Trader Joe’s Gingerbread spice granola: A seasonal Trader Joe’s product, this wintery granola has all the usual spices, including cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. It has a strong flavor that’s best diluted with a bowl of plain yogurt or cold milk. With milk, the granola takes on a preferably softer consistency, as otherwise it’s a little too crunchy. Overall, I don’t mind it, but it’s not a favorite. 3.0/5.0
cereal ginger traderjoes gingerbread spice granola 3.0
Trader Joe’s Spicy mango lemonade: I wasn’t quite expecting this spicy mango lemonade to be as spicy as it is, thinking it would be more fruity with a small chili-spiked aftertaste, but this is definitely not a drink to gulp down as you might normally with a thirst-quenching glass of lemonade. The heat is pretty upfront, stemming from a mix of jalapeño and cayenne, but if you like spicy drinks, I can see how this can be a refreshing take. You can definitely taste the mango too. Kudos to Trader Joe’s for not diluting the ta... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks traderjoes spicy mango lemonade 3.0
Trader Joe’s Watermelon Jerky: These compressed and dehydrated watermelon jerky strips are disorienting - they have a chewy texture reminiscent of Fruit Roll Up, yet maintain the fibrous quality of fresh watermelon as it lingers on your tongue. It instantly gets stuck in your teeth. But it does have a remarkable watermelon flavor - sweet and a little bit tangy. I enjoyed it but am not sure I’d purchase it again. The bag is single serving, but it’s sweet enough to want to spread across a few. 3.0/5.0
organic traderjoes watermelon jerky 3.0 fruit
Traderspoint Creamery Banana Mango Yogurt: Made with organic milk from grassfed cows, this creamy yogurt has a distinct aftertaste that I haven't experienced before with other yogurts. Slightly sour but also faintly sweet, the closest ingredient I can compare it to is hay. Its on the watery side ("European style") so that when you tip the clear glass container, you can see the liquid flow easily from side to side. I'm unsure if there is any benefit to storing yogurt in glass containers versus plastic or if this is simply a marketi... (read more) 3.0/5.0
organic berkeleybowl yogurt banana mango dairy traderspointcreamery 3.0
Tretap Organic maple sparkling tree water: I'm conflicted about this drink because, on the one hand, it tastes shockingly accurate, with a deeply sweet maple flavor that somehow only lends 3g of sugar per serving, yet I'm not sure why anyone would want an entire 12oz can of sparkling, liquid maple syrup. If that person is you, check this drink out. If not, take comfort in knowing it would taste exactly as you would expect it to. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda vermont tretap organic maple sparkling tree water 3.0
Uchi Cafe Strawberry milk with tapioca and pulp: Japanese convenience stores had a wide variety of coffee beverages to chose from; one surprising offering is their packaged tea and milk drinks containing tapioca, often available in the same refrigerated section as the coffee. They come with an expandable bubble tea straw and contain boba-like spheres more akin to popping boba than chewy fresh boba. The snap of the popping boba, though, was more satisfying than I expected. Kind of like a cross between kefir, with a slightly tangy / sour ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
lawson drinks japanese uchicafe strawberry milk tapioca pulp 3.0