In recent months, I've adopted a pseudo-Marie Kondo mindset toward my TJ shopping - buy only things that I will definitely use and/or things that bring joy. Which is partially why I waited a while to pick this up - I haven't had a particularly great experience with several of the TJ almond beverage drinks. TJ's comes out with different seasonal flavors (eggnog, chocolate, or the worst - pumpkin). They are usually wildly popular, but I just can't jump aboard that bandwagon. Even so, I've been wanting to try this for some time.
This is a new product that came out a few months ago, but it has only been in stock recently at my local TJ's. I didn't bother getting the blueberry lavender - just doesn't sound like something that would appeal to me (but if you want a review of it, holler and maybe we can make it happen :P). But matcha? Why yes.
Nowhere does this product claim to resemble a matcha latte, but my mind automatically thought that perhaps this product COULD resemble a matcha latte, loosely speaking, minus the lactose, calories and sugar.
My reservations about the matcha flavor aside - this really isn't that bad of a drink. Not too high in calories, and the sugar isn't bad either.
A lot of people will love this product - unlike a lot of almond beverages, this one is actually pretty smooth and not as obviously watery. The matcha is well-blended. There's a bit of earthiness and it's not too sweet but has enough of a sweetness to be enjoyable. But me? I wasn't particularly impressed, maybe because I had subconsciously expected this to be close to a matcha latte. The matcha flavor is underwhelmingly mild - not just mild but a little less than mild. This might not be a bad thing, especially for people who want to try matcha but want to start off nice and easy. Although the earthiness here vaguely resembles matcha, it is so faint it's disappointing for people that really love a strong matcha taste. Also, if you don't like or aren't accustomed to the "wateriness" of almond milk (I thought it was fine; A thought it tasted like water), the very base of this beverage poses a problem too.
It's still a decent value though - $1.99 for a drink that's kinda smooth. A lot of people will go crazy for this I'm sure, but IMO it's not a must-buy.
TL;DR: Trader Joe's Matcha Almond Beverage. Really meh, really light on the matcha. Calling it mild is putting it, well, mildly. 5.5 out of 10. Mantou Joe Repurchase? Nah.
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