Trader Joe's Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea & Lemonade Beverage

This is a new-ish drink that I tried months ago that I never bothered to formally review until today. If it were on the shelves of any other grocery store, I probably wouldn't give it a second glance. But somehow, once you slap on a Trader Joe's label it suddenly becomes incredibly difficult to resist. For a loyal Trader Joe's fan at least. Which is fine and good. It's good for business. 

Points for the pretty graphic. Minus points for the wordy product name. I used to find long wordy product names kind of charming, but now I find them a bit obnoxious. Is it because life is busier? Is it because my patience for nonsense is going down? Is this what happens when you age??? But was it really necessary to add the word "beverage" to the product name? Is it because there was too much white space on the label? Doesn't tea & lemonade imply beverage? Could I mistake a bottled liquid for anything besides a beverage? (The answer to that last question is YES. I saw a discarded poland spring bottle on the side of the hiking trail filled with dark yellow liquid. You try to convince me that that was a beverage. :P)

Yay for OTCO. Aka Oregon Tilth Certified Organic. Which means it's SUPER ORGANIC.

1) Forgive my East Coast skepticism, but how do we actually know that this drink has indeed been cold brewed? Trust? I tried to order a pour over at a "fancy hipster coffee shop" at an airport. Except the guy behind the counter totally sidestepped my order by referring me to the already-brewed Columbia brew in the ginormous carafe. Which means either 1) he was too busy to do pour-over, much less a proper one 2) he doesn't know how/wasn't trained to make pour-over coffee or 3) this coffee shop doesn't actually serve pour-over...........hmmmm.

2) Let's just assume that the tea is indeed cold brewed. Which means hibiscus flowers steeped in water.

3) The hibiscus flavor isn't too obvious but there is sort of a floral note. It's mostly tart with a hint of sweetness. Several people have said that this tastes similar to one of the Starbucks refresher drinks, but I wouldn't know. Personally, if I'm paying that much for tea, I prefer it to be a bubble tea.

4) It's pretty refreshing, not too sweet, and hits the flavors that I do tend to like. I'd probably pass on this product in my day-to-day life, but if I were traveling or on-the-go I'd give this beverage a chance. Maybe. No guarantees. $1.99 for this bad boy.

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea & Lemonade Beverage. Tart beverage with a floral note that is sure to stain your white tshirt, carpet, and everything else if you're not careful! 6 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? Unlikely but never say never.