Green tea is one of the oldest, most comforting, soothing, and healthy warm drinks to seek out when needing a little caffeine or immunity boost. As traditional as the beverage is, that hasn’t stopped all types of innovative uses for the ground up matcha powder that packs a huge antioxidant and energy boost. Green tea ice cream? Awesome. Green tea lattes? Great. Green tea cake? Delicious. The ways in which we can use the grassy flavor knows almost no bounds, and in this day and age of limited-time insanity it’s time for an ultimately portable version of this earthy treat. I’ve always been fond of Trader Joe’s products but they really impressed the hell outta me with their Mocha Joe Joe’s earlier this year, and I’m looking at them to pave the way for the crunchy version of this tea-treat. Continuing their trend of beating Nabisco to the punch with innovative-yet-obvious flavors, they’re back in the drivers seat with Matcha Joe Joe’s, which pair a green tea matcha creme with crunchy vanilla wafer cookies.

I’m not sure if it’s just the thickness of the wafers themselves, but Joe Joe’s just seem bigger than their big bro Oreo, and these cookies are simply pleasant to look at. Deep white vanilla wafers with lushly green creme make me excited to dig in, and the grassy tea notes waft with ease from the package.

Biting in this cookie is everything I wanted it to be. A super snappy vanilla cookie gives way to immaculately balanced creme that is a textural delight. The filling is extremely smooth, soft, and creamy with an absolutely spot on balance of earthy matcha notes that don’t get bitter or astringent in the slightest. Green tea is front and center without any of the potential negatives that could pull this flavor down, delivering all the joy of green tea ice cream in a vessel that won’t melt in my pocket. The sweetness is perfectly executed with the vanilla cookie bringing just the right sugary punch to accentuate the matcha flavor without drowning it out, and finishes with a lovely buttery note that puts a lovely green ribbon on the whole experience.

Once again TJ’s deliver an elevated, delicious, and fun Joe Joe that is just as crave-able as it is unique. The flavors are simple, straight forward, and just sweet enough to go wonderfully with a good cup of coffee, but not so much that they need the coffee to be enjoyed.

Rating: 9/10
Found at: Trader Joe’s ($2.99)