You Can Do Better Than Trader Joe's Kimchi

Trader Joe's products have had a large cult following for many years now, which is why its brand is such a social media darling. In fact, that's how I learned that Trader Joe's sells its own version of kimchi, Korea's staple dish, something I grew up eating almost daily. Turns out I'm really late to the party; Trader Joe's has been selling some form of kimchi on and off for over 10 years now, but as is often the case with social media, old becomes new again (take for example, the "spa water" disaster).

Since I like to explore how American brands execute their Korean products (oftentimes with mixed results), I thought it would be interesting to finally give Trader Joe's a go to see how it stacks up to the kimchi of my childhood. And, more importantly, to see if it tastes good and is worth spending your hard-earned money on. 

Visually, Trader Joe's kimchi looks like the real deal, if not a touch lighter on the red pepper than I prefer. And it's got that familiar sharp fermented smell, too. But once I took my first bite of the stuff, I could immediately tell that there was something off about the way it tasted. The flavor of the Trader Joe's kimchi relies heavily on the acidic components with none on the savory side, which throws it off balance. This stuff's all tart and sour, but almost completely lacking in the umami department.

I took a closer look at the label and realized it's because there's no fish sauce or shrimp paste in it, which is where you'd normally get a lot of the glutamates (amino acids) that contribute to kimchi's umami flavor. In fact, there are no obvious animal products in it, though the product isn't indicated as being vegetarian or vegan. There is seaweed paste in it, which should contribute some umami, but if it does, it's not a lot. And weirdly, there's vinegar in it, which is an ingredient that's not part of traditional kimchi. This would explain all the unusual extra tartness. So Trader Joe's kimchi looks the part, but it doesn't quite taste like proper kimchi should, which is more than a little disappointing.

Overall, Trader Joe's kimchi is fine if it's all you have access to. However, unlike many of the chain's products, it's not a great value — $3.99 doesn't seem like all that much, but for a tiny 10.58 ounces, it's expensive. It's not that great for eating by itself, and based on that acid-only flavor, it's better suited for cooking with, such as in soup or fried rice dishes. I really can't recommend it unless you're desperate. Now, I realize that not everyone has the luxury of living within a reasonable distance of an Asian grocery store, but pretty much any standard napa cabbage kimchi you find there in the refrigerated section would be more flavorful. And with Trader Joe's kimchi not being expressly labeled as vegetarian or vegan, I can't entirely pin the unbalanced flavor on the fact that there are no seafood ingredients in it. 

What's interesting is that the product is manufactured in Korea, which is written on the label, so this isn't necessarily an issue of authenticity. I'm guessing this formulation was made specifically for Trader Joe's to cater to its customer base's preferences, but it really is missing something. Even a small addition of monosodium glutamate (aka MSG), would help immensely, but Trader Joe's has gone on record saying it'd never add MSG to any of their products due to customer feedback. So if TikTok steered you to Trader Joe's kimchi, let me change your destination to the Asian grocery store. Though Trader Joe's carries some pretty solid products, kimchi just isn't one of them.