I'm not gonna lie. This is some of the best queso dip I've ever had. From the white cheddar cheese to the jalapeño, chipotle, and bell peppers to the spices and seasonings in the background, Trader Joe's Spicy Queso gets a solid thumbs up from both Sonia and me.
The spice level is just about right for us. I think we might have wanted something spicier during our Los Angeles years, but time on the East Coast and Midwest have tamed our tongues just a tad. We still like spicy foods, but our tolerance has waned considerably. I have a theory that the relatively arid climate in SoCal dulls one's taste buds and requires picante provisions to wake them up. Anyway, this product has a nice moderate kick but doesn't come close to making us uncomfortable.
It's nice and smoky thanks to the chipotle flavors. It's creamy, thick, and it coats quite well. There are actually little pieces of pepper floating all throughout the sauce. Sonia and I made some loaded nachos with this, black beans, lettuce, chicken, and sour cream. You can see the product in its purest form by itself, though, so that's the pic we left you with above. Plus, it's plenty tasty enough on its own with nothing but tortilla chips. That's one of Trader Joe's Unsalted Organic White Corn Tortilla Chips up there...in case you were wondering.
There are heating instructions given on the little tub. It says to remove the lid and place a damp paper towel on top but they want you to keep the queso in the plastic and microwave for 30 second intervals. Since we didn't eat the whole tub in one sitting (though we probably could have) we just put our portion in another small bowl and nuked it for about 20-25 seconds. Also, we don't like microwaving stuff in plastic if we can avoid it, even if the container is microwave safe in theory.
And there's probably a lot more you could do with this stuff besides the obvious chips and cheese routine. I could see using it as a sauce for tacos, burritos, or enchiladas, drizzling it over a baked potato, or spooning some onto a burger or grilled chicken sandwich. It would also make a pretty killer dipping sauce for fries, taquitos, or just about anything else that benefits from being dunked into a vat of warm, cheesy goodness. We only scratched the surface with our nachos, but the tub didn't last long enough to do anything much more fancy.
$3.99 for 10 oz, comes refrigerated. Would buy again. Eight and a half stars from this guy for Trader Joe's Spicy Queso Dip with Jalapeños and Smoky Chipotle. Sonia will go with nine out of ten.
Bottom line: 8.75 out of 10.
Unpopular opinion: Hardywood Tangerine Cream Ale tastes neither like dessert nor beer. After being pleasantly surprised by the last Trader Joe's Hardywood collab, the Joe-Joe's Vanilla Creme Stout, we decided to pick up a four pack of this happy summer libation, and we drank some on our most recent video review.
It's certainly not bad beer, but it's not really my thing in the end, either. Like other cream ales, there's a light crispness to the beverage, and with significant vanilla notes coming through, it does indeed taste "creamy" in the traditional sense in a way. There's a modest amount of citrus in the background, but not nearly as much as I was expecting or hoping for in a beverage that's putting out a distinct dessert vibe and gives the word "tangerine" top billing in its title.
It wasn't as sweet as I was expecting it to be. Nor was it anything like most ales I've had. Disclaimer: I haven't had many traditional cream ales or fruited wheat beers which, I'm told, is what this libation is most comparable to. Obviously, I wasn't expecting something as hoppy as an IPA or as malty as a stout or porter, but if it's not going to taste like dessert, I was expecting it to taste a bit more beer-ish.
With an ABV of 6%, this brew is slightly higher than your average ale, so a couple of the one pint cans might give you a little buzz. The price tag is a bit steep IMO at $3.75 for a single serving or $15 for the four pack. In terms of pairing with light warm weather fare, I'd point to the Josephsbrau Grapefruit Radler, in terms of overall taste and value, over this one. But that's just my opinion. I know it's like comparing apples and oranges—er, tangerines and grapefruits—as the case may be, but they're both popular fruity beers available at Trader Joe's in the summertime.
I will note this brew tastes and feels much better the colder you can get it—as is the case with most beers, to be fair. Sonia liked this beverage a bit more than I did. Ultimately, we'll both score this one a little lower than that recently-reviewed radler. Eight out of ten stars from the beautiful wifey. Six and a half stars from me for Hardywood Tangerine Cream Ale...which tastes nothing like the Tangerine Cream Bars.
Sonia's score: 8 out of 10.
Nathan's score: 6.5 out of 10.
