The world’s favorite busy holidays are right around the corner, and Trader Joe’s (TJs) decided to make the festivities all the more special. With the hectic season upon us, we tried and rated a few things so you know what to buy and what not to. Join two Wolf Staff members, Lyan Abdulhaq and Nethra Balakumar, on this sleigh ride into winter.

First, we tried the Astounding Multi-flavor Mini Pretzels, which included four flavors: jingle jangle, dark chocolate peppermint, milk chocolate with sprinkles and mocha. We rated everything based on our overall opinion of the flavors.

Astounding Multi-flavor Mini Pretzels

Abdulhaq: I liked everything besides the peppermint one. I do not like peppermint. The mocha one was my favorite. I wish they had toned
down the sweetness because it blocks the flavor of the coffee til the end, but it was good nonetheless. 6.5/10

Balakumar: I really loved the jingle jangle pretzels and the milk chocolate ones. But the peppermint and mocha ones were so awful. 7/10

Next, we tried some traditional holiday cookies.

Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies

Abdulhaq: I tried these last year and liked them a lot. I do not remember them having that much spice, though. I love the texture of these. They are very soft. 8/10

Balakumar: I am not a big fan of gingerbread, so I did not have high hopes for this one. The gingerbread part was soft and chewy, but the filling was dry and a little sticky. It’s not terrible, so if you like gingerbread, this is definitely something to check out. 3/10.

Every holiday gathering needs some fun, flavored beverages, so we tried those next.

Sugar Plum Sparkling Beverage

Abdulhaq: I really like this. It’s lukewarm right now, so I would probably like it better if it was cold, but the flavor is great! It is a little sweet, so definitely not my favorite drink TJ’s offers. 7/10

Balakumar: This was really good at first. It’s very sweet and it’s not too fizzy, which is nice, but after a few sips it reminded me of cough medicine. I give it a 6.5/10

The Baton Lover’s Quartet included four flavors: chocolate orange, cookies and cream, cocoa and hazelnut. We rated everything based on our overall opinion of the flavors.

Baton Lover’s Quartet

Abdulhaq: This was beyond mid. All the wafers tasted like cardboard besides the chocolate orange one, and that one was the worst. To be fair, I do not really like wafers, but the hazelnut one was my favorite. 3/10.

Balakumar: Most of the wafers tasted like paper or did not taste like anything. But the chocolate orange was so good. The combination of orange and chocolate was tasty. 4/10