Gotta give a hand to dear old Joe. The cultural diversity you find at a Trader Joe's is commendable. The way you introduce to America the wonderful flavors of different cultures is so earnest. Some hit. Some miss. And others...pretty decent but totally off the mark of the real thing. I happen to like Korean food and like to think that while I am not an expert ahjumma (middle aged woman) who makes her own gochujang like nobody's business, I've had enough to form an opinion. How it is possible for gochujang, which comes in a paste, to be transformed into a powdered seasoning? I haven't a clue, but I sure am curious.
For the record, TJ's is a fabulous place to pick up trail mixes and nuts at a reasonable price. You can find plain, salted, unsalted, exotic flavored, chocolate flavored - basically there's something sweet, savory, and somewhere in between to satisfy your snacking needs.
I've included a nifty diagram from a non-Trader Joe's affiliated company because it explains very nicely with pictures what gochujang is. It's savory, spicy but not overly so, a bit fermented, and a bit sweet. My college roommates got me hooked on this stuff, and there was a period of time where I ate it with celery sticks straight out of the tub. Great stuff.
Right back to these almonds - the ingredient list tells me automatically that this probably won't taste EXACTLY like gochujang paste. Garlic powder, tamari, dry hot sauce - this is missing a few things that make gochujang paste what it is. I'm thinking the generic chile peppers probably are not the same as the Korean red pepper powder used to make gochujang.
I had several friends sample this without telling them the flavor, and nobody came close to guessing gochujang. To illustrate my point - I went ahead and dipped plain unsalted almonds into my tub of gochujang. That almond was WAY more potent in terms of fermentedness, spice, saltiness, and sweetness. Gochujang has this je ne sais quoi, and this seasoning blend just doesn't have that. Maybe they weren't going to literal gochujang? Perhaps the seasoning just hasn't been fermented for three years? These almonds taste strongly of garlic powder and tamari/soy sauce. There's definitely a spicy kick but it isn't over the top, and the vinegary-ness is balanced by a slight sweetness. But it just isn't gochujang.
I once had garlic bread in Korea/Paris Baguette and was shocked to find it doused with sugar. Although it's possible to like it (I didn't. It violates my palate preferences), here in the States no one would mistake that for real garlic bread. Such is the case here. With that said, I still find these almonds pleasantly savory and spicy. It's a decent value at $4.99 for a 12oz. bag, and it's different from your typical salted ones. A wasn't too fond of it, but he tends not to like trying new things because he's been disappointed too many times. Worth trying if you like savory, spicy flavored almonds.
TL;DR: Trader Joe's Gochujang Flavored Almonds. Nice try TJ's, but you haven't fooled me. Spicy, garlicky with plenty of tamari. 7 out of 10.
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