One of the new Trader Joe’s items to hit shelves this spring? Brown Sugar Boba Mochi. Are you into the soft squish of mochi ice cream but absolutely hate the sensation of sinking your teeth into a frigid hunk of frozen dessert? This just might be the treat for you. These individually wrapped little candy morsels consist of sweet mochi dough wrapped around a layer of cream and, in the very center, a single brown sugar boba pearl. Sounds fun, right? We tried them to find out whether boba mochi should be more of a thing, or whether you should stick to bean paste and ice cream.
- Trader Joe’s Brown Sugar Boba Mochi
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To be honest, I kind of don’t understand these. They’re not bad. In fact, they taste pretty good. But the mochi dough and the boba within are exactly the same consistency. If this were just a blob of mochi dough—no tapioca pearl involved—I don’t think you’d even notice the difference.
Pros: As I said, the brown sugar flavor is lovely and reminiscent of the mild, almost maple-y sweetness of the boba pearls at the bottom of a cup of milk tea. I really like that these are essentially candy, but that they aren’t tooth-shatteringly sweet. And while it is homogenous, the squish is very satisfying, too.
Cons: A little textural variety would have gone a long way. Honestly, these made me crave mochi ice cream more than they made me crave another boba mochi. Also, the cream that separates the boba and the mochi—which reminded me of a slightly looser version of the cream inside a Goetz caramel cream—tastes good and contributes a little more sweetness, but there just isn’t enough of it. The image on the packaging is a big ol’ lie.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!