Trader Joe's Maple Water

We're on day two out of four with reviews of new products that have just hit the Trader Joe's shelves.


One of the little joys of watching the #TraderJoes hashtag on Twitter is when an intriguing new product hits the shelves. TJ's fans immediately post pictures of it with comments about what is it, can't wait to try it, OMG it's the best thing EVAR, etc. This product was the latest to get that treatment. So, of course, I had to buy it.

The claim is that this is maple sap, tapped directly from the trees--the stuff that we usually only eat after it has been boiled down to make maple syrup. It has been pasteurized, but not cooked. Here's a recent article about the alleged new craze that is maple water.

If you put it in a clear glass, you can see just a touch of yellowish or light brown color. Drinking it, I found, has a three-phase sensation. First, it tastes and feels just like plain water. Then, as I'm swallowing, I get a general sense of sweetness, though not sugar per se.

Finally--really as more of an aftertaste than a taste--comes the distinctive flavor. Now, frankly, if I hadn't known the name and origin of this product, I think I would have been hard-pressed to call it out as "maple." I think that all I could have said is that it's vaguely familiar but unusual and hard to place. And I could have said what it isn't: not fruity, not nutty, etc. But maple? No. You could have given me 20 guesses, and I doubt I would have gotten there.

Which isn't to say that it's bad, just that it's both unexpected, in the sense of being out of context, and faint. It's maybe like something Monet would have concocted--not really maple, but "impression of maple."

Given the delicateness of this flavoring, I was surprised to find how persistent it was as an aftertaste. I had some this morning. About an hour later, I could still taste it. I had a can of Coke Zero, and within five minutes of finishing that, the maple-water taste was back, like a flavor ghost. Not unpleasant, but surprising.

Here's another view, from the "What's Good at Trader Joe's" blog.

Will I buy it again? 

No. I can wholeheartedly recommend trying it, because chances are good that you've never had anything like it, and it's an interesting experience. But I don't see an ongoing place for it in my life.

Nina's View

What will they think of next?

First they put tap-water in a bottle. Biggest scam ever.

Then they put coconut water in a bottle and shipped it around the world. Ridiculous.

Now they're taking tree-blood (water) and charging a lot for it.

I am a fan of real maple syrup, which is what happens when you take the tree-blood and evaporate it by boiling it for a very long time. This tastes like slightly viscous sugar water, which it is. It's perfectly pleasant and inoffensive. For $2.99. 

Pshaw.