Joe's Mini Basque Cheese

It's been a pretty dismal week of product trials here on the blog, with four out of four no votes. So let's end the week on a high note, shall we?

I balked a bit before buying this, after seeing the price. It's one of the most expensive cheeses I've ever bought. But holy cow (or, I suppose, holy sheep, given the source of the milk from which this is made) is it ever worth it. It is simply one of the finest cheeses I've ever eaten. Absolutely delicious.

I again have the problem of lacking the vocabulary to describe exactly what I'm tasting here, because it's quite different from any other cheese I can remember. But it's so rich in flavor that a paper-thin slice on a cracker is just as good as a block of it--and its texture is so perfect that it's easy to get such a thin slice, with no crumbling. The fact that a little goes a long way helps to compensate for the dollars-per-pound factor.


Will I buy it again? 

Absolutely. It's so good that I'm adding it to my Top Ten list. Nina agrees with me that it belongs there.

Trader Joe's Lemon Elderflower Soda

This is a shelf-mate to the rhubarb-strawberry soda released at the same time--and it is leaps and bounds better. It is, in fact, superb--one of the best sodas I've ever tasted. Its perfection is primarily marred by being sold in such pathetically small cans. And it's not just me; Nina concurred.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes--though it's terribly expensive, as sodas go, so that will be a severe limiting factor. But I will definitely get it as a treat once in a while.

Oh, and, by the way, I'm adding it to my Top Ten list.

Trader Joe's Hold The Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones--Peppermint Flavored

I've previously described two other versions of this same basic product: vanilla and pumpkin-ginger. But these are the best yet. These are what the evolution of the idea was always leading to. They are the Platonic ideal of mini ice cream cones. The combination of chocolate cones plus chocolate coating perfectly balances the peppermint ice cream.

I ate four (half the box) in one sitting, and had to restrain myself from polishing off the rest.

They're so good, I'm adding them to my Top Ten list.

I assume that this is a limited-time seasonal item, so get 'em while you can.


Will I buy it again? 

Heading to the store today for a refill.

Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Protein Granola

This is one of the many, many items that I have purchased solely because they show up on the new-product shelf at Trader Joe's, and writing this blog means trying virtually anything there (except for things I know I'll hate, which I don't bother with).

It turned out to be one of those occasional pleasant surprises--a thing I like without having expected to. It's a great mix of crunchy and chewy, sweet and salty. I'm not a granola guy, so I haven't tried more than a few varieties in my life, but this is easily the best I've ever had.

My only complaint is that, while the clusters are easy to pick up and pop in your mouth, probably a third of the bag was just crumbs. There's no easy way to eat those.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. On the days that Nina comes over to my place for dinner, I typically don't eat breakfast or lunch, but I need a little sumpin' to tide me over, and this is pretty much an ideal filler. I think it's going to be a snack I'll always keep on hand.


Addendum, October 31, 2017 

I have eaten two more bags of this, and now have three more in my cupboard. It has quickly become one of my all-time favorite snacks. I'm elevating it to Top Ten status.

Trader Joe's Organic Super Fruit Fruit Spread

This is the best jam/jelly/preserves/spread I've ever had from Trader Joe's, and one of the best I've ever had from any source. Though the cherry is the most prominent, three of the four main fruit ingredients are readily identifiable (I haven't been able to make out the pomegranate component), which is not usually the case when these things get blended. It uses fruit juice concentrates as sweeteners, not sucrose. It's sweet, of course, but it doesn't taste sweetened, even though it is.


Will I buy it again? 

Definitely. I'm even adding it to my Top Ten list.

Trader Joe's Extra Sharp Canadian Cheddar Cheese

First, apologies for the photo above. I was halfway through the cheese when I sat down to write this review and discovered that I had forgotten to take a picture of it before I opened it.

Of the dozens of cheese varieties I've tried from Trader Joe's, I have found only two really first-rate white cheddars. There was Mull of Kintyre, but that appears to have been a limited-run item--or perhaps it will be back periodically, but either way, it's not one you can buy just any old time. Then there's the Lite Sharp Celtic Cheddar. It's superb, but its unusual sharpness and low-fat formulation make it kind of a special category of one.

I think I've finally found the definitive always-available, classic white cheddar, hiding in plain sight in this rather undistinguished label.

It's richly flavored, sharp without being harsh, smooth, and slices neatly and cleanly. It is, as far as I can tell, perfect, and much deserving a place on my Top Ten list.

For several other white cheddars, I've given an unenthusiastic "yes" or "maybe" to the question of whether I would buy them again. They were all good, but not outstanding. (See, e.g., here, here, and here.) Those answers will now all effectively change to "no," because I would always choose this Canadian variety over them.


Will I buy it again? 

Absolutely. This and the Lite Sharp Celtic will now be my cheddar mainstays when I'm not investigating something new.

Trader Joe's Gone Bananas!

I've occasionally seen folks on Twitter rave about this product, more than seems justifiable from its description. It has made me roll my eyes. I mean, come one--it's banana slices dipped in chocolate. Sure, it's probably good, but it cannot be a transformative life experience.

OK, so maybe it's not a transformative life experience, but I will confess that I seriously underestimated how good it is. I love these things. Eating them straight out of the freezer, as the package sternly commands, makes them pretty amazing. One doesn't often encounter chocolate and banana together outside the realm of banana splits at the ice cream shop. Add to that the unusual texture imposed by eating them frozen, and you've got a surprisingly delightful dessert experience in store--and with zero work of preparation!

After Nina and I had each eaten a couple, she looked up at me and asked, "Are these going on your Top Ten list?"

Yes they are, my love. Yes they are.


Will I buy them again? 

Oh my yes.

Trader Joe's Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches

When I lived in Minnesota in the 1990s and early 2000s, I remember frequently buying ice cream sandwiches from a convenience store near my house, and they were the best I've had--huge, completely decadent. I no longer remember the brand name.

These from Trader Joe's come close. They are, I believe, the second-best ice cream sandwiches I've ever had--and it's possible that if I compared them directly against the ones I'm remembering, instead of against a decade-old memory of the same, I'd judge them to be the best.

In any event, they're essentially perfect. I honestly can't think of a thing I'd ask TJ's to change about them. The size, thickness, texture, sweetness, ratio of the components--they're all exactly right.

When I was buying them, the TJ's cashier commented that they were the best ice cream sandwiches in the world. I'm used to the TJ's cashiers talking up random items, and I don't put much stock in their salesmanship. But for once, he may not have been exaggerating, at least not much.

By about the third bite of my first of these four, I knew they were headed to my Top Ten list. They're that good.


Will I buy it again? 

I'm already on my second box. May they never be discontinued.

Trader Joe's Cowboy Caviar Corn, Black Bean & Pepper Salsa

I probably shouldn't have purchased this, because I knew that the chances of me liking it were slim to none. Salsa made primarily of corn and beans? Ridiculous.

I was so sure I would hate it that even after bringing it home, it sat on my pantry shelf for months before I decided that it was finally time to force myself to try it. It sat so long that I somehow misplaced the photo I had taken of it, and had to filch the one you see above from Trader Joe's web site. (In case you're interested, here's the company's own description of the product.)

And then, like Mikey in the old Life cereal commercial, I surprised everybody--myself not least--by actually liking it. "He likes it! Hey, Mikey!"

Nina and I ate maybe a third of the jar with tortilla chips as an appetizer before dinner a few days ago. Then last night I polished off the rest of the jar on my own, in one sitting, and I was liking it more and more with every bite--this in spite of the fact that it's hotter than my ideal salsa. It's sweeter than most salsas, which probably plays no small part in my fondness for it. I dig its complex mix of textures and flavors.


Will I buy it again? 

It's already on my shopping list for the next TJ's run. I think it's effectively tied for second place in my list of favorite TJ's salsas with the Fall Harvest (though those two products could not be more different), with the Fire-Roasted Tomato still champion.


Addendum, June 29, 2017: 

I bought another jar. I sat down to eat some with tortilla chips, and couldn't stop. I went through the entire 13-ounce jar in one sitting, all by my lonesome. I really love this stuff. I think I like it even better than my previous favorite. So, it's time to add this to my Top Ten list.

Trader Joe's Toscano Cheese With Black Pepper

Trader Joe's has kind of a fetish about adding stuff to Toscano cheese. I tried the version with cinnamon, and didn't care for it. I tried the version with Syrah, and thought it was OK.

And now for the black pepper. I'm generally not a fan of black pepper. I keep some on hand for guests and to add to recipes when called for, but I never put black pepper on food at the table. The traditional salt and pepper shakers are baffling to me, because I would never use the latter.

But I'm surprised to discover that here it makes for a truly excellent addition to the cheese. It's distinct enough to catch my attention, but still sitting in the background, rather than transforming this into a truly peppery cheese. Even more surprising was that the cheese wasn't nearly as crumbly as the other two versions were; I had no difficulty making thin slices to put on my crackers.

Going into this taste test, I really expected that this would either be so-so (try it once for the experience, but never again), or pretty bad (TOO MUCH PEPPER!). Nope. Instead, it shoots to near the top of my favorite Trader Joe's cheese varieties. It's not quite worthy of being on my all-time Top Ten list, but if I kept a separate list of my top ten TJ's cheeses, it would definitely be included.


Will I buy it again? 

Enthusiastically.


Addendum, January 11, 2018: 

I tried this again this week for the first time since writing the above--and I liked it even more. Creamy and flavorful and interesting. It's a great way to break up my usual pattern of cheddar cheddar cheddar. I'm retroactively adding it to my Top Ten list.

Trader Joe's Pepperoni Pizza Mac & Cheese Bowl

There are a lot of inventions that seem so obvious, as soon as you've seen or heard of them, that you can't believe the world was ever without them. The wheel. The abacus. The printing press. A mashup of pepperoni pizza and macaroni and cheese.

What--you've never heard of the last one? Well, now you have. And your life will never be the same. Not only will you eat this and like it, you'll spend the remainder of your mortal years kicking yourself for not being the one to think of it first.

Look, this isn't complicated. Do you like mac & cheese? Do you like pepperoni pizza? If the answer to both of those is "yes," then you'll like this. Period.

My only quibble is, once again, with TJ's claimed portion size. Two servings? Puh-LEEZ! If you can't snarf down this whole thing yourself, then you don't like it enough to bother buying it. And, frankly, I'd have to question whether you deserve to be eating it.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes, but with the giant caveat that you can see coming from a mile away if you're a regular reader. I don't want beef and pork in my diet, at least not in more than tiny quantities. I would be even more enthusiastic about this product, and would buy it ten times as often, if they made it (or a second, alternative version) with a fake-meat pepperoni. As it is, it's so tasty that I'm compelled to add it to my Top Ten list, but actual purchases are going to be rare.

Trader Joe's Ultra Chocolate Ice Cream Super Premium

I'm used to store-brand chocolate ice creams being mediocre, despite their packages' dubious claims of being "premium." In fact, just before buying this from Trader Joe's, my previous purchase had been my first try with "Laura Lynn," which is the store brand of Ingles, the dominant supermarket chain in North Carolina. It was the typical disappointing stuff I had expected.

I thought, sadly, that TJ's would likely be pretty much the same. But I figured that I had to get it out of the way sooner or later (I've been procrastinating this purchase for a couple of years already), and might as well make it now, so I can get back to the Breyer's and Edy's that I prefer.

Well, blow me down and shiver me timbers--this stuff is actually wonderful! I like my ice cream on the softer side, and this is perfect. It's smooth and creamy, and just the right amount of chocolate. (I quibble with the moniker "ultra chocolate." It's just right, not "ultra.")

This is the equal of the best store-bought chocolate ice cream I've ever had--so good that after just two servings of it, I'm ready to declare it my new default ice cream choice. I see no need to go back to the brands I have been buying for several decades.

The ability to change a lifelong purchasing habit also means that it deserves a place in my Top Ten List (which is now up to 57 members; don't judge me).


Will I buy it again? 

Ultra Chocolate Ice Cream, I am coming for you!


Addendum, 4/19/17 

Correction to the above. It turns out that the soft consistency I liked was not an intrinsic part of this product, but rather an early sign (unknown to me at the time) that my freezer was failing. Now that I have a new one, and I can verify that it's at the proper temperature with a thermometer, this ice cream is actually quite hard, difficult to penetrate even with a great ice cream scoop. That is less than ideal, but I still like it a lot.

Trader Joe's Mull of Kintyre Scottish Cheddar Cheese

I might as well just be honest with you: I don't recall ever having heard of the Mull of Kintyre prior to last week, when I noticed this cheese at Trader Joe's. I know now that a song by that name was a huge hit for Paul McCartney & Wings, but it somehow escaped my attention for the last 40 years. What's more, I now realize that I've actually seen the Mull of Kintyre--the southernmost tip of the Kintyre peninsula--though I didn't know it at the time. During a tour of the British Isles in 2014, my ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland passed by it.

But none of that had anything to do with this purchase. I just wanted some cheese, and my eye fell on this as one that I had not tried before. Frankly, I expected another in a long line of virtually indistinguishable white cheddars. It was not to be so.

This one is truly superior. It is as rich and sweet and smooth and creamy and buttery as any cheddar cheese I've ever eaten. Full-flavored without being the least bit sharp or harsh. Absolutely first rate. I quickly learned that I have difficulty stopping once I start eating it, even after I'm past being full.

This is a new product for TJ's. It apparently rolled out in February. I'm not clear on whether it's to be a perennial or is just a feature cheese, destined to disappear soon. Oh, please let it be the former! It would be a shame if the newest member of my Top Ten List were no longer available.



Will I buy it again? 

Every chance I get.


Bonus: Here's Paul McCartney and Wings playing "Mull of Kintyre":



Paul McCartney & Wings - Mull Of Kintyre (1977) by DemonPreyer1

McCartney bought a farm in Kintyre in 1966, about 20 miles from the mull, and spent a lot of time there in the 1970s. Apparently he has been functionally withdrawing from it in recent years, though.


Addendum 

I went back to the store to buy another chunk of this, and asked one of the employees to look up on the computer whether this was a permanent or temporary product. He found that what they had on the shelf was the last they were going to get--at least for this season. Will it come back next year? I guess we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, I bought four of them, and put three in the freezer. I know that freezing is not good for cheese, but I couldn't just let it go away without trying something. Get it while you can!

Addendum #2 

Last night I tried it side by side with some Lite Sharp Celtic Cheddar, effectively pitting Scotland against Ireland in an epic cheese contest. I like both of them a lot, but Scotland won.

Addendum #3 

I suspect that TJ's is repackaging one of the award winners from the Mull of Kintyre cheese company.

Addendum #4 

After posting my usual daily notice on Twitter of a new review here, I got this reply and retweet from an account I did not previous know existed:

Here's the account information:

From that, I think it's pretty safe to conclude that my speculation in Addendum #3 above was correct! And another TJ's supplier has outed itself on Twitter!

Trader Joe's Oven-Baked Cheese Bites

I have found Nirvana, and it's been in the snack aisle of Trader Joe's.

You know how when you bake a casserole with cheese on top, and the cheese at the edges gets baked hard and crunchy and it turns out to be the best part of the whole dish? Well, some culinary genius in Italy has figured out how to manufacture just those crunchy cheese bits without bothering with the whole casserole. And they've sold the result to Trader Joe's.

Hear me well: This is the best snack food I've ever had from TJ's. Perfect flavor. Perfect texture. Perfect saltiness.

It's so damn good that after eating one bag, I never want to be without it in my life. It is simultaneously going on my "buy again" list, my "staples" list, and my "Top Ten" list.

If this product were a dog, it would get a 14/10 from We Rate Dogs. H*ckin cheesy af. Would eat endlessly. They're good snacks, Brent.

My cat usually likes sharing bits of cheese that I'm eating. Oddly, she sniffed at but would not eat a small piece of one of these Cheese Bites that I broke off for her. But, y'know, she's a cat--what the hell does she know?

I am going to eat these until I have a heart attack, and then when I'm in the hospital, I'm going to demand that they grind more of them up into a powder and put them in my IV line.

Now that I know how good a snack can be, if this item is ever discontinued, I shall lose the will to live, and be obliged to find the highest tower in the land from which to hurl my miserable self.


Will I buy it again? 

Away with such foolish questions.

Trader Joe's Sliced Smoked Gouda Cheese

My friend Dan suggested that I try this. So I did.

Remember that awful 1979 vampire comedy movie with George Hamilton, "Love at First Bite"? Well, that's what we've got here, even though I'm not a vampire.

I like plain Gouda just fine, but this smoked variation somehow lights up my taste buds like few things do. I finished the 8-ounce package in just two evenings, with quartered slices on Triscuit crackers. That's more cheese than I really should be eating, but I couldn't stop.

To the Top Ten list you go, Smoked Gouda!


Will I buy it again? 

Gleefully.