Cold brew has passed the “fad”phase.  It is now almost its own food group.  Places like Stumptown, Bluebottle, La Colombe, etc are all touting their cold brew these days.  So, what about low cost competitors?  Trader Joe’s has 2 variants, “black” and a flavored variety (vanilla I think).   Note, I’m not talking about their Cold Brew Concentrate.  I’m talking about the little 8oz Trader Joe’s Cold Brew cans that look like this.

The good news is Trader Joe’s Cold Brew tastes like coffee.  The bad news is it tastes like their “brew in bag” coffee only cold.  The can claims to be 100% Arabica, but I’m probably not far off when I say it’s likely 100% cheap Brazilian Arabica.  If you like Dunkin coffee, you will like this.  If you like coffee…not brown dirty water…you won’t like this cold brew.

It was worth the experiment, but cold brew is so easy to make at home.  If you really like cold brew, you should find a local roaster, buy fresh beans, and make it your self.