La Colombe Pumpkin Spice Draft Latte Cold Brew

For those of you who might be tempted to call me a hater and revoke my coffee beverage reviewing privileges, let me point out two coffee drinks I've had relatively recently that I enjoyed: Irish Crème Java Monster and Bones Coffee French Toast Cold Brew. Might not be very sophisticated or whatever, but you can't say I'm not honest. These aren't the only coffee drinks I've ever enjoyed, but they're the only two I've had and liked in recent memory.

I'm starting to think I just don't like pumpkin flavored coffee, because this is deja brew all over again. I mean, I don't really gravitate towards coffee in general, but I'm starting to notice I like pumpkin spice lattes and cold brews even less than plain old black coffee. Wasn't a fan of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate. But then again, Sonia wasn't either.

I like this product just a little more than I liked that Trader Joe's offering, but I still wouldn't buy it again. Sonia is just a tad more positive about it than I am, but she still gives it a solid "meh." She likes the coffee and cream elements, but she says she tastes something metallic, while I detect something akin to plastic. The pumpkin spice isn't overwhelming here, which we both agree is a good thing.

I never realized it before, but a lot of canned coffee beverages actually contain nitrous oxide. It's the same chemical compound junkies use when huffing whippits and it's also known as NOS when used for a burst of torque and horsepower in your souped up Mazda RX-7 during illegal street races. I guess there are varying levels of purity that distinguish one version from the others, but yep, it's basically all the same stuff. Who knew?

$2.99 for a 9 oz can. Available at Trader Joe's but not exclusively at Trader Joe's. I, personally, wouldn't buy it again, but I know this stuff is quite popular. If you like it, let us know in the comments below. I'll throw out five out of ten stars for La Colombe Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Draft Latte. The beautiful wifey will go with six and a half out of ten.

Sonia's score: 6.5 out of 10.

Nathan's score: 5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Thai Style Red Curry Soup

Those of you who've been reading for a while know Sonia and I both love our Thai food. Trader Joe has had his hits and misses throughout the years, but in general, if it's Thai, we'll try it and usually like it. This product is no different.

We like it—but, unfortunately, we don't love it. What's working? The overall flavor profile is nice. The assortment of veggies is decent. The spice level is just about perfect. There's pumpkin, chicken, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and green beans in the mix. There's plenty of lemongrass and ginger flavor, too.

What's not working? The veggie pieces are quite small. Most aren't large enough to be considered "chunks." Oddly, there are a few relatively large sections of green beans, some of which are a tad stringy in texture.

The chicken is finely shredded, not very bulky, and the pieces are far and few between. I'd almost prefer a vegetarian curry with "meatier" veggies than the meager wisps of poultry in this product. I also think the curry itself is too thin. I feel like I've had Thai curry that's much richer and thicker, with a more indulgent coconut essence. I know red curry can be a bit more liquidy than, say, panang curry, but I still feel like coconut milk and red curry paste usually yield something a tad denser than what we have here.

The tub is $4.99 for 20 oz. It's considered two and a half servings. Kind of an odd size. You'll find it in the refrigerated section. It keeps more than two months if left unopened in the fridge.

We heated ours on the stovetop and ate it with naan bread. Adding rice, bread, and extra meat or veggies would help out the soup considerably. It's gluten-free as it stands. We'd probably not buy it again, but if someone served it to me as a guest, I'd happily eat it without complaint. Seven out of ten stars from me for Trader Joe's Thai Style Red Curry Soup. The beautiful wifey will go just a bit higher—seven and a half stars from her.

Bottom line: 7.25 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Sweet Cinnamon Filled Korean Pancakes

Nate's Notes: This review was originally published on September 22, 2021. We're bumping it because we did a short video review, which is now embedded at the bottom of the post. This product is only available seasonally at Trader Joe's during the fall time. We like it a lot and we've repurchased it just about every year for the past four years. It's back for the 2025 season as of the time of re-publishing—but probably won't be around for long. Also, the price has increased to $4.49.

Bro...do you even hotteok?

Can't say I can, because I just learned the word tonight when prepping some Trader Joe's Sweet Cinnamon Filled Korean Pancakes. Lol..."Korean pancakes." Call 'em what they are, TJ's. Hotteok. Granted, yes, I along with likely 80% or more of shoppers wouldn't know what that means at first glance, but I'm always down for a little culinary education. Apparently hotteok is a popular Korean street food, filled with all sorts of stuff, in, well, more or less a pancake form. Never saw or heard of them before as I've never been to Korea and that's not much Korean influence around the 'burgh that'd make something even as tasty and tantalizing like this readily available. 

All that to say, heck yeah, Trader Joe's sweet cinnamon filled Korean pancakes are pretty good.

Let's take another second to be clear here: I am not qualified in any way, shape or form to claim these as authentic or close to the real thing or for them to even be half as good. I'd actually be fairly and pleasantly surprised if they were. I'm judging these pancakes simply on their own merits, including costing $3ish bucks for 4 of them, and heating them from frozen on my stovetop for just a few minutes. So take as you will.

All that being said, yum. Let's start with the dough. It's delicious and pretty unique for my experience. Even heating right from frozen, with no butter or oil or anything used, the outside gets all browned and crispy and a touch greasy, just like a good comfort food should. Love it. Further in, it's not quite a mochi-esque bite, but in some ways it's close as it's a little chewy but also soft and moist and gooey and oozing out warmth. Looking over ingredients, there's all sorts of stuff in the dough - wheat, sweet potato, rice flour - that come together well into a soft, lightly sweet cake. 

The cinnamon reservoir is pretty fantastic too. I mean, it's a lot of cinnamon. Be careful that stuff is ridiculously hot and stays that way for longer than expected. The cinnamon adds a great spice bite that complements the dough really well, making these compact cakes have more punch than expected. 

Still, adding a little ice cream or whipped cream or something like that to just really fill it out? That'd be worthy of hashtagging a #chefskiss all over this. 

Delicious. We love 'em and I'm glad we got a second bag that I'm already looking forward to busting open. Authentic? Maybe, maybe not...if you know, tell me. But I'm glad that TJ's has introduced me to this particular chunk of the culinary world, and I know I'll be seeking out the real deal if I ever get the chance. Eight and a half stars on Trader Joe's Sweet Cinnamon Filled Korean Pancakes, aka Hotteok.

Bottom line: 8.5 out of 10.