I’ve been making my cold brew at home for awhile now. I’ll share what I use to make it in another post. (It’s great). This post is not about my home made cold brew, but it is about bottled cold brew.
There are a lot of options out there nowadays for cold brew in a bottle. I’ve tried plenty of them, too. When inspiration hits, I’ll share about those here, too.
For today though, I’m talking about just two: Starbucks Black Bottled Cold Brew Coffee and Peet’s Baridi Black Bottled Cold Brew
Which one?
For me, the choice is Peet’s Baridi Black Cold Brew. I love coffee and I don’t consider myself a coffee snob of any kind. While these aren’t the only cold brews I drink, I definitely drink these brands. Of these particular two, my first choice is the Peet’s and here’s why:
The Baridi is very flavorful. It also has a nice kick to it. It has a buzz you can feel. It’s smooth no bitterness. Let me just say, the Starbucks black coffee brew is not bad. That said, I find the taste somewhat bland. It’s light and smooth. For me this equates to a watered down taste, if you know what I mean. It doesn’t have that kick to it, either. Overall, I feel it lacks a sense of body compared to the Peet’s Baridi cold brew.
When I try these bottled black cold brews, I don’t have a high expectation. Part of me expects that it’s not going to be as good as the one I make at home. Generally, I check out these bottled cold brews with a “let’s see”, “let’s find out” outlook.
When I first tried the Peet’s cold brew I really kind of thought it would probably be mediocre. You know what Peet’s cold brew did though? Let me tell you. It surprised me.
Yeah, Peet’s Baridi cold brew surprised me. This is another reason that I prefer it over the Starbucks one. Maybe I wasn’t expecting it to taste as good as it does because I’m not a big fan of their regular in-store menu cold brew.
When it comes to in-store fresh, I prefer the Starbucks menu cold brew. It compares to the one I make at home (but I still like mine better).
Here’s some quick info about each –
Peet’s Baridi Black is 5 calories, available in 10.5 oz. It’s an East African blend (sources from small holder farms). It’s bold and smooth and described as bright, juicy and aromatic. Cost is about $4.00
Starbucks Bottled Cold Brew Black is 15 calories, available in 11 oz. It has 3 grams of carb. It’s described as super smooth with a hint of cocoa notes. It’s comes from a blend of beans specially selected to brew without heat. Cost is about $3.00
I would love to hear what you think about these two. Do you like the Starbucks Black bottled cold brew or Peet’s Baridi Black cold brew?