I have been wondering when TJ's would take a stab at boba, considering the proliferation of boba shops galore. I mean when boba shops hit the East Coast and like...the south. And the midwest. And anywhere where middle America is, you know something has gone mainstream. This cold brew coffee and boba has been one of the most anticipated products of the year, I think. I mean...getting my hands on this was almost as exciting as getting the Covid vaccine. Who knew that we could get a covid vaccine and coffee boba non-dairy ice cream at a Trader Joe's all in one year? Alright 2021, now we're getting somewhere (maybe, we hope).
My hats off to the packaging design - they have gone out of their way to let you know that this isn't just a vegan ice cream. IT HAS BOBA. Hence the opaque circles with the coffee beans in the boba cup image and little circles all over the rest of the packaging.
While Taiwan doesn't have a monopoly on boba, it is the place where it was invented. Fun fact, "boba" in the Taiwanese dialect is slang for....something else. Boba as we know it in English is the tapioca pearls in a milk tea drink and is also referred to as the drink itself. And can I just say, as a Taiwanese-American, it is GREAT to finally see a Taiwanese product represented in Trader Joe's. And what I love about it is that this product is a reflection of AN experience of being Taiwanese-American. It straddles two cultures and brings a dessert that isn't quite mainstream in majority Taiwan or majority white culture. Cold brew coffee isn't the most popular dessert flavor in Taiwan, and there are still lots of places and people in America who aren't in love with the prospect of chewy tapioca balls. But this product is quintessentially American and reminds us, subtly, that identity and citizenship is not so easily distilled down to skin color and language. Cold brew coffee boba is here, and I am for it.
This is a treat! And not a health food! And it has plenty of sugar and fat - which means it should theoretically be good.
1) This is vegan, and I don't really care or mind because it's good. It's also lactose-free, which is GOOD NEWS especially for Asian-Americans and everyone who cannot digest dairy. YES.
2) I have previously reviewed several coffee-flavored desserts from Trader Joe's over the years. This one is the best one because it has the fat content and richness to make up for the deficiencies of past products. Coffee ice cream is one of my favorite ice cream flavors - I love the bittersweetness and that sensation of getting punched in the face. Not literally though (deliberately punching an Asian-American in the face is a [possible] hate crime y'all). The caffeine rush with the sugar rush. With the cold rush of a frozen dessert. YES.
3) The cold brew flavor is spot on - although I think the "cold brew" terminology is there as a buzzword, and there's no way of proving that they ACTUALLY used cold brew coffee vs regular coffee/espresso to make this product. Regardless, the flavor balance is just right. It's a strong coffee flavor. It has enough sweetness without being too sweet. And it has that nice creaminess that doesn't make you miss the dairy. Also, you don't taste the coconut - it's drowned out by the coffee flavor, which I am okay with. I'm not a huge coconut fan, and I often use coconut milk in dairy-free baked goods for the fat and not the flavor.
3b) I don't want to hear about all the people that will probably LOVE this product but spend their time picking out all the tapioca pearls. Because...that's the whole point of this "special find." Like...don't get cookie dough ice cream and pick out all the cookie dough pieces because you only want the ice cream. There are other places and other kinds of just coffee ice cream if you're only here for the coffee flavor. But the idea is that the tapioca belongs WITH the cold brew frozen dessert.
4) What I find impressive is that the tapioca pearls have retained a respectable chewy texture. If you didn't know, regular boba does not freeze well. Other boba desserts/popsicles/ice creams often have issues with the tapioca bits, because while it tastes like tapioca the texture can be a little off. Not here y'all! I would not say that this is the same kind of tapioca texture I like in a regular bubble tea drink, but it definitely works in this not-ice-cream. The pearls are kind of kernel-shaped instead of round. They aren't overly soft or overly hard. They are definitely chewier than the "Q texture" tapioca I normally like, but they are still chewy without being gummy. And there's a reasonable distribution of tapioca pearls throughout the entire pint. YES.
4b) Some of y'all boba diehards out there might think there isn't enough tapioca actually. Might I remind you, this is cold brew coffee and boba, meaning boba is the accessory and not the main thing. That said, would I probably add more boba on my own to heighten the experience? Absolutely.
5) The only thing that can complain about sort of is the price. $4.29 per pint is like...inexpensive but bougie. Like more than I want to pay for a pint of ice cream...but also less than what I would pay at an artisanal ice cream shop. SOOOO I don't think I can take off points.
6) T and I loved this product, while A was like..."make this in milk tea flavor and I'll get it a 10." Yeah okay. Start writing them TJ letters y'all. :P
TL;DR: Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee and Boba Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert. Lactose free, coffee not-ice-cream with tapioca pearls - good enough to satisfy my Taiwanese-American palate. Well done, TJ's. 10 out of 10. Mantou Joe repurchase? As long as they ramp up the supply, absolutely!
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