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Pop, Fizz, Meh? Trying Trader Joe’s Sparkling Teas

By :Siobhan Nasby 0 comments
Pop, Fizz, Meh? Trying Trader Joe’s Sparkling Teas

Trader Joe’s — the place we all love for its quirky, ever-changing lineup of tasty treats. If you’re anything like me, a monthly (or let’s be real, sometimes twice-monthly) visit is practically a ritual. They’ve mastered the art of keeping customers coming back with seasonal food and drink drops that always keep us curious.

This spring and summer, Trader Joe’s introduced three pre-made sparkling tea beverages — and of course, I had to try them. Are these bubbly brews worthy of a perfect 5 out of 5 Chado Tea Leaves, or will they leave me wishing Trader Joe’s had taken a different steep?

Organic Sparkling Rose Tea Beverage

Ingredients: carbonated water, organic grape juice concentrate, organic white tea, organic sencha green tea, organic black tea, organic hibiscus flowers, organic natural flavors, citric acid, ascorbic acid, organic pu-erh tea, tartaric acid, organic orange peel, organic rose hips. 

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 Chado Tea Leaves

Smell: Light and slightly reminiscent of perfume, with the Sencha tea standing out as the most prominent of the four teas in the blend.

Color: pale orange

Taste: The first flavor note I picked up on was a noticeable bitterness from the blend of assorted teas. Rather than working together, each tea seemed to compete with the next, resulting in an imbalanced and somewhat unpleasant taste. The Sencha, being the most dominant, added a slightly vegetative note — a flavor profile that felt out of place, especially considering the front of the can promised “rose, white grape juice, hibiscus, and rose hips.

Final Review: Overall, this one’s a major pass for me. What sounded like a light and refreshing drink ended up feeling overly complicated due to the mix of multiple teas. In my opinion, Trader Joe’s missed an opportunity here — a flavored white tea would have been a much better base for the listed flavor notes. Building from there with a touch of hibiscus and rose syrup could have really made those floral and fruity elements shine. Instead, they took what could have been a simple, elegant beverage and muddied it with too many competing ingredients.

Sparkling Matcha Lemonade

Ingredients: carbonated water, cane sugar, lemon june concentrate, matcha green tea powder, natural flavors, lemon peel, lemon extract, green tea extract, sodium copper chlorophyllin, lemon oil.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Chado Tea Leaves

Smell: The aroma had a hint of lemon, but was more prominently chlorophyll-forward — likely due to the use of chlorophyll for coloring. As expected, there was a vegetal note in the flavor, but overall, the experience was underwhelming.

Color: murky green

Taste: As for the taste, I was immediately hit with a harsh, bitter aftertaste — almost as if the tea had been over-steeped. For a beverage containing 18 grams of added sugar, there was surprisingly little sweetness. The “lemonade” flavor, which was advertised as one of the main components, was barely detectable, and the matcha tasted more like a standard green tea than the distinct, earthy richness you’d typically expect from matcha.

Final Review: With a 3 out of 5 rating, this drink landed squarely in the middle for me — not bad, but not particularly good either. The bitter aftertaste reminded me of over-steeped tea or matcha that's been burned with water that’s too hot. That same bitterness lingered and overshadowed any real depth of flavor. I also found that the chlorophyll, which was added for color, came through noticeably in the taste — something that wouldn’t be necessary if true matcha had been used properly. I can see what Trader Joe’s was aiming for here, and the drink does have potential. But they need to dial back the bitterness and deliver more of the lemonade flavor they promised. Honestly, I think they’d be better off dropping “matcha” from the name altogether and sticking with a simpler green tea base. Sometimes, less really is more.

Sparkling Tea and Lemonade

Ingredients: carbonated water, organic cane sugar, organic black tea, lemon juice concentrate, natural flavors, organic lemon peel, organic lemon extract, organic lemon oil.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Chado Tea Leaves

Smell: Out of the three drinks, this one smelled exactly as expected — classic black tea and lemon, just like a proper Arnold Palmer. You really can’t get more straightforward than that.

Color: murky rich yellow

Taste: While the aroma of this drink was spot-on, the flavor didn’t quite live up to it. It did taste like what was promised — a sparkling tea and lemonade — but with 15 grams of added sugar, I expected a bolder, sweeter profile. Like the previous two drinks, there was a touch of bitterness, though it was the mildest of the bunch. That said, the bubbles were a refreshing twist on a classic, and added a nice bit of texture and fun.

Final Review: Out of the lineup, this one was the standout, earning a solid 3.5 out of 5 Chado Tea Leaves. It delivered exactly what was promised on the front of the can — black tea with lemonade and a splash of sparkle. The reason it didn’t score higher? The taste. That ever-present bitterness across the sparkling tea line showed up again here, and the overall flavor could have been stronger. If Trader Joe’s wanted to elevate this drink further, they could have swapped out the carbonated water for a carbonated lemonade to boost the sweetness and enhance the citrus without diluting the tea. As it stands, the plain sparkling water seemed to dull the flavor while doing nothing to tame the bitterness from what tastes like over-steeped tea. Kudos to Trader Joe’s for reimagining a classic Arnold Palmer in a fun, fizzy format — but there’s definitely room for improvement.

Final Steep

Trader Joe’s took a bold swing with these sparkling tea beverages, and while the concept is fun, the execution left a bit to be desired. Across the board, the bitterness was hard to ignore, and the flavor profiles didn’t always match the promise on the can. Still, there’s potential here — with a few tweaks, these drinks could become summer staples. For now, they’re more of a curiosity than a must-have.

Let me know what you want me to try next! Drop your suggestions in the comments — I’m always up for a fun tea tasting adventure. Who knows what we’ll be sipping next?

 

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