20 Cold Brew Coffee Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

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If you are the kind of person that takes your morning cup of coffee all too seriously, you can probably rattle off the differences between cold brew and traditional iced coffee with ease. Unlike iced coffee, which is often made by chilling the remaining hot coffee from the day before, cold brew is made by a special extraction process. As the name implies, cold brew is made by combining cool water with coffee grounds. The extraction timeline for a cold brew coffee is usually between 12 and 24 hours.

Cold brew coffee is an ideal option for folks looking for a low-acid coffee, since using hot water to extract the flavor from the grounds often pulls the desirable, intense flavor notes out of the coffee and leaves behind bitter ones. This means that cold brew can reduce indigestion, acid reflux, and other digestive side effects of your favorite cup of coffee.

And while we would love to have all the time in the world to make cold brew ourselves, it is much easier to just buy a decent cold brew from a grocery store or online retailer. Here are some of our favorite cold brew brands to stock up on.

Chobani offers several cold brew flavor options in pure black, sweet cream, vanilla, and seasonal peppermint oat milk. Its entire line is made with 100% pure Arabica coffee. One of the major downsides to Chobani's line of cold brew beverages is that it is limited in size to 32-ounce containers — so if you drink a lot of cold brew, Chobani likely isn't the most convenient brand for you. One 32-ounce container is sold at Target for roughly $0.15 cents per fluid ounce.

The flavor of the Chobani cold brew is not our favorite for several reasons. The flavored versions of this brand taste like you're drinking straight coffee creamer rather than a balanced note of cold brew with a hint of flavoring. The flavor of the coffee is weaker than other cold brew brands, and several customers reported a gritty texture and sour aftertaste.

Califia Farms is well-known for its dairy-free milk and coffee creamers, but did you know the brand also offers several cold brew coffee options in both 48-ounce containers and single-serve bottles? Califia Farms offers blonde roasts and medium roasts, as well as festive flavors like vanilla latte with almond milk, caramel vanilla with oat milk, and mocha with almond milk. Target priced the 48-ounce containers at around $0.12 per fluid ounce.

Califia Farms was far from our favorite brand of cold brew. Starting with the obvious — the shape of the bottles makes the 48-ounce containers annoying to store in your fridge. The flavor of this coffee is also lackluster, regardless if you are drinking the blonde roast or the medium roast. There is also an unanticipated sourness to the coffee that makes drinking it an unpleasant experience.

Lavazza is a premium coffee bean that has since expanded its product line to include cold brew cans. Outside of nitro cold brew, Lavazza carries three cold brew flavors: classic, cappuccino, and double-shot oat milk. A 12-pack of cans is available for purchase on Lavazza's website for $33, or $2.75 per can at the time of publication.

Amazon reviewers found the taste of these cans to be watery. The cream-based cans were too milky and lacked a coffee taste, which resulted in a 3.8-star average rating on the retailer's website. Plus, the nature of only offering small cans of coffee increases the priciness of this product and decreases the utility for folks drinking more than one a day. We recommend leaving Lavazza's cold brew on the shelf and reaching for a bag of its beans instead.

Java House offers four cold brew options for coffee enthusiasts: pods, individual bottles, concentrate, and on-tap boxes. The 8-ounce individual bottles retail for $2.12 each at the time of publication while the on-tap box (available in 16-cup, 32-cup, and 48-cup sizes) retails for as low as $0.68 per fluid ounce. You can also purchase several of its cold brew products in an espresso variety, which boasts a darker and deeper flavor than its regular medium blend.

Amazon reviewers have noted several instances of the taps from the boxes coming in upside-down and have likened the flavor of Java House to that of a cheaper Starbucks cold brew. Others have noted that the taste of the Columbian blend is very, very light and reminiscent of a watered-down iced coffee rather than the standard for a pungent cold brew.

Among its selection of nitro-brewed coffee, Lucky Jack also offers several bottles of cold brew concentrate in original, vanilla, caramel, and mocha. One serving (10 in each 32-ounce bottle) of this concentrate provides 130 milligrams of caffeine. Its beans are 100% pure Arabica, but we were not able to locate information about sourcing otherwise.

It was difficult to find information about this brand and its retailers on the website. From the reviews we were able to access, we found that folks enjoy the carbonized flavor of the concentrate, as well as the beautiful shape of its bottle. The overall picture the website paints is an eco-friendly and sustainable brand. But besides the organic label, there is very little information about how the company achieves those objectives.

Bean Box is a coffee subscription and gift service that also offers cold brew boxes for sale. You can purchase the cold brew tap in one of two flavors: rich and creamy (a medium-dark roast) or smooth and bright (a light-medium roast). Each box contains 1.5 liters of coffee, making it a significantly smaller tap cold brew than other brands offer.

Many reviewers on its website complain about the bitterness of this coffee (especially with the smooth and bright blend) along with a distinct plastic undertone that altered the flavor of the coffee significantly. And since we had higher expectations for a brand like Bean Box, we would argue that its cold brew taps miss the mark — especially when there are other more reliable options for cold brew taps out there.

Starbucks offers several cold brew options for folks looking for barista-quality coffee at home. The brand currently offers concentrates single-serve and multi-serve options in flavors like signature black, caramel dolce, Madagascar vanilla, and seasonal pumpkin spice. You can also purchase instant pods in a medium roast variety for an expedited cold brew experience.

The flavor of this concentrate is mediocre at best. Although it is a medium roast, some customers notice a bitter aftertaste with Starbucks concentrates — especially the signature black. Other reviewers found that the word "concentrate" doesn't reflect the actual weakness in flavor. And if you're drinking this coffee without diluting it, you're not doing your wallet any favors. You might as well just go to your local Starbucks location and pick up a cold brew instead.

With a face like that, it's not hard to love Cafe Grumpy. The brand offers individually-packaged, 11-ounce cartons of cold brew coffee as a one-time purchase or subscription. The BPA-free cartons are recyclable and made from renewably-sourced paper products. One 12-pack of these bottles is $48, or $4 per carton at the time of publication.

Folks who have tried Cafe Grumpy note that its flavors are crisp, light, and mildly bitter. There are no sugars or creamers in this coffee, so you'll get a full-bodied flavor that is both mild and delightful to drink. Realistically though, spending $4 on a carton of cold brew is almost the same amount you'd spend if you went to a coffee shop and ordered a small cold brew. With ordering a coffee out, you also have a bit more space in the container to customize and add your favorite creamer; Cafe Grumpy's design necessitates you pour it into a separate container to do your customizing.

La Colombe sells a range of cold brew products in individual cans, gallon boxes, and concentrate. The gallons are sold at about $0.26 per fluid ounce while the cans are slightly more expensive at $40 per 12-pack ($3.33 per can) at the time of publication.

La Colombe is successful in two major ways. Its coffee is super-caffeinated (for reference, its single-origin Brazilian cold brew has 225 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce serving). The brand also offers numerous flavor options for its single-serve cans including oat milk vanilla latte, hazelnut latte, and triple latte. This cold brew is perfect for busy folks who can't think of any other way to start their morning than with a highly caffeinated and flavorful cold brew. For some folks, though, spending over $3 on a can of cold brew is unrealistic, especially when there are other comparable brands out there to choose from.

The Death Wish Coffee Company logo is sure to get your attention if you see it in the store. The brand offers unsweetened cold brew and slightly-sweetened cold brew cans for $39.99 for a 12-pack ($3.33 per can) at the time of publication. Both options are brewed from organic beans and deliver a powerful caffeinated punch at 300 milligrams of caffeine per can.

The benefit of drinking such a highly caffeinated cold brew? You may feel too jittery to go through several cans per day, which will make things easier on your wallet. And since the flavor options are so slim for this cold brew brand, you will have to put a bit more effort into customizing your cold brew with milk and creamers. But if you like just plain cold brew, we can vouch for the delicious flavor of the arabica and robusta bean blend Death Wish Coffee uses, but some folks may find it too concentrated and strong to enjoy.

Grady's offers a beautifully designed and flavored cold brew. You can purchase bean bags as well as pre-made cold brew concentrate bottles from its website. One of the brand's most popular sellers is the New Orleans-style cold brew, which is made with chicory and a unique spice blend for a more nutty flavor. Each bottle of concentrate makes eight servings of coffee and you can purchase a case of six concentrates for $69 at the time of publication. You can also purchase a box of the New Orleans style for $0.30 per fluid ounce at the time of publication.

Grady's cold brew concentrate lacks a lot of bitter or burnt notes. Moreover, many reviewers found this coffee concentrate quite strong, so it's likely that it will take you a while to get through the entire six-pack. And since these bottles must be refrigerated before opening, you may find yourself struggling to find storage space.

High Brew is a coffee brand committed to ethical, direct trade sourcing of coffee from growers in Colombia, so you can rest assured that you're drinking a fair (and delicious) can of cold brew. High Brew offers single-serving, 8-ounce cans of cold brew in flavors like double espresso, Mexican vanilla, dark chocolate mocha, and black-and-bold. You can purchase cans from High Brew's website for $26 for a 12-pack, which rounds out to about $0.27 per fluid ounce at the time of publication.

Although we love the ingenious flavors High Brew offers, it's not practical for folks who go through several servings of a cold brew within a single day. Additionally, many Amazon customers note that the packaging for these cans is both difficult to open and ergonomically challenging.

Jot is a relatively high-end cold brew ultra-concentrate brand. Each bottle of concentrate is 20 times more potent than traditional coffee (per Jot). You'll just need one tablespoon of the concentrate to make your perfect cup of cold brew at home. The brand comes in two varieties: a regular roast and a dark roast. One tablespoon of concentrate has an estimated caffeine concentration of 140 to 150 milligrams, so you can easily customize your coffee experience to suit your ideal coffee profile. Customers of this coffee concentrate have high praises for its strong, pungent flavor in such a small package. The blend is full-bodied with notes of hickory and chocolate.

According to the website, each bottle of Jot makes 14 10-ounce servings of coffee. At $26 a bottle (one-time purchase), this makes your average cost per serving around $1.85 at the time of publication. Plus, you can add a bit of Jot to your ice cream, baked goods, or hot coffee. While convenient, it is more expensive than many of the other cold brew brands on the market.

Chameleon is a common cold brew found in grocery store check-out aisles. Unlike other brands, Chameleon offers a one-gallon box of cold brew concentrate that makes up to 250 cups of cold brew coffee at home — it's the most convenient option for people who drink a lot of cold brew. For the less intrepid cold brew drinkers, you can also find 32-ounce bottles of cold brew concentrate in flavors like heavenly mocha or vanilla, or glass 10-ounce, single-serve bottles in the same flavors.

Chameleon uses organic beans for its coffee and provides funding for technical assistance and food security initiatives in its coffee-growing regions in Columbia, Indonesia, Peru, and others. But how is the flavor? In short, several reviewers for Chameleon's cold brew products have found the taste to be lackluster and weak, more flavored like an iced coffee than a powerful, intense cold brew. But, if you're willing to settle for a less-than-exceptional flavor for the convenience of the boxed concentrate, Chameleon is a solid option.

Trader Joe's brings out the thrifty in all of us. And why not buy a cheap cold brew coffee, especially if it's a similar flavor to something three times as expensive?

Trader Joe's offers a coffee concentrate made with medium-roast arabica beans. Each bottle makes about 12 cups of coffee when combined with equal parts water. You can also purchase 32 ounces of ready-to-drink cold brew for $0.17 per fluid ounce at the time of publication. And for those of us who forget to put the cold brew in the fridge the night before, Trader Joe's also offers an instant cold brew powder. The concentrate is the thriftiest and most flavorful option of the three products. The ready-to-drink multi-serve bottle is on the strong side for flavor, but still could be made unique with the addition of one of Trader Joe's many creamers or sweeteners.

Stok is one of the most recognizable brands in the grocery store cold brew industry. It's one of our top choices for the best overall cold brew coffee because it is both affordable and available at most grocery stores. Stok is a B-corp brand, meaning that it is dedicated to supporting responsible business practices and ecologically-sustainable production methods. Plus, all of its Arabica beans are Rainforest Alliance certified.

This coffee is very strong and does not present with many bitter or especially acidic notes; the flavors in this cold brew are very mellow and can be sweetened with any of your favorite creamers. The brand offers several flavors and roast types in both multi-serving 48-ounce containers and single-serving 13.7-ounce containers. A 48-ounce container of Stok was listed at Target for $5.49 at the time of publication, or about $0.11 per ounce.

Rook Coffee gets an A+ for its beautiful glass cold brew bottles in flavors like New Orleans style, mocha mint, cinnamon vanilla, hazelnut mocha, and traditional. Its tried-and-true varieties are also offered in 100-ounce taps. Its boxes hover around $0.50 per fluid ounce while a 2-pack of 32-ounce bottles is priced at around $0.65 per fluid ounce at the time of publication — but the prices are somewhat variable depending on the flavor.

Reviewers love the New Orleans-style coffee from Rook for its chocolatey notes and full-bodied chicory flavor, as well as the cinnamon vanilla flavor for its warmth and sweet, decadent notes that taste like you're eating a freshly baked sugar cookie. Rook Coffee is also a very friendly brand with excellent and attentive customer service when it comes to its products. The biggest downside of this brand is its price.

Slingshot Coffee offers tapped boxes, concentrate, and individual cans of its cold brew coffee. The boxes are a single-origin Ethiopian coffee sold in a 64-ounce container for $15 ($0.23 per fluid ounce) while its 10-ounce cans are sold as a 6-pack for $21 ($3.50 per can) at the time of publication. The concentrate is sold in a beautiful glass bottle for $20 and has enough concentrate to make 32 fluid ounces of cold brew in a matter of seconds. All of these products have about 120 milligrams of caffeine per serving, making them similar to other brands of the same size.

The best value for purchasing Slingshot coffee is to go for the box. But if you find yourself in a coffee-loving household, you may find that you have to purchase several boxes of coffee to sustain your caffeinated tendencies. The flavors of this coffee are immaculate, though, with reviewers noting floral and seemingly herbal undertones.

Wandering Bear is no stranger to the cold brew coffee scene. The brand offers cold brew boxes, 32-ounce cartons, and bottles of its cold brew coffee. Its original cold brew blend is sold in one-gallon and 96-ounce options while its flavored cold brew comes strictly in the 96-ounce container only. You'll find delightful flavors like caramel, mocha, and even decaf from $28.99 ($0.30 per fluid ounce) at the time of publication. The cartons and bottles of its cold brew only come in one flavor option, straight black, but are still flavorful options for on-the-go coffee drinkers.

The flavor of this coffee is the epitome of what cold brew should be. It's delightfully strong and caffeinated with minimal bitterness. Although it's slightly more expensive than other cold-brew coffee brands, the convenient one-gallon size is ideal for folks who drink a lot of cold brew. Plus, you can pat yourself on the back for purchasing its 100% recyclable boxes and organic coffee from Peru, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

Bizzy exclusively offers ready-to-drink cold brew in light roast, breakfast blend, dark roast, medium, and Italian roast varieties. You can also purchase select seasonal flavors like peppermint mocha or pumpkin spice. Each 48-ounce container is priced at $5.99 at the time of publication, making it one of our lower-priced products at around $0.12 per fluid ounce. All of its roasts are certified organic, which makes this price an even better deal.

The caffeine in this brand varies between 180 and 220 milligrams per cup, meaning that it falls in the sweet spot on the caffeine spectrum. Customers are impressed with its strong flavor, mild flavor notes, and commitment to ethical coffee sourcing. If you're a self-proclaimed coffee snob, you have several coffee roasts to choose from with Bizzy.