Best Store-Bought Cold-Brew Coffee
Buying cold brew at the grocery store can be a fast, convenient, and affordable way to satisfy your caffeine craving
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.
If you’ve recently stopped for a cold brew at your local coffee shop, you probably noticed the high price. The average price of a pound of ground coffee in the U.S. rose from $5.41 in March 2022 to $5.99 in May 2024, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. And cold brew, which takes longer to prepare, tends to be more expensive than your regular cup of joe.
Editor's Choice: Chameleon Organic Cold-Brew
Photo: Laura Murphy/Consumer Reports Photo: Laura Murphy/Consumer Reports
Price: From 34 cents/oz.
Where to buy: Amazon, Target
Chameleon Organic Cold-Brew was an all-around crowd-pleaser. Tasters described it as light- to medium-bodied, with mild bitterness and low acidity. It’s a bit floral, with notes of berry, and is easy to drink black, though it pairs nicely with milk. The complexity of the flavors makes it taste like it’s high quality. And indeed, it’s the priciest of the cold brews we tried.
We purchased it packaged in convenient on-the-go glass bottles. Those of us who didn’t drink an entire bottle in one sitting appreciated that the bottles could be resealed and returned to the fridge. Our tasters were also pleased to note that the Chameleon Cold-Brew is certified organic.
Best Cold Brew for Those Who Like It Black: High Brew Black & Bold Cold-Brew
Photo: Laura Murphy/Consumer Reports Photo: Laura Murphy/Consumer Reports
Price: From 27 cents/oz.
Where to buy: Amazon, Staples, Walmart
High Brew Black & Bold Cold-Brew is bold and robust but balanced enough to drink black. Tasters described the flavor as “dark, rich, and bitter, with notes of chocolate and almost milky in texture.” Its low acidity makes it easy to drink black, but it does stand up to milk; the strong coffee taste comes through even when it’s diluted.
Of all the cold brews we tried, this is the only one that contains an additive—potassium phosphate, a preservative used in many packaged foods.
“Potassium phosphate is used as a preservative, stabilizer, buffer, and thickener in foods,” says James E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports. Rogers says that the Food and Drug Administration considers it generally recognized as safe, but that anyone who’s sensitive to it could see a negative effect when consuming products that contain it.
High Brew comes in narrow aluminum cans, which are great for recycling and may help the cold brew maintain its freshness, but it wasn’t the preferred vessel of our tasters. Aleyda didn’t like that she couldn’t see the cold brew as she was drinking it, and Angela and I would have liked the option to reseal the beverage for later use.
Best Cold Brew for Your On-Site Event: Wandering Bear Extra Strong Organic Cold Brew
Photo: Angelia Lashbrook/Consumer Reports Photo: Angelia Lashbrook/Consumer Reports
Price: From 37 cents/oz.
Where to buy: Amazon, Walmart, Wandering Bear
True to its name, the Wandering Bear Extra Strong Organic Cold Brew is indeed extra strong: Tasters described it as bitter and acidic, with a slightly sour taste that lingers after swallowing. Most of us found the brew too bold to drink black but enjoyed it with milk. And because the company says Wandering Bear has about the same amount of caffeine as two espresso shots, diluting it is probably a good idea.
Wandering Bear Cold Brew arrived in a 96-ounce box that contained a bag of cold brew with a tap for easy access in your fridge. Unfortunately for me, the bag shifted in shipping. I ended up tearing it apart trying to find the tap, which had moved to the opposite side of the box. As a result, I didn’t have to worry about fitting a big box of cold brew in my fridge—the bag squished inside just fine—but my colleagues thought the box took up too much valuable fridge real estate. The packaging seems designed for serving large groups rather than individual drinkers. The company also sells 32-ounce cartons and 11-ounce single boxes.
Best Cold Brew for a Heatwave: STōK Un-Sweet Black Cold Brew Coffee
Photo: Stok Photo: Stok
Price: From 13 cents/oz.
Where to buy: Amazon, Target, Walmart
The StōK Un-Sweet Black Cold Brew Coffee is a light, uncomplicated brew that’s perfect for a hot summer day. It comes in a 48-ounce bottle that easily fit in the door of my fridge. Tasters described it as light-bodied and slightly sweet, with low acidity and an almost maple-like flavor. Because it’s so light, milk tends to overwhelm the flavor; most of our tasters preferred it black or over ice.
Best Cold Brew for a Deal: La Colombe Cold Brew
Photo: La Colombe Photo: La Colombe
Price: From 15 cents/oz.
Where to buy: Amazon, Target
Similar to StōK, the La Colombe we bought comes in a 48-ounce bottle, though there are many other sizes available on the website. It’s medium-bodied, with low acidity and a chocolaty flavor, and most of our tasters gave it high marks both with and without milk. At 15 cents per ounce, it’s the cheapest cold brew of the group, but it tastes high quality, making it an excellent deal. Angela found the brew “bitter” and “thin,” but the rest of the tasters loved it.
Best Cold Brew if You Like Starbucks: Starbucks Cold Brew
Photo: Laura Murphy/Consumer Reports Photo: Laura Murphy/Consumer Reports
Price: From 30 cents/oz.
Where to buy: Amazon, Target, Walmart
There’s something comforting about Starbucks’ familiarity. No matter where you are in the world, you can count on Starbucks coffee tasting like Starbucks coffee—and that goes for its store-bought cold brew, too. If you like the cold brew available at your local Starbucks coffee shop, then you’ll like this.
Starbucks’ cold brew is light-bodied and smooth, with a faint brown sugar taste (though it doesn’t actually contain sugar) and a touch of bitterness. We bought it in a six-pack of closable bottles. Aleyda liked the bottles so much that she plans to reuse them. Giselle, Aleyda, and I enjoyed the Starbucks cold brew and would definitely purchase it again, while Angela and Cesar found it too light and too bitter—an assessment that aligns with our respective feelings about Starbucks coffee in general.
How We Evaluated Cold-Brew Coffee
To evaluate the six brands of cold brew, my colleagues and I first tried them black in a blind taste test, taking note of the body, bitterness, acidity, sweetness, and aftertaste of each brand.
Before we got started, however, I talked to Dan Streetman, a Q Arabica Assistant Instructor, World Barista Championship head judge, and Specialty Coffee Association certified instructor for Barista, Roasting, Brewing, Sensory, and Green Coffee modules. He’s also the founder of Bird and Bear Coffee and the father of twin toddlers, “which means I need a lot of caffeine,” Streetman says.
“To me, a good cup of cold brew usually focuses on caramel notes and rich creamy tones,” Streetman says. “It shouldn’t have any papery or murky taste, along with having balanced acidity and bitterness.”
He says that freshness is the biggest determinant of how good cold brew tastes when purchased from a store.
“Many cold-brew products have residual fine particles of coffee that continue to extract and can make the coffee taste sludgy and bitter,” Streetman says. “Also, any oxidation is going to cause unwanted flavors in your coffee. Oxidation can occur over time and is one of the most common taste flaws that I find in store-bought cold brew.”
How can you tell whether your coffee has oxidized? Streetman says that it might taste a little like cardboard or “old, stale peanuts.”
For this review, a group of cold-brew lovers—Aleyda, Angela, Cesar, Giselle, and I—tasted six popular unsweetened black cold-brew brands found in grocery stores across the country.
Although evaluations were ultimately subjective, we used Streetman’s description of a full and balanced brew with a rounded mouthfeel, caramel notes, and creamy tones as a reference point.
Then we tried each brand with our preferred additives, using the same criteria and also judging how well the coffee’s flavor stood up to milk. My colleagues drink plant-based milks, with a preference for oat milk. I drink my coffee with whole milk.
What’s the Difference Between Cold-Brew Coffee and Iced Coffee?
A lot of people use the terms “cold-brew coffee” and “iced coffee” interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing.
Cold brew is made using coarsely ground coffee beans and brewed in cold or room-temperature water over the course of 12 to 24 hours. “Most notably, the long extraction time leads to more cellulose being present in cold brew, which most people describe as a ‘creamy’ mouthfeel,” Streetman says.
Iced coffee, meanwhile, is coffee that’s been brewed hot, then cooled down in the fridge or with ice. It tends to be more bitter than cold brew, which has a “thick, rich, and rounded character,” according to Streetman.
