Organic Fair Trade Sumatra

Rating:
Price: $7.99 (14 Oz, 100% Arabica, whole bean)
Features: Supposed "Full Bodied Earthy & Robust Flavor"
Found in: Coffee

 I remember not being particularly impressed by this coffee some time ago, but I decided to give it a second try before making up my mind. After brewing pots of this for the past few weeks, I have concluded that it really is unimpressive. I don't find the flavor to be full bodied, earthy, or robust. To me, it simply tastes flat - no high or low notes to remark on. It's not bad coffee per se, but there are plenty of more satisfying Fair Trade & Organic options available at Trader Joe's. I generally enjoy a nice deep Sumatra, but this is not the one for me.

Green Lakes Organic Ale

Rating:
Price: $7.49 / 6-pack (5.2% ABV)
Features: Pours a nice head, a hoppy kick, balanced and refreshing
Found in: Beer section

I shared a few of these with my friend this afternoon, and we decided it should get 4.5 stars because it is an "almost perfect beer." However, I've now decided to bump that to a full five stars because it is a very good beer, and the best value I have seen for an organic microbrew. (Is there even such a thing as an organic macrobrew?) Plus, I have been stingy with the 5-star ratings lately. Here's what Deschutes has to say about this tasty beer:

Discover Deschutes Brewery’s intriguing amber ale, our Ode to Mother Earth. Experience its mellow malt profile intertwined with subtly surprising hop flavors. Green Lakes Organic Ale is brewed with five types of 100% organic malted barley and balanced with Liberty and Salmon-Safe Sterling hops. Easy to drink. Easy on the Environment. Downright Delicious. Who knew celebrating Mother Earth could taste so good.

Mmm, Salmon-Safe Sterling. Fun to say, fun to drink...wonder if it would pair well with grilled salmon? I'm thinking yes! I also highly recommend the Black Butte Porter from Deschutes Brewery. It has always been a favorite of mine.

Fair Trade Organic Bolivian Blend

Rating:
Price: $6.49 (14 Oz)
Features: One of the best Trader Joe's coffees, just the right roast!
Found in: Coffee / tea aisle

I bought TJ's Bolivian Blend because it was the cheapest organic & fair trade option. I figured it would be decent, but didn't expect it to be excellent. Well, I was wrong there! This is easily one of the best Trader Joe's coffees, and certainly the best organic fair trade TJ's coffee blend.

The "medium dark roast" is perfect for my tastes. It strikes a nice balance between the rich smokey flavors developed in a darker roast (without tasting burned), preserves the more complex sweet and spicy flavors of a lighter roast, but isn't overly acidic (which can be a problem for the lighter roasts at TJ's). The result is a very smooth drinking brew with a distinct sweet caramel flavor. I'm drinking a cup straight out of the french press as I write. Usually I go for the cream to smooth things out, but I don't even miss it with this coffee! (It is also great with cream, don't worry.)

Here is what Trader Joe has to say about this blend:

Trader Joe's Bolivian Blend Coffee is a fair trade coffee that is sourced from small family farms in the land located between the peaks of the Andes and the Amazon Basin - the heart of Bolivian coffee country. This region has the ideal growing conditions for this unique, perfectly balanced coffee. Our Bolivian Blend is a medium-dark roast with a smooth textured body, delicate acidity, and sweet flavor and caramel characteristics.

Well, that explains why it is so good. Here is a tantalizing shot of a steaming fresh cup. Go get some!

Organic Midnight Moo

Rating:
Price: $2.49
Features: Way better than Hershey's
Found in: On a ledge above the ice cream

Trader Joe's Organic Midnight Moo Chocolate Flavored Syrup not only has a long name, it's good too! This stuff has a much more natural and intense (darker?) chocolate flavor to it than the dreaded Hershey's. Not sickeningly sweet either.

It like to use it on ice cream (pictured here over TJ's Soy Creamy), to make chocolate milk (though I usually just buy TJ's chocolate soy milk which I will review soon) and I imagine it would make a mean mocha...but I don't have an espresso machine to assist me in testing that theory. Bonus: It's organic so it can't have anything too weird in it, right?

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Organic Fair Trade Scandinavian Blend Coffee

Rating:
Price: $6.99
Features: "A combination of medium and dark roasted beans. Blanced, yet lively." Organic, fair trade, 100% Arabica beans
Found in: Coffee / tea aisle, or perhaps being brewed at the demo stand

I have had varying success with Trader Joe's coffees. I usually wait until I have a chance to sample a coffee at the demo booth before I buy it. Even then, I have had some that I found tasty in the store, but were a disappointment when I brewed them at home. Luckily, this Organic Fair Trade Scandinavian Blend is satisfying all around!

Though this coffee blend is 100% Arabica beans (no lower quality robusta beans as filler), I have noted that TJ's coffees never use the absolute top quality beans. You can always spot a few shriveled specimens in the can, which isn't the case with higher end products. No matter, I can't taste the difference, and a 13 OZ can of these bean is only $6.99 - great deal! Let's learn a little more about this history of the Scandinavian Blend and the beans within courtesy of the back of the can:

Legend has it that in the late 60's in Stockholm, Sweden, a coffee roaster named Jens unintentionally mixed some lighter roasted beans with darker ones. Being the frugal sort, he decided to give it a try. Jens was amazed when he realized it appealed to such a diverse group of people. He decided to sell it in his shop, and the style caught on. Somewhere along the way, Scandinavian blend was born (or Bijörn).

To create our own harmonious Scandinavian blend, we draw on a trilogy of sustainable high grown coffees, sourced from fair trade co-operatives in Columbia, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. The Colombian and Peruvian beans are dark roasted and provide a baseline that reveals bittersweet caramel nuances underscored by notes of creamy milk chocolate. These beans demand a dark roast for optimal flavor and characteristics. This coffee's finish is very smooth and sweet with floral hints. We attribute these traits to the Dominican beans which are given a medium roast. The resulting unique flavor of the combination of dual roasts makes for a lively well-balanced cup of coffee.

Well - there ya go! I couldn't have said it better myself :-P
Definitely recommended as one of the best deals on an organic and fair trade "daily-drinker" coffee!

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Organic Chamomile Herbal Tea

Rating:
Price: $2.69
Features: It's tea, it's organic, that's about it!
Found in: Beverage aisle, with all those other teas

Not that much to say about this product - it's straight forward - Organic Chamomile Herbal Tea. It's a perfectly fine tea, and I give it points for being organic, but nothing spectacular, so just 3-stars.

The tea bags come individually sealed in plastic, perhaps not the most environmentally friendly option, but it does mean each bag will stay fresh until you are ready to brew it.

I like to have a mug of this before I get ready for bed as I am winding down from the day. Simple, smooth, calming, and warms you up from the inside. What more do you need?

Shout out to the Green Bean Coffeehouse for having excellent mugs for sale, as well as fresh baked goods, tasty fair-trade coffee, and rocking it all as a non-profit! I promise to visit twice as much if you will open on Sundays! (Please?)

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Organic "Soy Creamy" Vanilla Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Rating:
Price: $2.99
Features: Organic, Vegan, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Sodium
Found in: Freezer Section

You know this stuff must be amazingly good because it essentially pushed me over the edge to actually get this blog started! I was doing my regular shopping at TJ's and remembered I wanted to get some ice cream to go with the apple crisp I made the night before. At first I was looking at TJ's "super premium" ice cream, but I noticed it was kind of spendy. Then I looked at the nutrition facts: Over 50% DV of fat and saturated fat in a tiny half cup serving, ouch! I know, that's what happens with super premium real ice cream, and it is delicious, but I wanted something a little lighter. I spotted this vanilla alternative right next to the ice cream. Now, I have had several kinds of soy and even rice "ice cream" before and they really didn't live up to the name. Rather than go to another store just for ice cream, I decided to give this a go. I'm glad I did.

This stuff is amazing! It has a pretty strong vanilla flavor, and the texture and mouth feel is practically like the real thing. Maybe it leans a little toward frozen yogurt, but whatever. I am still super impressed. If I didn't know any better I probably would assume it was ice cream. Several of the 'mates tried it as well and gave it enthusiastic reviews.

The Vanilla Soy Creamy was excellent on top of apple crisp (I love it when the crisp is warm so the ice cream melts a bit before you eat it all). It is also great just on its own, or with some chocolate syrup over the top. I am sure it would be fantastic in place of frozen yogurt or milk and ice in smoothies. Another carton should be showing up in the house soon so I can test that theory out!

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