Thanks for stopping by to read my review of Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate! The Signature Black version!
You might think a review of Starbucks coffee is a little odd for a person who’s not a coffee connoisseur. I’m the person who likes all kinds of goodies in my coffee to disguise, well, the taste of coffee!
My favorite coffee beverage is Dutch Bros Crazy Hawaiian. Doesn’t matter if it’s hot.
Or cold.
The Crazy Hawaiian is the best coffee drink I’ve ever had! This is a caramel, chocolate macadamia nut, and dark chocolate mocha.
Except – SOB! ?- it’s no longer on the menu!
What???!!!
I have to go all the way to Oregon to get one because Dutch Bros isn’t in Canada. However, this seems to have gone the way of the Starbucks “secret menu”. Dutch Bros has a “secret menu” too, and the baristas should know how to make it. There was a slight name change to Wallaby, available in the frozen, blended drink. Same ingredients, new name.
ON THE HUNT FOR STARBUCKS COLD BREW COFFEE CONCENTRATE
I was thinking I might need a jolt of caffeine in the mornings when I can’t get going, and heard that Starbucks had this new product called cold brew coffee concentrate.
I checked the London Drugs website and they sell Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate. Even better, it was on sale at $7.99, marked down from $10.99.
(Edited May 18, 2023: it appears London Drugs is no longer selling Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate.)
A quick check of a couple of local grocery chains, and I saw this Starbucks cold brew coffee concentrate was regularly priced in the same range, so $3 off seemed a good deal.
I’ll give it a try!
I talked about searching for the Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate on the Vegetarian Cowgirl’s June 2021 Grocery Bill.
I had the dickens of the time finding the Starbucks cold brew concentrate at the London Drugs in Cloverdale. It wasn’t where the coffee and tea products are. I checked the cooler, thinking it might be a refrigerated product. Then I walked around the end caps where sale items are often displayed. Elusive!
Then I tried the center section of the store where London drugs sometimes sets out featured products. Nope.
I’m on a mission now! I went back to the aisle with the coffee and tea and meticulously searched the shelves. This time I spotted the Starbucks cold brew coffee concentrate way up high on the top shelf out of my reach. The place where the staff put the overstock items that can’t fit on the lower shelves.
There was no price tag or label that high up. I found an employee with a step ladder who brought it down for me and was also puzzled why it wasn’t set up on a lower shelf with similar products.
About a week later I was back at London Drugs and checked to see if the Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate had landed on a more appropriate shelf with a price tag. Nope. Still sky high and not labeled.
DIRECTIONS TO PREPARE STARBUCKS COLD BREW COFFEE CONCENTRATE
The instructions to make yourself a cold brew iced coffee are easy enough. Put ice cubes in a glass, and then add half a cup of Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate and half a cup of water.
From here, you can sweeten it or add milk to fit your taste.
Put the jug of concentrate back in the fridge, and use it up within two weeks.
REVIEW OF STARBUCKS COLD BREW COFFEE CONCENTRATE
Let me start off by saying taste is subjective.
I prefer cold drinks to hot drinks, and that’s why I figured the Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate might be pretty decent. The description on the bottle brags about “subtly sweet chocolatey notes into this rich concentrate”.
I gave it the old taste test and I do not detect any chocolate at all. Bummer!
That’s all fine. I can jazz up the iced coffee to help out in the chocolate department.
First up was a shelf staple chocolate almond milk. I tried it twice with the cold brew coffee. Definitely thumbs down!
Then I bought a dairy creamer, International Delight, Oreo flavor. It was OK, but probably still not chocolatey enough for me.
Then I tried my old stand by, Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk.
Now we’re talking!
The nutrition label says there are 10 calories in a half cup of the coffee concentrate.
FINAL VERDICT
Would I buy the Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate again?
Well, maybe, if it was on for a better sale price than $7.99.
Honestly, I felt I could get make a better concoction making iced coffee from instant coffee.
My iced coffee recipe is simple. Add a heaping spoonful of instant coffee to a big mug. Pour a quarter cup of boiling water and stir to dissolve. Add ice cubes, and keep adding ice cubes until they stop melting. Add chocolate milk.
I suppose technically that’s an iced mocha!
Last month I bought a jar of Nescafe Instant Coffee. Actually I bought two jars because they were on sale @ $3.77 and I wanted to try out the vanilla flavor instant coffee to see if actually might taste like vanilla. I don’t know yet. Haven’t opened that jar up yet.
For $3.77 a jar, I’ll get a whole lot more than the 8 servings in the Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate. And I can take my time going through the jar without worrying about consuming the product before it turns rotten.
Have you tried Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate? What did you think?
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on July 6, 2021 and updated on May 18, 2023.
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