One of the best things about Trader Joe’s is that the store is constantly rolling out exciting, new, totally unique products that take our taste buds on a joyride. From Umami Chips to Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns, we never know what they’ll come up with next. As it turns out, we may be able to look forward to 6 exciting new items, according to the “Inside Trader Joe’s” podcast.
A group of high school students joined hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan on the Feb. 27 episode of the pod in order to taste-test some brand new TJ’s products that may be hitting shelves soon. In fact, these high school students are some of the very first people to try these products, as they haven’t even reached the official Trader Joe’s testing panel yet. But if anyone knows a good Trader Joe’s item when they taste it, it’s these kids; believe it or not, each teenaged guest is involved in Trader Joe’s clubs at school. (I wish my high school had one of those!)
The good news is that they responded positively to most of the food. The bad news is that we can’t be sure we’ll ever be able to taste the products for ourselves, as they’re still in the testing phase. However, you can find the flavors you may have to look forward to below.
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Peanut Brittle
With so many great desserts already under their belt, we can't believe there's not already a Trader Joe's Peanut Brittle on the shelves. Just as we'd expect, the young taste testers give this peanutty sweet treat a thumbs up. Here's hoping we get to try it ourselves soon!
Australian Licorice
Fans of Twizzlers may be excited to hear that Trader Joe's has their own licorice in the works. The students tasted two flavors: green apple and raspberry. But where does the Australian part come in? According to the "Inside Trader Joe's" podcast, this divisive candy is quite a "big deal" down under, so the store took inspiration from Australian candy for this product.
Banana Mousse Cakes
If you're a die-hard Trader Joe's dessert lover, you may have already tried the Raspberry Mousse Cakes. Now there's (hopefully) a new tasty flavor in town, and banana lovers are in for a treat. Most of the taste testers on the podcast responded positively to this product, but one of them wasn't a fan of the "waxy" coating.
Brookie Clusters
The sweets just keep on coming! If you're not familiar with a brookie, you may want to sit down for this one. It's a mix of a brownie and a cookie—a.k.a. a total dream for anyone with a sweet tooth. However, some of the taste testers felt mislead by the name of this product, because, as they report "there's like no brownie." Instead, it's more like a chocolate turtle, complete with caramel and nuts. One thing's for sure, though: They taste great.
Shrimp Pops
To be honest, we're all going to have to guess a little bit about what, exactly, this product may be. One of the downfalls of a podcast is that we can't see the food, but the hosts said these Shrimp Pops, which are common appetizers in Vietnam, are complete with edible sugar can sticks. Regardless of what they are, one podcast guest said they taste good. Noted!
Shrimp Dumplings/Spring Rolls
If there's one thing Trader Joe's knows how to make well, it's a frozen dumpling—so we can only suspect this not-quite-named product tastes just as good as the ones already in stores. Miller referred to this shrimp-forward item as part dumpling, part spring roll, and triangle-shaped. We see the vision! And we like it! And we want to try it! Especially after hearing the reviews from the taste testers, which were, as expected, all positive.
Us next, please!
