The Best Trader Joe’s Drinks, According to a Food Editor (and Her Thirsty Coworkers)

Whether you have it as a mixer or a mocktail, this superbly fizzy tea tastes like summer. Despite the addition of real peach juice, each can clocks in at only 2 grams of sugar. It doesn’t taste like peach rings or candy, either—it has the tart-sweet edge of just-ripe-enough stone fruit. It’s begging to be finished with a sprig of mint (or a glug of whiskey).

Your gut will thank you for adding this Trader Joe’s drink to your shopping list. The no-sugar-added bev, made with tangerine juice and probiotic cultures, is as refreshing as it is citrusy. The best way I can describe its flavor is like orange Emergen-C, but a fruitier, less medicinal version.

Subtle, easy on the stomach, dairy-free and surprisingly creamy, this sipper is great for an on-the-go breakfast or a post-workout snack. It’s sort of like a liquid PB&B sandwich (or AB, rather). Personally, I like that the smoothie’s consistency is lush without being overwhelmingly thick, and that every flavor works in tandem without any one dominating the rest.

Were you ever served sparkling grape juice instead of Champagne as a kid at a grown-up party? This is sort of like that, but brighter and more floral, thanks to mouth-puckering hibiscus and organic rose hips. It’s juicy and luscious without being syrupy or sweet (and it only contains three grams of natural sugar).

If you’ve ever seen these and felt perplexed by their color, allow me: They’re made with Namhom coconuts from Thailand’s Ratchaburi Province; the drink’s blush hue is the product of enzymes found in this particular type of coconut.

“I’m a sucker for their bottled coconut waters,” former PureWow assistant editor Delia Curtis admits. “They’re bright pink and give me a solid boost of hydration on hot summer days with some added sweetness that I wouldn’t get from regular water. It’s a fruity delight that I’m always excited to add to my cart.”

Can you believe it takes a whopping one-and-a-half pounds of fresh watermelon to make one 12-ounce bottle? If you have a craving for summer’s signature fruit but don’t feel like cutting it (or paying a premium to have someone else chop it for you), this Trader Joe’s drink will do. “Their watermelon juice is mellowed out with the addition of lemon, which cuts the sweetness,” Curtis states.

This seasonal stunner unites two complementary ingredients—lemon juice concentrate and matcha green tea powder—in a sea of fizzy water to create a one-of-a-kind drink you’ll crave year after year. “I like buying different juices to make baby kombucha with water kefir grains,” PureWow SEO editor Marissa Wu explains. “Green tea lemonade is a twist on the classic summer drink with earthy tones.”

If you’ve never had French lemonade, allow monsieur Trader Joe to acquaint you. It’s more like lemon-kissed carbonated water, and this one is blush-colored and a touch sweeter than its yellow predecessor. “This is my non-alcoholic bar cart must when I’m having a party,” PureWow senior editor Dana Dickey says. “It’s not too sweet, and it’s great muddled with some berries, cracked ice and a sprig of mint.”

This new, limited-time sipper is very much on the pulse, since guava is trending right now. And that can is easily one of the cutest in the store, IMO. “‘Beverage’ is usually a turnoff for me,” PureWow senior editor Dara Katz says, “but it’s 50 percent guava juice, and it’s hard to find guava anything, so I’ll take it! It’s a great midday treat with ice, and fab for mixers on summer nights with a splash of vodka or rosé.”

Wu also enjoys this Trader Joe’s drink, not to mention its orange-y counterpart, To the Power of C (you know, for vitamin C). Sweet-tart and loaded with strawberry and cranberry purées, hibiscus tea and organic beet, watermelon, elderberry and apple juices, it tastes just as divine in a smoothie as it does out of the bottle.