More popsicles? Yes. Summer doesn't end until September 22 and it's still friggin' hot. In no way is pumpkin spice appropriate just yet...unless we're talking about Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake. That's good enough to eat anytime.
Trader Joe's Passion Fruit Guava Bars are still available at our local TJ's as of the time of writing this review, but I know they're already done for the season at many locations. I'm thinking we'll see them again next year, but then again, we're talking about Trader Joe's, so your guess is as good as mine. They really hit that passionfruit and guava hard this summer. I hope some of those fun items return for 2027.
Trader Joe's Organic Guava Fruit Spread
Trader Joe's Sparkling Guava Juice Beverage
Trader Joe's Passion Fruit Orange Guava Juice Blend
Trader Joe's Organic Guava Nectar
Trader Joe's Passion Fruit Granola
And I think there were some tarts we missed this time around, but hey like I said, there's always next year...maybe. At any rate, I like these tropical popsicles almost as much as the recently-reviewed Trader Joe's Pineapple Coconut Bars. At $2.99 for the box, this product is a little cheaper overall, but you're only getting four bars as opposed to six. Each bar is bigger, however, yielding a slightly greater overall net weight.
I really enjoyed the creamy texture of the aforementioned pineapple coconut bars, but here there's guava puree in the top section, which does render a thicker liquid than juice. The guava section (the top) is a pinkish color while the bottom part is orange-colored passionfruit juice. They're very similar in flavor, but if you pay attention, there is a slight difference. The guava part is a bit sweeter, and the passion fruit is a little more tart.
There's something kind of fun about getting two popsicles in one here. It's like Trader Joe's couldn't decide which tropical fruit to go with, so it just said, "Screw it, do both. Two tropical fruits are twice as nice." It's a happy little reminder that summer isn't over yet, despite the pumpkin spice industrial complex trying its darnedest to convince us otherwise.
Three bucks for four bars. Kosher. Vegan. Sonia gives Trader Joe's Passion Fruit Guava Bars eight out of ten stars. Like I said, I'd repurchase the pineapple coconut bars before these, but they're certainly not bad. Seven and a half stars from this guy.
Bottom line: 7.75 out of 10.
Straight outta Thailand, Trader Joe's Mango & Passion Fruit Squares will run you $2.29 for 17 little bite-sized treats. True to the name, they are indeed square-shaped, measuring 1.25" x 1.25" and weighing just over 9 grams a piece. They're individually wrapped AND they come in a resealable bag for a multi-layered defense against spoilage and dryness.
Upon unsealing the bag, you'll note the sweet-tart scents of mango and passionfruit wafting out from the package. I was expecting something akin to fruit leather in terms of texture, but these tangy tidbits are softer and moister than any other fruit snack I've ever tried. They're sweet and a little sour, and mango and passionfruit are the top two ingredients. There's also some added sugar, but it's far from excessive. 35 total calories per square isn't bad.
The fruit snacks are extremely sticky and sometimes difficult to remove from their little pouches. They're soft enough that they easily tear into pieces with certain sections sticking to your fingers while other portions remain glued to the inside of the plastic wrapper. If you're eating these on the go, you'll want wet naps on standby. The back of the bag proudly declares that they "won't make a mess!" It's a bald-faced lie, I tell you.
These morsels are mostly smooth dried fruit, but certain bites contain noticeable fibrous threads. I guess other dried fruit like dates and figs have similar fibers, but mango tends to have them quite a bit. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but the fibers are about the only things that remind you this is real fruit and not soft, chewy sugar candy.
Would buy again. The beautiful wifey gives Trader Joe's Mango & Passion Fruit Squares eight out of ten stars. I'll go with eight out of ten stars too just for the value alone. Each square costs less than 14 cents. I'm guessing these will disappear pretty soon, so grab 'em before they're replaced with something that begins with "Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice" fill in the blank...
Bottom line: 8 out of 10.
