What A Caribou Coffee Executive Recommends You Order Next - Exclusive

Caribou Coffee offers 100% clean label beverages and 100% Rainforest Alliance-certified products at more than 450 locations around the country and world. With their focus on real ingredients, every single beverage contains no chemicals or artificial flavors, including no artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, MSG, or high fructose corn syrup. If you order a signature mocha, you can expect that a Caribou Coffee team member melted real chocolate chips into your espresso, or if you order a fall favorite beverage, then the pumpkin flavor you're getting in your drink is from real pumpkin puree. That whipped cream? Also real!

With all that goodness on the menu, how do you pick the best option as you swing through the drive-thru or walk up to the counter? We recently spoke with Erin Newkirk, the chief brand and marketing officer at Caribou Coffee, for an exclusive interview, and she let us in on her personal order as well as what she recommends to her friends.

Over the years, Erin Newkirk has enjoyed a lot of Caribou Coffee. She said, "I've had so many incredible experiences at my own local Caribou coffeehouses, including founding, building, and selling my startup, coffee dates with dear friends, [and] breakfast dates with my husband and son. What our team does in our stores every day matters." That includes creating delicious, handcrafted coffees for customers.

As for Newkirk's personal order, she says she goes for the Crafted Press. "It's only available at Caribou, so it's special," she told us. "Cold-brewed coffee steamed with a splash of milk and real sugar — it's like a latte, but lighter. I love it with almond or oat milk and if I'm feeling it, I get it with real chocolate, honey, or hazelnut."

She also recommends the Crafted Press to her friends, saying latte lovers are "wowed" by the drink. "It's lighter and more playful, something you can order every day. I also can't say enough good things about our mochas. We source proprietary mini chocolate chips and melt them into espresso with every order. Try a Hot White Chocolate Mocha or a Dark Chocolate Hot Chocolate next time you are looking for a treat!"

To learn more about Caribou Coffee, visit CaribouCoffee.com and follow the coffeehouse on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.