It’s a mild joy, but an important one: cruising through the aisles at Trader Joe’s and looking for the “new!” signs. We love the constantly updating foods and the packaging that really tries to be beautiful (for instance, the sparkling black tea box literally has gold embossed lettering). And while the food options are inventive, we also like to choose a bouquet, a greeting card or two (cool designs and only 99 cents), and some household items like candles or shampoo—but not toothpaste; we don’t recommend the TJs brand. Here are our six choices for summer 2025.
1. Sparkling black tea with peach juice beverage
The title is oddly redundant with the words tea, juice and beverage—is this Trader Joe’s answer to SNL’s Business Garden Inn & Suites & Hotel Room Inn? But the packaging lets us forget our quibbles: the dramatic black box with orange and yellow sides is eye-catching, plus the illustration of peaches is gorgeous, and there are even gold accents in the lettering of “sparkling” and “beverage.” This upscaled packaging holds four narrow cans inside, and the cans, too, are beautifully designed. As for the taste, we didn’t really get a tea feeling for this; it’s more of a sparkling water with hints of fruit.
2. Deli sandwich-style potato chips
Given how much we adored the Thanksgiving stuffing seasoned kettle chips last year (thanks for giving us a free bag last year when we weren’t sure we were ready to commit and even bolting to the back wall to fetch it, nice checker!), we were predisposed to love these too. A kettle chip seasoned to taste like ham, pickle, cheese and mustard all at once, this chip honestly really does taste like an entire sandwich. How did Trader Joe's even get the idea to create this chip? How did they know we needed a sandwich in chip form? On further tasting, it seems like the pickle flavor dominates. And that’s great, because pickles are having a moment.
3. Donut nectarines
Packaged in a clear plastic clamshell with a handle for carrying—as if you’re bringing it along as luggage on your trip, and maybe you should—the selection of donut nectarines really looks like donuts. The fruit is somehow flattened and ovoid and reminiscent of its sweeter cousin across the aisle. The nectarines are crunchy and delicious and you have four in the package for sharing.
4. Kahawa 1893 Safari blend coffee
We were drawn to the signage, which indicated that this coffee was a favorite among local Trader Joe’s employees and that the business is Black woman-owned. The packaging shows a monkey, parrot, mountain range and trees and bushes in a pleasing color scheme, and this medium roast bag of whole beans is 100 percent Arabica. With notes of caramel and milk chocolate, it’s a good choice for a sweet cold brew this summer. The brand emerged from a 2023 Shark Tank pitch by third-generation Kenyan coffee farmer Margaret Nyamumbo, with all beans sourced from women farmers. Kahawa means coffee in Swahili.
5. Mango tangerine scented candle
This throwback item is only on the shelves for a limited time; it’s the first scented candle Trader Joe’s offered and now it’s back if you can snag it. It’s made of a soy wax blend (not paraffin, if you’re worried about toxins releasing into the air while the candle burns) and the wick is 100 percent cotton, all tucked into a cute tin with an understated label. Does it smell good? Only if you love bright citrus and feeling like you’re in the tropics.
6. Roti with Thai red curry
Strictly speaking, this isn’t the newest of the new; it rolled out last year. People who have already reviewed this frozen vegan meal online love it but feel that three rotis are too much given the small amount of curry. The curry is pretty spicy, but we like that. The roti flatbreads (similar to an Indian paratha) can be put in the air fryer to reawaken their crispy flakiness, and you tear off pieces to scoop up the curry as a finger food. It does come at a high calorie count: 830 for the whole package.