Trader Joe's Sparkling Guava Juice Beverage

I guess we're a little late getting around to this item. It's a limited time summer seasonal offering and we're just about on the verge of the annual autumn pumpkin product parade. Oh well. Still shows currently available on traderjoes.com as of the time of the writing of this review, and there's a chance we'll see it again next year.

What's working here: the carbonation level of these beverages is always perfect. Not too bubbly, not too still. It enhances the beverage and gives it that extra level of refreshment. The fact that there are no added sugars is a huge plus. All the sweetness is coming from guava juice.

What's not working here: guava juice just isn't that potent or sweet. It's a subtle flavor. For some of you, I'm sure that's a good thing. For me, I think I prefer sweeter juices like strawberry or honeycrisp apple. See Trader Joe's Sparkling Strawberry Juice Beverage and Trader Joe's Sparkling Honeycrisp Apple Juice Beverage, the latter of which I hope is coming back with the onslaught of fall stuff in just a week or so. Those two really blew my socks off. They were delicious.

That's not to say this one isn't tasty. It's just not my cup of tea. The taste is just a shade sweeter than those cans of flavored sparkling water. It's not very robust at all.

Would I turn you down if you handed me a cold can of Sparkling Guava Juice Beverage after mowing the lawn on a hot, humid day? Heck no. Would I choose another flavor if given the choice? Probably.

$3.99 for four 8.45 fl oz cans. Product of Vietnam. Probably would buy one of those two above-mentioned flavors or something brand new before purchasing this one again. Not hating. Just not my personal fave. Six and out of ten stars from me for Trader Joe's Sparkling Guava Juice Beverage. Sonia will go with seven and a half out of ten.

Nathan's score: 6 out of 10.

Sonia's score: 7.5 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin & Spice Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix

Prior to 2025, the only flavor of snickerdoodle I'd had was, you know, snickerdoodle-flavored snickerdoodles—cinnamon and sugar. Earlier this summer, we checked out Trader Joe's Strawberry Doodle Cookies, a product I didn't expect to work at all but was pleasantly surprised with.

I guess pumpkin spice isn't too far a cry from a classic snickerdoodle, since both flavors typically contain sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove or cardamom. Trader Joe's even threw in some actual autumn squash in the form of pumpkin powder for just a hint of harvestiness. It's balanced out by all the aforementioned spices and the nice soft breadiness of the cookies.

To prepare, you simply combine the mix with an egg, milk, and a stick of butter. Then you form the batter into little balls which then get rolled in the separate "sugar and spice mix." Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375°F and you've got about 22 pumpkin spice snickerdoodles.

Sonia and I both enjoyed the fresh-baked cookies quite a bit, and they're still scrumptious even after they've cooled down and solidified. We tried them for the first time live on camera, and you should totally watch, like, and comment on the YouTube video embedded below. <hint, hint>

The cookies are slightly crunchy on the outside thanks to the crystals of sugar and cinnamon. They're soft and chewy on the inside. We found the pumpkin spice level to be just about right here. We'd both buy this product again.

I kind of wanted to call them "pumpersnickle cookies." But then I Googled "pumpersnickle" and the Urban Dictionary entry for that word made me reconsider.

If it's not back on shelves at your local Trader Joe's now, it should be by the first or second week of September. $3.99 for the 17.57 oz box. Kosher. Eight and a half out of ten stars from Sonia. Eight out of ten stars from me for Trader Joe's Pumpkin & Spice Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix.

Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.