Reviewed by: Jon Y
Trader Joe’s fresh grapes come in an assortment of varieties: red, green, black, combos, organic, standard, etc. However, since quality of produce has more to do with supplier than store, I feel it makes more sense to lump everything together for a particular fruit/vegetable.
Taste – 8/10
TJ grapes are perfectly competent in their own right, but suffer from two consistent and extremely annoying drawbacks that occur far more often than I would like. The first is product handling. Casual inspection of a grape box often reveals many more crushed, leaking, etc grapes than you would want. This may or may not be the store’s fault but when I see more damaged grapes in a 1-lb box than I see in a 2.5-3lb bag of them at a mainstream supermarket, I’m not a happy camper. The second problem is cleanliness. This occurs rarely with greens, but very often with reds. There is absolutely no excuse for consumers to have to individually wipe and scrub bits of dirt and grime off every single freaking grape before eating them. I’m not preparing a Thanksgiving cornucopia for John Smith and Squanto, I want a snack. I’m not too lazy to wash my own produce but the amount of dirt on grapes I have found is frankly ridiculous. Somebody in the supply chain doesn’t seem to grasp that “organic” doesn’t translate to “unwashed.” These two problems result in 2 points off.
Value – 6/10
Grape prices fluctuate wildly at TJ’s. Greens go anywhere from $3.69 to $2.49 for a 16oz box, while red seems to be more stable. Depending on prices at regular supermarkets, this will represent either a bargain, ripoff, or the same price. The bottom line is that when considering all factors (price per weight, quality of fruit) TJ probably comes out ahead for organics. However, since I actually love my grapes freakishly large and pumped full of gibberellins and growth factors, I find that regular grapes at supermarkets are often superior both in price point and quality.
Nutrition: 9/10
Grapes and grape skins are good for you, everybody knows that.
Total: 22/30, -2 = 20/3o
Decent grapes, usually overpriced if you’re buying regular, a better deal if buying organic.
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