Grocery Store Cold Brew Coffees, Ranked Worst To Best

Nothing is more refreshing as the weather gets warmer than an icy cold brew coffee enjoyed in the morning. With iced beverages, specifically iced coffee, we recognize a big issue, however, as you may face a watered-down drink that tastes more like water than coffee.

Cold brew saves the day with a more concentrated flavor but the same deliciousness as your favorite coffee shop's iced treat. Iced coffee and cold brew contain the same core ingredients — coffee and water — but to make cold brew, baristas steep ground coffee in cold water for many hours. As mentioned, the watered-down aspect turns many people off iced coffee, but this process helps prevent dilution with a cold brew.

Buying cold brews at coffee shops can get expensive, so we hit the store to try the breadth of grocery store cold brew coffees we could find there. Keep reading to learn how each cold brew's taste, nutritional value, and cost contributed to its place in this ranking from worst to best.

The Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew remains a favorite at the global coffee chain, but does the same hold true for the at-home version?

The cold brew mix contains real Starbucks coffee and vanilla sweet cream flavored with natural flavors. We love the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew when it's made in-store but have mixed feelings about the bottled version, especially when it comes to nutrition: one serving of this cold brew contains 15 grams of sugar. While we love a sweet drink, that much sugar in one serving makes us more concerned than stoked.

The flavor of the mix was just as much of a letdown as the nutritional label, too. We found the added sugar made the drink taste artificial and almost like espresso mixed with water. With such a popular brand like Starbucks, it's disappointing to find a watered-down version of one of our favorites.

Bulletproof's products contain few net carbs, making them perfect for diets like keto. Meanwhile, Bulletproof's cold brew contains quality fats for sustained energy and fewer cravings. Additionally, the grass-fed collagen protein reputedly contributes to healthy skin, bones, and joints (via Bulletproof). With all these supposed benefits and a delicious dark chocolate cold brew in a can, you may be wondering why the beverage landed so far down on our list.

We want to preface that we find this drink tastes pretty good. However, the beverage contains an entire quarter of your recommended daily saturated fat intake in one go. That's rather staggering for a seemingly humble little can.

So, if low-carb diets do not pertain to your lifestyle or you like to keep your fat intake down, beware this latte. Sure, it contains a moderate amount of calories for a cold brew, but carries a significant amount of fat.

High Brew delicious cold brew comes infused with dark chocolate, providing a rich taste with a jolt of caffeine in every can. High Brew's take on chocolate cold brew contains only 90 calories (compared to Bulletproof's 120 calories). This brew tastes sweet and provides the perfect amount of sugar and caffeine in the morning.

Yet this flavor contains 14 grams of sugar per serving (via High Brew). The Dark Chocolate Mocha Cold Brew ranks on the higher end of the sugar scale compared to High Brew's other flavors like Bourbon Vanilla Latte and Toasted Coconut Latte. For what it's worth, the brand's Nitro Sweet Cream Cold Brew takes the cake with 18 grams of sugar.

Overall, this brand provides delicious cold brews in various flavor offerings. But when it comes down to the contents of the can, we prefer less sugar in our coffee in the morning.

Sliding into our next slot comes Stok's Mocha Creamed Cold-Brew Coffee. Though Stok claims that "it's tasty, not too sweet," we beg to differ on this one. That's because Stok's Mocha Creamed Cold-Brew Coffee contains a whopping 20 grams of sugar per serving. After a taste test of our own, we can't help but conclude that it's just too sweet.

While this cold brew definitely looks and tastes good, Stok offers multiple lower-sugar bottled options that do not contain nearly as much tooth-achingly sweet stuff. This particular variety may be a sugar overload unless you've got a monumental sweet tooth. So, while we like the taste and appreciate the boost of caffeinated energy that this drink provides, we still must hesitate. With so much sugar per serving, we will simply have to pass next time we pick up a cold brew at the grocery store.

You're likely familiar with Chobani yogurt, but did you know Chobani also sells cold brew coffee? Of course, we have to ask: is it any good?

We applaud Chobani's Sweet Cream cold brew for its clean, streamlined ingredient list. Chobani crafts the cold brew coffee with single-origin arabica beans. In addition to the coffee beans, Chobani's coffee contains fresh milk, cane sugar, and natural flavors. The nutrition information shows no additional oils or preservatives in this mixture.

While the small list of ingredients excite us, the 15 grams of added sugar per serving do not. To be fair, I It's hard to come by a flavored bottled cold brew that doesn't contain at least some added sugar. Yet, this is a bit much. With two and a half servings per bottle, things can get even more complicated. If your self-control looks like ours, you might pour more than a serving at a time, ending up with a significant amount of sugar in your coffee

Stumptown's Original Cold Brew with Oatly takes the original goodness of cold brew mixed with the delicious dairy-free Oatly beverage. To make this particular collaborative drink, two companies partnered under their shared commitment to sustainable business practices.

Hopefully, you're ready for a decent dose of caffeine here. The Original Cold Brew with OATLY contains the amount of caffeine that's in 1.5 cups of coffee and is 100% vegan. We enjoy the low-sugar aspect of this beverage, for one. Meanwhile, the drink yields 140 calories per serving, along with a comparatively low 9 grams of sugar. For reference, that's nearly half of some of the other cold brew brands we tested.

Overall, we love this brand's message and commitment to the environment and creating delicious coffee people can enjoy together. However, some may not be totally in love with the cold brew's distinct oat milk flavor.

The founders of Slingshot Coffee Co. found their true love for coffee after first tasting Ethiopian varieties of coffee bean. But does it translate to a cold brew can?

The tasting notes on the website suggest your experience of the drink will be "light, bright, juicy, and fruity with the taste of stone fruit, citrus, and cacao." While we think we got those hints, some of those descriptors seemed more hopeful and faint than others.

Overall we loved the brand's message. More importantly, it created a good-tasting cold brew. Unlike some of our previously ranked cold brews, Slingshot's contain no added milk, sugar, or preservatives. Rather, a can contains only filtered water and 100% organic, directly-traded coffee (via Slingshot). That may be a bit too streamlined for some who want added sweetener or cream, but If you want a clean and delicious cold brew, grab a box of Slingshot at the store or order a six-pack online.

This Starbucks bottled indulgence allows you to enjoy your favorite cold brew comfortably at home in your pajamas. And no, we don't judge if you also get your coffee in-store in your pajamas.

This unsweetened cold brew tastes like an iced black coffee without a hint of sugar — namely because that's exactly what it is. So, it's not for the faint of heart, though it does go down with a smooth, decently balanced flavor. Since it is unsweetened, we suggest adding a splash of your favorite milk or creamer or a touch of vanilla or cinnamon to spice up the drink and dilute the strong taste. Otherwise, this could be a good intro to taking your coffee black.

You can find this Starbucks cold brew at major retailers across the US, so you won't have to go far to grab this if it does indeed become your favorite brew.

According to Rebbl, it's all about the stacked coffee. For the company, that means bringing balanced energy and focus, immunity support, and creamy oat milk to the table, all so you can destress and energize for a day full of whatever life throws at you. With so much caffeine in traditional cold brews, we expect a high followed by a crash. Rebbl helps combat that with a balanced energy approach to their coffees.

Rebbl offers Stacked Coffee flavors in Straight Black, Cafe Mocha, Vanilla Latte, and Hazelnut Latte. We suggest opting for the variety pack online if you want all four. However, you may find the "supports immunity" claim to be a bit vague.

Finding healthier versions of your favorite lattes that don't contain a ton of added sugar and unnecessary ingredients can be a complicated affair. We like Rebbl's ultra-healthy approach to providing you with a delicious morning brew, though finding it in stores may be tough in some places.

Feeling lucky? Lucky Jack sources organic beans from small farms, so you can guarantee quality ingredients in every sip of its cold brew while also feeling good about its ethical commitment to coffee producers.

The company offers a few variations of cold brew, but we decided to dive head first with its Triple Jack Nitro Cold Brew Coffee. According to Lucky Jack, this bottle contains approximately 320 mg of caffeine, so if caffeine affects you, maybe stay clear of this intense dose of the stuff. We're not really kidding: the Triple Jack had us ready to run miles, check off our to-do list, and even compile this review in record time.

Triple Jack Nitro Cold Brew Coffee contains no added sugar, and the ingredients could not be cleaner. The bottle contains only coffee brewed from arabica beans and purified water. If you stand the intensity, you may be this brew's next biggest fan.

Secret Squirrel Cold Brew Coffee stands apart from the competition because of the brand's passion for creating delicious cold brew without preservatives, additives, or stabilizers. Its commitment to quality ingredients makes us want to choose this brand every time.

Secret Squirrel started in the farmer's market, though you can now typically find it in nationwide grocery stores with a bit of a crunchy focus, like Whole Foods. As for the actual brewing process, the brand stays clear of heat to ensure the best-tasting cold brew coffee it can produce. Without heat, Secret Squirrel uses cool water and time — up to 22 hours, to be exact — to create this brew. According to the company, the cold process leaves the oils behind, resulting in smooth and full-flavored coffee (via Harris Tea).

We love a cold brew concentrate because we can mix it with hot or cold water, milk, or flavored syrups to create our ideal coffee beverage in the morning. You may love it, too, so long as you don't mind a tiny bit of extra mixing work in the morning.

We think Bizzy offers just about the perfect cold brew concentrate for your next coffee base. We like concentrates because of their versatility. You can easily pour the liquid over ice or into hot water to create your ideal drink or add milk to make the iced latte of your dreams.

The founders created Bizzy after failed home brewing attempts did not provide the same delicious cold brew they loved from their local coffee shop. After testing and research, they found a formula with promise and expanded from an in-house operation to a commercial space.

Today, Bizzy even offers a quiz to help you zero in on your perfect cold brew match. Whether you want to brew Bizzy yourself with cold brew bags or buy the ready-to-drink bottles, it's clear that the company has something for you so long as you can actually find them in-store (or simply buy online).

Whether you like it brewed by you or ready-to-pour, this store-bought cold brew will provide quite a lot of what you need. Grady's Cold Brew first came to being in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York. The founder worked at GQ at the time, so word of the new cold brew spread quickly through the offices of Conde Nast. Soon after, Grady's cold brew received a feature in GQ and Grady was able to turn his passion project into a full-time job.

We fell in love not only with this story but the products' simplicity. All Grady's coffe drinks can be enjoyed cold but are also easy to brew hot, providing great taste and value no matter the temperature. Grady's contains no additives or sweeteners, so if you fancy those in your coffee, you'll have to do a bit of extra work in order to provide your own.

Blue Bottle gets its name from what's believed to have been Europe's first coffee house, a business opened by Franz George Kolshitsky in the wake of the 17th-century Turkish expulsion from Vienna. While the brand's namesake dates way back, Blue Bottle itself only started a couple of decades ago. Blue Bottle's founder took his fascination with coffee and decided to open his tiny shop in Oakland, California in the early 2000s. Today, Blue Bottle's simple and clean blue logo represents over 75 upscale cafes worldwide where you can purchase drip coffees, cold brews, and more.

While we love the Blue Bottle cold brews in the coffee shops operated by the company, we might just enjoy the cold brew cans we can bring home even more for making the brand's coffee all the more accessible. Just know that, though they're small, these sippable cans pack a strong flavor.

For the founds of Chameleon Coffee, it took months of experimenting with various formulas and brewing methods to create what it believed to be the perfect blend. This best-tasting mixture yielded an intensely bold and super-smooth flavor.

Chameleon offers a variety of flavored cold brew concentrations, which sets it apart from many other brands. Some of our favorites include the Cinnamon Vanilla and the Mocha flavors. The Cinnamon Vanilla especially provides well-balanced flavors of warm cinnamon and smooth vanilla. Whether you choose a flavored brew or not, you can customize your cold brew further by adding cream or watering it down to provide the perfect strength for your liking. Of course, that's a bit of extra work, though not nearly as much as brewing your own hot coffee every morning. If you can find this in a store, you may want to give it a try.

Rise and Shine, it's cold brew time. Rise Brewing Co. serves tasty canned nitro cold brews. The company started Rise to create a coffee without sugar, calories, and harmful chemicals like many other cold brews on the grocery-store shelves. Rise focused on creating delicious, organic products and making them more accessible to coffee drinkers.

Rise brews with nitrogen, adding a frothy, smooth texture while enhancing the coffee's naturally sweet, chocolatey taste and setting them apart from other cold brewers (via Rise).

If you haven't guessed yet, we love a flavored cold brew. Rise makes their nitro cold brew with clean ingredients and unique flavors like oat milk mocha, oat milk vanilla latte, and London fog tea. Rise offers a bundle pack if you want to try all their best-selling flavors. Grab a can, pour it over ice or enjoy it on its own. This brand is worth the hype, trust us.

Califia Farms creates its cold brew through a slow, patient process that uses cold instead of hot water to create a smoother brew.

Califia Farms offers an array of products featuring cold brews brewed in such a manner, like its Pure Black Mushroom Cold Brew Coffee, Vanilla Latte Cold Brew Coffee with Almond Milk, and Mocha Cold Brew Coffee with Almond Milk, to name a few. With so many flavors, we still stick by the unsweetened Cold Brew Concentrate as we feel it is the best base to add flavorings to.

We enjoy that all these beverages come ready to drink in one container. Additionally, the plant-based and dairy-free brews make for a good morning drink, afternoon pick-me-up, or base for a stiffer creamy coffee cocktail. It's also one of the more accessible options on this list, meaning that you may well find it with ease at your local grocery.

Wandering Bear is a 100% organic coffee brand that sources beans from Peru, Mexico, and Nicaragua. This brand packs an extra-strong, surprisingly smooth cold brew that averages four shots of espresso per carton. If caffeine affects you significantly, then you may want to stay away from this one.

Wandering Bear sets itself apart from other cold brews with its immense flavor selection. It cold brew boxes come in straight black, vanilla, caramel, mocha, hazelnut, decaf, and dirty vanilla chai. Unfortunately, the single-serving ones do not offer the same flavor variety, a hiccup that we hope the brand resolves in the future.

With many cold brews, we yearn for a splash of creamer or ice to dilute the flavor. Although Wandering Bear offers a strong taste, it's smooth enough for you to handle on its own, though remember to watch that caffeine intake. Overall, we are impressed with the clean ingredients and flavors of Wandering Bear.

Is there anything Trader Joe's can't do? It took a 12 to 24-hour cold brew-making process and turned it into an instant affair, winning us over with convenience, accessibility, and flavor. Getting this is as simple as traveling to your local Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's Instant Cold Brew contains 100% arabica coffee beans sources from India, according to Trader Joe's itself. To create your cold brew at home with this brew, you only need to add one large teaspoon of the Instant Cold Brew Coffee to 12 ounces of water until it dissolves. We suggest cold water for a proper cold brew flavor, but hot water also works on chilly mornings.

Not only does the taste hit in just the right way, but it's also a brew that can be a healthy option (depending on what you add to it, of course, with 15 calories per serving as-is.

Last but certainly not least, we come to the holy grail of cold brews: La Colombe Coffee Roasters. Patrons can visit La Colombe cafes across the country to get their fix of a delicious cold brew or latte, but thankfully this great brand sells its cold brew canned and in-stores.

La Colombe offers latte cold brew flavors like vanilla, triple, and mocha, in addition to a line of oat milk-infused varieties. We suggest the Nitro Extra Bold Cold Brew for an added caffeine kick. This great-tasting brew keeps you going with a combination of foamy nitro texture and bold, dark-roasted, nutty flavors. This smooth-tasting coffee with a pinch of additional caffeine will allow you to slay the day.

The thing most we love about La Colombe, aside from its flavor and caffeinated punch, is its ingredients. This Brazilian cold brew coffee contains no dairy, gluten, sugar, or preservatives (via La Colombe), making for an especially clean and uncomplicated experience.