Monday, September 21, 2015

Day 264 - Joe's Dark Coffee

First, let me remind you (if you are a regular reader) and tell you (if you have not heard) that my partner, David, was CALLED ON DOWN at the Price is Right in January!!!  As part of his prizes he won 2 coffee makers (yeah, he SHOULD have won the car, but that is a much longer story…)  You can read about his Price is Right experience and even get a link to a short funny video we made of it in my review on Day 217 of Columbia Supremo coffee -  Supremo Coffee Review and Price is Right video

Here are my sisters, David, and I after being at a Price is Right filming in Los Angeles January 2015.  Do we look excited?
Anyway, I mention David’s “big” winnings because guess what??  WE NOW HAVE THE PRICE IS RIGHT ESPRESSO MAKER SET UP AND USE IT EVERY MORNING.  It is really pretty cool and works well.  It is not as simple as our old one, but when I look at it I remember how hilarious it was seeing David up there on stage with Drew Carey, so it is worth the complications of making morning coffee to giggle about that every day.

Here it is!  Just ONE of David's new coffee makers!  :)  Fancy,eh?

And look - espresso in the making!
The most recent coffee we tried from Trader Joe’s is the cheapest they sell (tied with Joe’s Coffee) – Joe’s Dark Coffee.  It is a dark roast (hence the name “dark” in the title) and bills itself as “rich and flavorful”.  Remember, it is C-H-E-A-P – a 13 oz can only costs $4.99.  And TJ’s is not trying to make it out to be something it is not, the packaging clearly says “No frills.  Nothing fancy.  Just good, dark coffee at a great price.”

Cheap cheap cheap
Here is what we thought:

Susan:  this coffee is fine.  It does the job.  The can says it is 100% Arabica Whole Bean Dark Roasted Coffee.  I would agree with the marketing that calls it no frills.  It is a simple coffee.  It’s not something you would find if you went out for breakfast or brunch at a cafĂ© but it is fine for breakfast.

David:  Earthy.  Bitter.  Tasty.  It is a bit rough, but coffee is supposed to wake you up in the morning and this does a good job of that.

David taste testing this coffee.  Check out his bowl - yogurt topped by roasted almonds (TJ's of course) and
peaches from our peach tree that I in the freezer that we froze way back in 2012 and I busted them out this morning.
Not as good as eating them right off  the tree, obviously, but not bad.
So this is the 10th TJ’s coffee we have tried and I have reviewed this year (I think) (3 were smaller cans that came together as a seasonal gift item).  This one is not the BEST one we tasted, but not the WORST either.  It is an average coffee for your average Joe (see what I did there??  “Joe” as in TRADER JOE’S and “Joe” as in “a cup of Joe”.  I am feeling quite pleased with myself!)

Price – $4.99

Rating – 3.5

4 comments:

  1. Boy, this coffee made me really sick - instant vomiting like out of the Exorcist. I couldn't understand why all this nausea from coffee. So I took the can apart - it's cardboard on the inside, painted silver - bits of silver paint get in the coffee and I have a nickel allergy. At least that was the packaging several years ago - never touched a TJ coffee in the can since, only in bags.

    Please check if the packaging is still the same - the problem is worse with the dark, oily coffees. Ooh, what I went through - morning sickness every day until I figured it out - and, no, too late for pregnancy.

    Love your blog

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    1. That is awful! Oh man, I think that would make me never want to drink coffee again... I certainly will take a look at the can and see if the packaging has changed through the years.

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  2. I have never tried a TJ coffee that tasted good to me. I wish it did, because you cannot beat the price. Great to find your blog (via your Equality House post). I recently bought the orange chicken, added scallions and pineapple chucks to it and it was fantastic.

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    1. Tara - how SWEET to you see here. Thanks for "sticking up for me" at the Equality House site. That actually made me a bit sad. Sigh. (Not the part about you sticking up for me - THAT made me happy :) ).
      Yeah - I have tried loads of TJ's coffee during this year long review project. Haven't found the "perfect" cup yet. Oh well, 3 more months to keep looking!

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