Trader Joe's offers many coffee varieties. Behold a seasonal variety that appears about once a year on store shelves usually right at the beginning of summer when the idea of hot coffee may not be ideal.
Taste and review
So let's say that you really love Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate. But let's also say you agree with me on its biggest drawback: its price. That bottle is $7.99 and makes 12 cups of coffee.
For $5.99 you can make yourself 14 cups. Not a huge savings, but savings nonetheless. But, if you are like me, you'll want to see how the coffee tastes and if it's worth doing yourself.
Now, normally I do make myself a coffee. Some mornings I have my classic Farberware coffee pot going. Some weekends I get my trusty glass Pyrex coffee pot out. Some mornings when I clearly did not plan adequately the Keurig comes out.
Coffee doesn't last long in my household.
But often I'd rather make it myself. There are some places by me that make a really good cup in the mornings. Other places taste like they have never cleaned the coffee pot and it tastes of thoroughly burnt coffee.
So, while coffee in the morning is a must, I'd rather do it myself. But one thing I haven't done myself: make cold brew. I do have a good friend who makes cold brews all the time.
More often than not all she uses is her French Press to make coffee. The idea is basically the same as what you have here. You need something to strain the grounds. In this case, they assume you don't have a French Press at your disposal. But, the New York Times even has a really simple recipe on how to do this with your favorite coffee.
Less mess to deal with here.
Overall
So it comes down to the taste of the grounds in this package. If you are a dark drinker, this is only a medium roast and brews medium as well.
But what came out of my refrigerator the next morning was silky smooth coffee that had a brightness to it. It had a decent amount of body to it too. It's the first coffee in a while from Trader Joe's that I'm looking forward to my second cup of the day.
This isn't going to be the quickest cup to make, nor will it be the cheapest. But it will yield a really tasty cup of morning Joe.
Yet another product I did not know I needed in my life.
Product photos
The bag of Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Bags:
How Trader Joe's describes this product and how to prepare:
Out of the package you get:
After being brewed you get:
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Bags again. With the right sized container and an overnight rest in the refrigerator this made for a good cup of coffee the next day.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Bags
Product Name: Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Bags
Product Description: Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Bags is seasonally available and a no-mess solution to make cold brew at home with no equipment needed other than a pitcher large enough.
Price: $5.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Bags are available at certain times of the year and make the process easy without needing a French Press or any method to strain your coffee grounds.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee Bags are the latest product that you did not know you needed in your life.
- Pre-measured so you can get solid results
- This product is really about convenience
Cons
- This appears to be a seasonal item
- While this contains 4 coffee bags, this will only make you two batches. Finding a pitcher that can handle 7 cups of water plus two coffee bags was a bit of a task.
Alek says
I can see this for gatherings events for those whom crave coffee. Or can be incorporated in desserts such as cold brew coffee ice cream. It nice TJ's are expanding their cold brew line beyond concentrates
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! Absolutely would be great for company with the right planning and would be great with desserts too. Yes! I couldn't agree more about expanding the cold brew line. I think it's a bit overdue. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing!
judilyn says
Interesting concept. I'm wondering if one bag in a nice quart-sized Mason jar overnight might not work? I would go through two of those in three days, so it would be easy to have one "brewing" at all times, and at the ready. Would there be a downside to extended steeping time? Is there a degraded flavor if/when reheated for a hot cuppa? I drink a pint (hot in a thermal cup) in the morning, and a third cup as "iced" after lunch with my daily "Vitamin Chocolate".
This would be an easy-to-do way to have coffee on the road without the mess of grounds, or the blah of instant.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
Hey Judie! I think next time I'll do that because while that container holds 7 cups the 2 coffee bags were quite large. No degraded flavor on a reheat. I could easily drink a pint of coffee a day. I'd love to hear more about this "Vitamin Chocolate." And yes, minimal mess on this product which was really nice. Thanks as always for stopping by!
Dag says
Did you end up drinking this cold or heating it up?
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! It was brewed in my refrigerator and then it put it in my farberware coffee pot to bring it back to hot coffee. I did the same thing with the cold brew concentrate too. I just prefer my coffee warm. That's just me.
judilyn says
Thirty-something years ago, my husband discovered the chocolate candy called Twigs. A quick search just now produced this URL:
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chocolate-Twigs-With-Mint/dp/B0013FNOAE
Don't faint like I just did! Back then, they were quite expensive, but not that much. Anyway, I figured I could do that for a whole lot less expenditure. So I melted chocolate, added a flavoring (or instant espresso powder), and then spread it out on a foam meat tray lined with aluminum foil. Then into the freezer for an overnight rest.
The next day I just broke it into shards/tiles and we ate little bits of it after lunch and sometimes dinner, too.
Then Trader Joe's came to town, and I switched over to using their Pound Plus Bar in the red label. When we were fulltiming in our motorhome, I kept chocolate like this on hand, and some coconut and nuts. The mixture of the three in "haystacks" were always an incredible hit at the pot luck dinners we attended.
But back to the coffee . . . yes, I am still making the little chocolate bits, and we eat them after lunch and sometimes dinner, just like above, and I have my afternoon coffee then.
I call it "Vitamin Chocolate" because there is so much literature and talk these days about the benefits of dark chocolate! It must be healthful, yah?
becomebetty says
As far as I'm concerned chocolate is a dietary need. Thanks so much for the explanation Judie!
Ttrockwood says
I’ve been making cold brew for years, it’s just so easy and in the hottest months i want cold coffee. I didn’t like TJs cold brew concentrate, i like a stronger flavor and they use a much lighter roast. I use my favorite Peet’s major dickenson blend which is not as dark as a french roast
I make mine rather strong so after adding ice it isn’t watery. I use a big tupperware container and just strain through a fine sieve and into a pitcher
I’ll pass on this, sounds like the roast is too light for me and i’m exactly intense enough about coffee that i only buy whole beans. It’s probably seasonal so if you’re a fan buy multiples
becomebetty says
Hey Ttrockwood! I'd agree with your assessment there. This brew to a medium if not medium light. So it probably won't be your jam on this one. By the way, if you are worried about your coffee getting watered down, freeze some of your favorite coffee in an ice cube tray and add it to your favorite coffee. That way everything will stay perfect. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing!
Rachel O says
Has anyone else gotten super jittery and super caffeinated from this? I love me some cold brew, but 24 hours later I am still buzzing along at an almost alarming rate and got a bit too jittery from my 8 oz. I had at 9 am YESTERDAY. I felt like I had had three cups of coffee!!!! I may have to just use one bag at a time. Anyone else out there like me or am I suddenly a coffee wimp?
becomebetty says
Hey Rachel O! I am honestly unaffected by almost any level of caffeine (I can drink TJs Electric Buzz coffee and then take a nap). That being said, I did a little bit of research and I think you stumbled on something I did not pick up on, some food sites report that there is more caffeine in cold brew. Thank you for bringing up this important point and thanks for stopping by!