I have a confession to make: I believe that sometimes hoarding isn’t a character flaw, but an act of culinary self-preservation. There’s one Trader Joe’s product that turns me into the kind of customer who pretends the dozen jars in my cart are “for friends.” Because the moment it disappears, the world feels a little less flavorful. Yes, I feel a bit ashamed, but certainly not enough to stop doing it.
The Trader Joe’s Product I Buy 12 at a Time
Here’s the reveal: the mysteriously limited-time treasure is Trader Joe’s Coffee & Garlic BBQ Rub. It slips onto shelves in late spring or early summer, hangs around briefly, and then vanishes like it was never there. Fans whisper about it on message boards, shoppers interrogate unsuspecting crew members, and no one ever gets a straight answer about when it will return. But one thing’s consistent: when it does, it never lasts long. Small batches show up, people like me buy enough to build a small fort, and by the next grocery run it’s extinct again.
Why the obsession? Because the flavor hits a rare chord. It’s deep, smoky, and sweet, yet balanced. The ingredients read like a team that shouldn’t work together, but it absolutely does: Ground coffee for backbone, garlic powder for its aromatic punch, brown sugar and paprika for warmth and caramelized notes, and sea salt in a mercifully moderate amount. This rub brings flavor without creating a salt lick situation, which is more than I can say for half the BBQ blends in stores. Trust me, none of them come even close to this one.
How To Use Trader Joe’s Coffee & Garlic BBQ Rub
My favorite way to use Trader Joe’s Coffee & Garlic BBQ Rub is on Atlantic salmon filets. The rub wakes up the fish without overpowering it. I pat a generous layer over the salmon, let it sit for a half-hour, and broil it until the top forms a dark, toasty crust that’s both savory and slightly sweet. The coffee deepens the flavor instead of bulldozing it, and the garlic keeps everything lively. It behaves like a blackening rub that suddenly discovered its superpowers.
Then there are baby back ribs. I go low and slow, about six hours covered in the oven or on my grill. The spice blend melts right into the meat. Once the ribs are tender enough to threaten structural collapse, I paint on a molasses-heavy BBQ sauce. That combination of smoky coffee rub and sticky caramelized glaze is the kind of thing that makes guests close their eyes mid-bite. It’s practically emotional.
And yes, of course, it’s good on steak. I’m usually a purist; Salt, maybe pepper, heavy pan-sear, and done. But this rub is my one exception. It especially shines on flank or skirt steak, two cuts that benefit from a flavor boost without losing their identity. The crust you get with this seasoning is unreal—it’s dark and bold, with a sweetness that rounds it out. It doesn’t drown the steak, it gives it a supporting cast.
My Homemade Copycat of Trader Joe’s Coffee & Garlic BBQ Rub
The problem is that Trader Joe’s does not care about my feelings when it comes to restocking it. So, I’ve developed a backup plan for when the shelves are empty and my stash has dwindled to “emergency only” levels. A DIY version won’t be identical, but it scratches the itch.
Take medium-coarse ground coffee, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, a touch of onion powder, and a pinch of cumin. Mix them in a jar and tweak until it tastes right to you. It’ll get you through the dark times. However, the moment that jar appears on the shelf, I grab a dozen without shame. I also stockpile it in my freezer, sacrificing precious ice cream and leftover pizza territory just to keep those little jars safe until next year.
This rub is the rare ingredient that behaves like a culinary multiplier, transforming salmon, ribs, and even steak into deeper, richer, more dramatic versions of themselves. When it’s here, I stock up. When it’s gone, I make do. And when it returns, I pretend to be surprised, toss another armload into my cart, and quietly rebuild the stash.
Dining and Cooking