Trader Joe's Creamed Multi-Floral New Zealand Honey

So apparently, an earlier iteration of this product was the subject matter of a lawsuit in which Trader Joe's was accused of misleading consumers by stating that their product was "100% manuka honey" when in fact only 60% of the pollen used in making the honey came from the manuka plant.

From what I understand, the court ruling favored Trader Joe's and did not penalize them, but it certainly looks like they took steps to prevent any further litigation by relabeling the honey as "multi-floral" instead of simply "100% manuka." Also, the ingredients list now reads just "honey" whereas the prior product listed "manuka honey" as the sole ingredient.

I find it hilarious that traderjoes.com states that their New Zealand honey is similar to manuka honey but tastes "less medicinal." LOL. They're not holding a grudge or anything.

Anyway, you'll pay upwards of thirty bucks for most authentic manuka honey, but this one pound jar will only run you $3.99 at Trader Joe's. We called around and it's not available at every location but some stores still have it in stock as of the time of writing this review.

Speaking of a review, you're probably wondering how this product tastes. It's delicious. It has the typical sweetness of any other honey, but there are floral notes, herbal notes, and I'd swear there's something nearly fruity in the flavor profile—like an essence of apricot or something like that. Very interesting.

And even more unique than the flavor is the texture. The honey is "creamed." Apparently that just means that it's been whipped into a fluffy consistency. It's like there are bunches of teeny tiny honey crystals mixed into a normal liquid honey. I honestly like it better than the syrupy texture of run-of-the-mill honey.

As mentioned above, this product will run you four bucks. It is indeed a product of New Zealand. We'd buy it again. Nine out of ten stars from both Sonia and me for Trader Joe's Creamed Multi-Floral New Zealand Honey.

Bottom line: 9 out of 10 stars.

Trader Joe's Teriyaki Mushroom Mini Bao Buns

There are only two sets of heating instructions on this bag and one of them involves a steamer, which we don't have, so we opted for the microwave this time. Just plop three of the miniature bao buns on a plate lined with parchment paper—that's right, they want you to put parchment paper in the microwave—sprinkle with water and cover, heat on high for one to two minutes. Ours took about 1:50 to reach the perfect temperature and texture.

The buns came out soft, supple, and slightly moist. The "meat" of this dish features oyster, king oyster, and shiitake mushrooms. Sonia is a fan, while I...um, I just don't really like mushrooms. The filling has carrots and onions and a tasty spice blend that includes garlic, ginger, and soy sauce among many other ingredients.

Honestly, I think I really would have loved this product if it contained anything other than mushrooms. I did taste it though, and all the elements are high quality and most folks would probably enjoy it. One drawback: it doesn't come with a dipping sauce. We experimented with a couple different condiments in the video below including soy sauce and yangnyeom sauce.

$4.79 for nine bao buns. Vegan. Product of Vietnam. Sonia would buy again. She'll give Trader Joe's Teriyaki Mushroom Mini Bao Buns nine out of ten stars and I'll sit this one out, score-wise, due to my bias against mushrooms.

Bottom line: 9 out of 10.