Trader Joe's Green Tea Mochi

Once upon a time, I used to walk to Trader Joe's. For fun. Because why not? There was a time where a friend and I got stranded because the rain was coming down furiously at a 45 degree angle. So we waited and eventually ate an entire box of mochi ice creams. After all the other alternative was letting them melt. Anyway, TJ's used to carry my favorite brand of mochi ice creams (that is still sold at many Asian grocery stores but at a higher price), except they stopped carrying them a few years ago and replaced it with a vegan brand. Nothing against vegans or vegan food, but I never bothered trying them because...well it's just not the same. And while TJ's has successfully introduced a few mochi ice creams (coffee, mango, and thai tea) in the past few years, none have lived up to my favorite brand - until now. 

 

For the record, this product is labeled as "green tea mochi," which may lead some people to believe that all mochi comes with ice cream. While I wish that were the case, the mochi refers to the sticky/chewy rice dough that encases the ice cream itself. I grew up not liking mochi - mostly because the traditional flavors didn't appeal to my kid palate. Plus, mochi itself doesn't have much of a flavor, and people did not stuff them with ice cream at the time. A spoonful of ice cream can help almost anything go down. :P 

Yes, it's gluten free - wonderful news for those who are sensitive to gluten. The ingredients aren't "bad" at all and doesn't have that much sugar for an ice cream. 

1) Take note of the improvement in packaging with this one - in the past the mochi ice creams have come in a plastic tray with a film that you peel off. But if you didn't finish the entire box in one sitting, you had to just put it back in the box and hope for the best. In contrast, this plastic tray has a lid attached, which means your beautiful mochi are protected from freezer burn. Plus, they don't come coated in nearly as much starch to prevent sticking - which is great because it doesn't get all over your fingers, your clothes, the carpet, etc. 

2) The color isn't nearly as green as some other commercial green tea mochis, which is fine. Usually it might indicate the presence of added color or an excessive amount of green tea powder. While people might assume this is a matcha flavor, I don't think that is the case. 

3) The green tea ice cream itself is quite pleasant. It's earthy, creamy, and not too sweet - just enough green tea flavor to let you know that it is indeed green tea. It doesn't taste artificial at all, which is sometimes the case (especially when it comes to green tea ice creams served at restaurants). If you're looking for a strong matcha flavor, you won't find that here, but I find that this is just the right balance. It's legit but gentle enough for newcomers to green tea. 

4) The mochi has just the right thickness, texture, and elasticity. As an Asian-American with a penchant for chewy, "Q" foods I must put my stamp of approval on this one. It's chewy without being overly sticky and substantial without being too dense. 

5) The mochi shape is ideal for ice cream mochi. Why does shape matter? The ratio of mochi to ice cream influences the textural experience y'all. Whole Foods currently has an ice cream mochi bar, which I used to patronize quite a bit until they changed their supplier and now the mochis are much flatter. While it delivers the ice cream, the shape means a thinner mochi and overall less texturally pleasing mouth feel. If the mochi is too stout or rotund, you get more ice cream than mochi in each bite, which is fine (especially if you tend to bite into your ice cream) but it misses the point of having the mochi in the first place. No such thing here - the oblong shape isn't too flat or too high. It's just right - which means you get the right amount of ice cream and mochi in each bite while simultaneously maintaining the textural integrity of both. Which matters when both the ice cream and mochi are spot on. 

6) $4.49 for 6 ice cream mochis seems like a steep price, but it's actually not. It's comparable to the retail price at Asian stores. Plus, if you order this as a dessert at a Japanese restaurant, this usually runs $2-3 PER mochi. 

I am not one to throw down perfect scores, but I can't find anything here to nitpick about - is this perfection??? 

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Green Tea Mochi. The Goldilocks of green tea ice cream mochi. 10/10. Mantou Joe repurchase? What do you think? :P