Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Matcha Almond Beverage is new to shelves. This is a half way point between a the canned matcha beverage and a matcha latte in terms of sweetness.
The cons: If you are not a matcha fan, then this is probably a flavor you can skip.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tonic Water is sold in a six pack of small cans. If you enjoy the occasional Gin and Tonic, then this is a good item to keep near your bar.
The cons: If you like this a lot, you’ll find these six cans will get pricey quickly.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Sparkling Pressed Apple Juice Beverage is new to the canned drinks.
The cons: This was not very sparkling or delicious.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s 100% Mango Juice from Carabao Mangoes is sold in a four pack of cans. It’s good mango juice but…
The cons: Not terribly different from Trader Joe’s Mango Nectar. Since this can only be grown in the Philippines then this too is likely seasonal.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Earl Grey de la Creme is one of two new loose leaf tea blends to hit store shelves.
The cons: I found the measurements to be a bit off, but then again that comes down to personal preference. Floral nature of this tea might not work for everyone.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s When Life Gives You Lemons Loose Leaf Green Tea Blend is the perfect cold weather or “I have a cold” tea. With a touch of honey, it may become your go to tea.
The cons: This might not be a great daily tea.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cocoa Almond Cashew Beverage is a fantastic substitute for those who can have nuts but are dairy free, soy free, gluten-free or vegan. It’s also darn good if you also want to change. This is ultra pasteurized so it is shelf stable.
The cons: Not as smooth as chocolate milk, but this isn’t a milk product. Price. This is more expensive that buying Trader Joe’s Almond Beverage by the half gallon.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Lemon Elderflower Soda is lemon soda with the added twist of fragrant elderflower. Could probably be used as a solid drink mixer.
The cons: The floral fragrance might not be for everyone.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Rhubarb and Strawberry Soda is new, actually contains rhubarb and strawberry juice and is something fun to try.
The cons: I would still reach for Trader Joe’s French Berry Lemonade to get my strawberry soda fix over this.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Almond Nog is soy free, gluten free, diary free, vegan, kosher, and seasonal. Best of all, it does a very good job of replicating the flavors that you might expect in a regular egg nog.
The cons: Why is there not a recipe on this carton to make this boozy egg nog? Isn’t that what egg nog is supposed to be about? It’s also not quite as thick as a regular nog.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Stirring Spoon hits the shelves right in time for the cooler weather. It makes for a decent cup of hot cocoa and it’s pretty much an all in one setup.
The cons: This did not totally incorporate into my milk, but perhaps my milk wasn’t hot enough. Then again, that did not matter because the flavor was pretty good.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Cranberry Spiced Apple Kombucha adds to a growing line of popular Kombucha products.
The cons: Kombucha is a bit of an acquired taste. This does have a smidgen of alcohol in it, so if you are avoiding it, please be aware.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Honey Processed Organic Nicaraguan Coffee is new and a mild medium brew.
The cons: If you were hoping for a coffee that does not require some sugar, then you might be disappointed. But the bag does explain the whole “honey processed” name.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Moringa Mango and Ginger Herbal Tea is a nicely packaged and flavorful tea.
The cons: Might not be a flavor combination that everyone appreciates.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Peppermint Cinnamon Tea will seem like a slight odd if not unpleasant flavor combination, but some how these two play nicely together.
The cons: Some of my tea bags had some issues. I had a few stray tea leaves floating outside the bag.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Sparkling Pink Lemonade is one of four sparkling flavors available at Trader Joe’s.
The cons: This might hit some as too sweet. It’s still empty (but refreshing) calories.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mango Smoothie is thick and full of mango flavor.
The cons: For something that should have so much fruit in it, it doesn’t have much fiber and certainly not as much fiber as Trader Joe’s Strawberry Chia Smoothie does.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Pomegranate White Tea can be enjoyed hot or cold, sweetened or unsweetened, and the pomegranate doesn’t overwhelm your palate. Each tea bag can easily brew 20 ounces of tea. Don’t be fooled by the term “white tea” because this brewed a solid pink color.
The cons: If you are hoping for this to be brewed Pom Wonderful then you are mistaken. The pomegranate is subtle.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Low Calorie Pink Lemonade is a decent substitute for regular lemonade
The cons: Strong taste of artificial sweetener.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Organic Ginger Zinger tastes like a combination of lemonade and flat ginger beer. This is also going to be polarizing item where you love it or hate it.
The cons: Unless you like flat ginger beer, then you might not like this. You’ll also have to shake this as a good amount of the product settles towards the bottom of the bottle.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Berries and Cherries Herbal Tea is a pleasant and fruity tea in a pretty decorative container.
The cons: Most boxed teas cost significantly less.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Sparkling Limeade is imported from France and has a strong lime taste.
The cons: For soda, this is a pricey item at almost $3.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cold Pressed Watermelon Juice has a fresh watermelon taste straight from the bottle which is 100% juice and fortunately none of the lemon comes through an acidic type of way.
The cons: This product settles very easily and will need to be shaken often.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Oh My Guava might remind you less of a juice product and more like Trader Joe’s Agua Fresca, but with a distinct tea taste. This product comes in a nice glass bottle.
The cons: If you are hoping for a super sweet juice product, you might be disappointed in this. This is much lighter tasting. The black tea also mutes the color of this product.
The verdict: …
