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.

100% Kauai Coffee

Rating:
Price: $7.99 (13 Oz Whole Bean)
Features: Subtle, smooth, balanced, well-rounded flavor
Found in: Coffee zone

We go through a can of coffee about every other week, so by now I have tried most of the medium roast options from Trader Joe's. TJ's has a lot of dark and even super dark "volcano" (charcoal and ash?) roasts available, most of which are quite good, but I prefer the medium to medium-dark roasts. I think medium roasts have a nice balance of all the flavor notes I like in a good coffee, and maintain a good level of acidity. I find darker roasts to lose the acidic edge while clobbering you over the head with a big dose of whatever note is strongest to the specific beans. Not always a bad thing, but not what I want for my morning cup on a daily basis.

Anyway, on to the specifics of these beans! Trader Joe says:

The leeward side of Kauai has long been recognized as a superb place for growing coffee. Abundant rainfall and sunshine as well as a temperate climate provide ideal conditions for the production of coffee. The Garden Island's rich volcanic soil gives these beans an earthy, aromatic flavor.

Trader Joe's 100% Kauai coffee is medium roasted to bring out its sweet, delicate flavor. These beans are as close to Kauai as you can get without hopping on a plane. 'Ono kope!

Well there ya go, I agree about the delicate aromatic flavors. Maybe you could get closer to Hawaii by purchasing TJ's 100% Kona coffee, but since that is about $20/lb you might as well just hop on a plane and go see the source for yourself!

New Mexico Piñon Coffee

Rating:
Price: $6.49 (16 Oz, Ground)
Features: Good coffee with a natural nutty flavor
Found in: Tasted at demo booth (twice)

I've wondered about this New Mexico Piñon Coffee for a while. I had the chance to taste it at the demo booth a few weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure if I liked it enough to buy a whole can. Then the next week they were brewing it at the demo stand again, and I decided to spring for it. Can't go too wrong with 1lb of coffee for $6.49, right?

I've run through most of the coffee now, and I have really been enjoying it. The roasted pine nuts ground in with the coffee make it taste like a rich hazelnut coffee, only without the chemical taste of artificial flavorings - which are enough to turn me away from most "flavored" coffees. I'm not going to use this coffee as a replacement for my everyday brew, but I do enjoy it, and will purchase another can so I can brew a pot of tasty piñon for a change of pace now and then.

The coffee is good quality, even if it is pre-ground. I suppose it would be hard to get the right ratio of beans and pine nuts into your own grinder every time to make the perfect cup! Speaking of New Mexico, when I was down in Albuquerque for a friend's wedding last October, we discovered that the Church Street Cafe has both very good coffee and food. So, if New Mexican Piñon Coffee from Trader Joe's is enough to make you want to visit the state, you will know where to get delicious huevos rancheros that come with hot sopaipillas! Yum.

Hansen's Diet Ginger Ale

Rating:
Price: $2.49 (6 x 12 Oz cans)
Features: Natural flavors with very specific origins: "African ginger, Mexican limes, Californian lemons, and Madagascan vanilla"
Found in: Beverages, where Reed's Extra Ginger Beer was not on the shelf :-(

Lurking in the background of my previous post is a can of Hansen's Diet Ginger Ale. I purchased this as a stand-in for Reeds Extra Ginger Beer since it was nowhere to be found. I knew this was not going to be the same as Reeds, which has "26 grams fresh ginger per bottle!" But, I wanted something fizzy and gingery, and expected this would have more of a ginger kick than Canada Dry (not that they sell that at TJ's).

It does have a stronger flavor profile, I tasted just as much Madagascan vanilla as African ginger. The Mexi-calian citrus was lost in the crowd, but I am sure I would miss it if it were not at the party. This diet soda is sweetened with Splenda, which means it is incredibly sweet. It is also highly carbonated with little tiny fizzy bubbles that caused me to sneeze three times while attempting to drink it. Overall, it did the job washing down the tamales for tonight, and I would consider this pretty good for a diet soda. But it's no Reeds, they better get that back in stock again!

"It's that damn Hansel! He's so hot right now!" -Mugatu

Beef Tamales

Rating:
Price: $2.29 for a package of 2
Features: Tasty corn dough filled with shredded beef - taco sauce not included
Found in: Frozen section, where the Mexican stuff always seems to be off on its own

These are a pretty basic item, so there isn't much to say about them. They are not unhealthy for a frozen dinner item, and the are ready from frozen after 6 minutes in the microwave (just wrap in a wet paper towel). I like the dough on these, not too soggy, a little crispy in places, and the right proportion of dough to meat. The meat is good too, not that gross paste type of "shredded beef" that can come in other things, these have actual hunks of shredded beef, which is good for texture. Two make a filling dinner, I say go for it! There was a guy loading up on the green chile and cheese tamales when I was at the store. Maybe I will try those next...

Charles Shaw Downunder 2008 Chardonnay

Rating:
Price: $2.99
Features: Tastes sweet and alcoholic. Other flavors undetectable.
Found in: The middle of the Charles Shaw wine display

I have been curious to try the new and exciting Charles Shaw from Downunder (there are some excellent wines from Australia ya' know). Well, I was not expecting excellence for three dollars, but I have found other CS wines to deliver unexpectedly decent taste at a low price (except the Syrah...ugh).

This one managed to disappoint in the taste department. It was super sweet on the first sip, then I began to notice more twinges of a dry alcoholic taste. I sniffed, I swirled, I tried again, but still the same result. Actually, I don't think I would be able to sniff out the difference between a glass of water with a few drops of vodka in it and a glass of this Chardonnay. Very much underwhelming. At least give me some citrus, or melon, or something to work with!

I'm not going to run into the store with the remaining half bottle and demand my $2.99 back, but I won't be buying it again.

While we are here it is worth mentioning another disappointing item I prepared for dinner tonight: TJ's "fresh from the sea" (previously frozen but sold thawed) wild salmon fillets. This fish was not very fresh (smelled quite fishy), nor was is the highest quality salmon (looked pretty beaten up actually). I drenched it in teriyaki sauce and cooked the heck out of it and it was edible, but not good. The fish didn't have as much natural fat and oil in it as salmon usually does, so it did not cook up soft and flaky. Maybe this will work for people buying seafood at TJ's in Kansas, but here in the Pacific Northwest you are going to have to do one heck of a lot better than that for $10.99 a pound. One serious 1-star fish experience.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza & BBQ Chicken Pizza [Double Feature]

I felt lazy on my dinner night this week, so I picked up two frozen pizzas from TJs, made a big spinach salad at home, and managed to feed four people without much work. I think TJs has put out several new varieties of frozen pizzas recently, lots to try.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Rating:
Price: $4.99
Features: Thick-buttery-doughy crust, interesting caramelized onion sauce, vegetarian.
Found in: The deep freeze

I liked this pizza a lot. The crust was hearty and satisfying, but somehow light at the same time. Instead of tomato sauce, this veggie pizza has a slightly sweet sauce made from caramelized onion, which makes for a pleasing and unique flavor. My only criticism is that there were not many roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts topping the pizza. No cheese either, but I didn't notice that until I finished eating, so it wasn't something I missed! I checked to see if this is vegan, but it's just vegetarian. Maybe there really is butter in the crust?

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Rating:
Price: $4.99
Features: Blah...
Found in: The deep freeze

I was not impressed by this pizza. To me, a BBQ Chicken Pizza should scream big bold flavors: smokey-spicy BBQ sauce, red onions, seasoned chicken, bubbly melted cheese. TJs version has all those ingredients, but none of the flavors come through and pop. This is unfortunate because it leaves the pizza amazingly bland. Not enough toppings on this one either, and the crust was thinner, maybe a little crispier, but far less flavorful than the veggie pizza.

I should mention that I bought a bottle of Trader Joe's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, as recommended on Trader Joe's Wine Compendium, to drink with this dinner. I think it worked well with the pizza. As my friend noticed, you get a lot more bold ripe fruit flavors from this wine if you take really small sips. Quite enjoyable!