Review: Trader Joe’s Coffee Syrup & I Have No Idea What Flavor Coffee I Like
JFG Nation, I like coffee. Ever since I started drinking it, I’ve enjoyed the very basic flavor of coffee, sugar, and some sort of cream/milk. Then came Starbucks into my life and I enjoyed more dessert-y coffee/espresso drinks. Caramel Macchiato? Yummy. Mocha frappuccino? Yup. Hazelnut non fat sugar free double caf lattes? Why not?
I have recently come to realize that I like these added flavors only in certain combos – iced, with drizzles, foamed, etc. I’ve become a pawn of Starbucks and the related ilk. Whatever – plug me back into the Matrix. But the reason I know that I have no original coffee preference is because when it comes to making coffee and flavoring it on my own, I am completely lost as to what I like.
At work, there is coffee, milk, half and half, etc. I got that part down. But then at the very end of the station, there is not only sugar but a SLEW of syrups: hazelnut. Vanilla. Caramel. Cinnamon dolce. Toffee. Mocha. IT’S TOO MANY.
I always have a mini panic attack when I get to these syrup bottles. I think I like all these flavors…but do I? Is it hazelnut that I prefer? Is the frap I like caramel or toffee? Who likes cinnamon in their coffee? Wait – do *I* like cinnamon in my coffee????
Yeah. What about you JFG Nation?? Given a similar situation – just plain coffee but you have a variety of creamers, flavors, strips to choose from – what do YOU trend toward? Are you an ALWAYS TOFFEE sort of person? Let me know in the comments below.
Today’s junk food: Trader Joe’s Coffee Syrup!!
If you’re a Rhode Islander, you know that coffee milk is a THING. Coffee syrup is basically sweetened coffee concentrate that can used on anything – ice cream, pancakes, or mixed into milk. Coffee milk is tasty.
At my first Fancy Food Show, I experienced coffee syrup for the first time – and it was great! I loved. Four years later, Trader Joe’s is selling their version. What a country.
DO THESE TASTE GOOD? Yes!
WHY OR WHY NOT? The syrup was the perfect viscosity – it poured like real maple syrup (not the super gooey corn syrup kind). That is, it was viscous and spread like a syrup but was loose enough that it didn’t adhere like a glue to the spoon. It coated the glass inside without feeling gel-like.
The flavor was pure dark roast and sugar – WOW. I ate a spoonful by itself and this stuff is POTENT. It wasn’t cloying however – like a good maple syrup, the sugar here was deep and flavorful. It offset any bitter coffee flavor; there was no bitterness here despite the concentration.
Mixinng two tablespoons with a glass of unsweetened soy milk, it was enough to slightly sweeten and flavor it up. It tasted like a light bottled Frap. I’d probably mix more in in the future. But it was reassuring – the ratios of coffee and sugar were perfect for adding to other things.
All in all, loved it. I could see mixing this with a lot of things. A definite buy for coffee lovers.
ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW? Yeah I used an old Talenti contained as a cup. What of it? Step off.
PURCHASED AT: Trader Joe’s, Gaithersburg, MD
WHERE FOUND IN STORE? New product end cap.
COST? $4.49
Sincerely,
The JFG
Discuss - 15 Comments
I can see this drizzled over cakes. OOOH COFFEE CAKE! Instead of drizzling chocolate; drizzle the coffee syrup. Use in baking. Ice cream swirls. This would be a great idea for egg cream twist. The ideas are endless. I love cold brew coffee; just plain cold brew.
I suspect it is same company that you tried at the Fancy Food show: Karen Saucy Coffee Syrup under TJ’s brand.
I’m more of a tea person but toffee? “ALWAYS TOFFEE”! (You might wanna fix that at the beginning of your post unless you were trying to combine TJ’s and coffee)
Also those Talenti containers are so useful for storing all sorts of foodstuffs!
Coffee. Black.
Otherwise I’d be drinking absurd amounts of milk and sugar. As it stands, I’m drinking absurd amounts of coffee daily.
Lately I’ve been putting ground cinnamon in my coffee. When I was in junior high, my sister worked at Barnie’s. They had at least 20 syrups and that’s after the flavored coffees. It’s from that time I developed my love of coffee. I definitely like most flavored coffee, but I view 4 standard flavors and I like to mix them from time to time: Mocha, Caramel, Hazelnut and Vanilla. Yes, I have had a Rolo Frappucino and a Nutella Frappucino.
FYI, you have another typo – you used a container, not a contained.
Hey, he said “Step off.” But no, it’s really no use trying to grammar up the JFG. His art transcends the English language.
Coffee should be black and as hot as I can stand it. I love the Talenti containers….I keep endless amounts of m & m’s in them….but never put them in the dishwasher….
I love to take really hot coffee and just throw ice in there. Trust me it is better. Don’t let it cool it down. I tend to keep like 3 inches off from the rim so it doesn’t splash too much. Oh are you attending the summer fancy food show this year?
Fuuuuuuuu looks like I need to go to trader Joe’s! Usually I have coffee syrup sent to me from Florida, but this will speed things up.
BTW, Starbucks discontinued sugar-free hazelnut syrup. I’m still kind of distraught about that. My go to now for coffee made at home is sugar-free hazel creamer mixed with sugar-free vanilla syrup.
What is the caffeine content of the Trader Joe’s coffee syrup?
I’m an educator so when I see a typo, I can’t help but correct. It’s like instinctual. Perhaps Jessica is the same! I like chocolate or toffee flavoring in my coffee. Actually Coffee Beanery has an orange extract in one of their fancy coffee drinks I’ve come to enjoy.
While I like flavored espresso-based drinks, I don’t like flavored syrups in regular brewed coffee. It just doesn’t taste right to me. When I drink brewed, it’s simply coffee and a small amount (one Mini-Moo) of half and half.
For espresso-based drinks, I like anything from the traditional mocha to the ultra-sweet Starbucks winter drinks (but no whipped cream). It just depends on my mood.
I was amused to see the Talenti container. A favorite summer treat is to pour nonfat milk to about the 1/4 mark of the Talenti container and then stir in 3 Tablespoons of coffee syrup to blend. Put the lid back on the container and freeze solid. When you want a cool treat, remove the container from the freezer and let thaw on the counter (did you know Talenti cups melt in the microwave?) until you can break up the frozen mixture with a fork. Add more nonfat milk to the 2/3 level. Using an immersion blender in the Talenti container, whip the frozen concoction into a lush frozen coffee drink. It makes a refreshing, guilt-free treat on a hot afternoon!
@cat – I like it! Will have to try
I just bought this coffee syrup and love it! I added it to my homemade mocha Frappuccino (frozen coffee ice cubes, chocolate sauce, and the frappy mix, which is milk and coffee and sweetened condensed milk). Would love to figure out how to incorporate this into baked goods. Yum.
It’s Gone. It’s all gone! They took it away from us!