Trader Joe's Raspberry Cranberry Spritzer

This is, obviously, much like the blackberry spritzer reviewed yesterday, except raspberry-cranberry.

I was very surprised to find that I didn't like it as much. Normally, either straight raspberry or a cran/rasp anything will be my hands-down preference over a blackberry anything. Not so here. It doesn't taste as genuinely fruity. It seems more like soda, with fruit flavors instead of real juice, even though the label says otherwise. I have no idea why this might be so. And, of course, YMMV.


Will I buy it again? 

I'm on my second bottle, because this outcome was so atypical for me that I wanted a second shot at seeing whether it was real. It is. So no, I don't think I will buy it again.

Trader Joe's Blackberry Spritzer

I suppose this qualifies as a "spritzer" and not a "soda" by virtue of being made with actual fruit juices rather than just sugar and flavorings. But a soda by any other name would taste as sweet. It does still have added sugar, after all. I'm not complaining, because the result is quite tasty. It does genuinely taste of blackberries, and there's a little residue left in one's glass and in the bottle that appears to be fruit puree.

Grumble: They really need to make this with a screw top or some other kind of reclosable cap.


Will I buy it again? 

I already have; I just finished my second delicious bottle.

Trader Joe's Roasted Cauliflower & Cheese Mezzelune

This is ravioli, despite the fancy "half-moon" shape and name.

It's excellent--loved it. I think it's my second-favorite TJ's ravioli, after the Goat Cheese & Sun Dried Tomato version. (Well, I think I actually liked the Chicken Pot Pie version best of all, but I haven't bought that again, as part of my general reduction in use of meat-containing things.)


Will I buy it again? 

Yes.

Trader Joe's Crunchy Curls

I have no idea how long these have been lurking on the Trader Joe's shelves, but I first noticed them a couple of months ago.

They're a little bland on their own; a little more salt would do them good. I couldn't discern a distinctly lentil flavor, and I had to use a bit of imagination to notice potato. I can't describe the taste, because it's pretty much unlike anything I've had before. But it's pleasant enough.

They're sturdy enough to be reasonably useful for scooping up salsa or hummus.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes, as an occasional break from my usual tortilla and potato chip staples.

Trader Joe's Super Soft Bath Tissue

Trader Joe's regular "bath tissue" (they can't say "toilet paper"?) is one of the rare items that is both a staple that I buy all the time, and a Top Ten list member. This version is supposed to be even better.

It's not, at least not as far as I can tell. I discerned no meaningful difference in softness.

Because it's more expensive, but not better, I reject it.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

I passed on this many, many times. Then one day I stopped to think about it more. I like salads and salad dressing. I like peanuts. I like several other vinaigrettes. I don't mind spiciness. So why have I kept rejecting this? I guess the answer was that it was just too far outside my mental image of what a proper salad dressing should be.

I liked the flavoring more than I expected to. But it had two fatal flaws. (1) Too sweet. (2) Too thick and gloppy; it doesn't spread nicely throughout the salad with a little stirring/tossing.


Will I buy it again? 

No. There is definitely promise here, and I eventually finished off the whole bottle, but the formula needs tweaking before I would buy another.

Trader Joe's Butter Cookie Wreaths

These are OK, but it seems a stretch to call them "butter cookies," as there's not much buttery about them. More like "flour cookies."

When the best part of the cookie is the colored sugar granules sprinkled on top, you've done something wrong.


Will I buy it again? 

No.