Trader Joe’s Coffee Lover’s Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans
I’ve slowly come around to enjoying coffee, if it has enough sugar and cream. Over the years, I’ve reviewed a few coffee drinks and coffee-inspired products from Aldi, including iced coffee and frappe mixes.
During a summer visit to Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi, I discovered some chocolate-covered espresso beans that looked like they were worth trying. The package features espresso beans covered in various colors of chocolate. It states these are “inspired by your favorite sweet coffee combinations.”
We buy products for review using our own funds. We picked up a 2.5-ounce bag of Trader Joe’s Coffee Lover’s Espresso Beans for $1.29 at our local Trader Joe’s. I later saw some different chocolate-covered espresso beans selling for a higher price per ounce as a limited-time special at Aldi, so the TJ’s beans seem like a pretty good deal.
These are kosher. If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain milk and soy. They may contain traces of wheat, peanut, almond, cashew, and pecan.
These contain some ultra-processed ingredients such as natural flavor, dextrin, and soy lecithin. They also have a fair amount of added sugar, so they’re a sometime treat and not something I’ll buy often.
One package has two 35-gram servings. One serving has 180 calories, 11 grams of total fat (14% DV), 7 grams of saturated fat (35% DV), 20 mg of sodium (1% DV), 21 grams of total carbohydrates (8% DV), 2 grams of dietary fiber (7% DV), 17 grams of total sugars, 16 grams of added sugars (32% DV), and 2 grams of protein.
As mentioned earlier, these espresso beans are covered in different colors of chocolate: dark brown, medium brown, and light brown, as well as white with brown speckles. There is some slight taste difference among the various colors, but it’s not huge. Mostly, the chocolate just tastes like chocolate. The beans themselves have a satisfying crunchy texture that nicely complements the chocolate.
The Verdict:
Trader Joe’s Coffee Lover’s Espresso Beans feature crispy espresso beans and an assortment of sweet chocolate coatings. These make a nice snack for any coffee lover.
