As another holiday season approaches, Trader Joe’s gifts their customers with fantastic treats.
Another season means another new batch of season-inspired products from Trader Joe’s. I gathered fellow APU students, Jonathan Hall, Andrew Lehman and Ryan Negrette to try some of Trader Joe’s holiday themed items and let readers know what they think of this season’s Fearless Flyer.
Hall: They tasted very crunchy, buttery and delicious. I don’t often eat these types of cookies but they remind me of Christmas. To top it off the can has the classic look of Christmas.
Negrette: The cookies have a good vanilla flavor: sweet but not too sweet. They have an excellent aftertaste and are not too dry. My only criticism is that they are a little too crumbly for my liking.
Lehman: To be honest I was not the biggest fan of these cookies. They taste like plain sugar with a hint of animal crackers. Even though they had a savory butter flavor, these reminded me of Nilla Wafers with sugar on top.
Hall: I don’t eat gingerbread often, but I loved these cookies. The minimal amount of sugary coating on the outside and the small portion size make this a great holiday treat.
Negrette: If you are looking for that classic gingerbread flavor to snack on, these are what you’re looking for. The frosting tasted really good with a good crispy texture and that lingering ginger taste.
Lehman: I love these cookies. My grandpa and I always split a box of these during the holidays. They have the perfect amount of ginger with a nice creamy coating that balances out the flavor. Gingerbread is my favorite during this time of the year and Trader Joe’s nailed it with this product.
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
Hall: The first thing you taste is salt, a little too much but not terrible in my opinion.The dark chocolate did help balance out the salt well. Meanwhile, the caramel was perfect and I appreciated how it doesn’t get annoyingly stuck in your teeth.
Negrette: My initial reaction was that these were overwhelmingly bitter. However, as I bit into the center I had a pleasant combination of the chocolate and caramel. While I would not go out of my way to purchase these for myself, the small packaging makes it a perfect stocking-stuffer for the holidays.
Lehman: I am not the biggest fan of chocolate so I was not expecting to be a big fan of this one. Even though I did enjoy the caramel, it was too salty for my liking.
Trader Joe’s Sparkling Apple Cider
Hall: It’s unique flavor sets it apart from the other cider brands. While most ciders use a variation of red apples which makes them sweeter, this drink uses green apples and gives a fun sour taste. I also noticed these were fifty cents cheaper than Martinelli’s, which makes this a quality alternative for upcoming holiday dinners.
Negrette: The cider had a good green apple flavor with lots of carbonation. Even though it tastes a bit tart, it’s not overbearing. This is an interesting take on a classic Christmas and New Year’s Eve beverage.
Lehman: To me this tastes like Martinelli’s cider, but it starts off more tangy than its counterpart. I noticed that it did not contain any concentrate so that could explain the more natural green apple taste. It is a solid sparkling cider, but I wish it could be more carbonated like its competitors.
Hall: This treat provided a great mix between cookie and chocolate. Not a heavy snack if you eat one or two which makes it a great treat to offer guests.
Negrette: Upon tasting, I felt that the chocolate was perfectly balanced with the cookie, and the softer chocolate on top was very well done. I do think that the sprinkles on top were festive, but a bit impractical and went everywhere.
Lehman: First off, the design of these cookies perfectly capture the holiday season aesthetic. After my first bit I realized that the chocolate was much less waxy than I first expected. I also anticipated for the cookie to be crumbly with all the sprinkles on top and chocolate on the inside, but it held together very well.
No matter what your taste buds are craving this holiday season, Trader Joe’s has a variety of options for this winter. Overall, I highly recommend trying the products from this edition’s Fearless Flyer with others. Even if we did not have the same opinion about the food, we could all agree it was nice to spend time with friends after not being able to last year.