CANNED cold brew coffee is popping up everywhere and it’s a great way to keep cool and fill those caffeine cravings in the heat.
M&S has recently joined the trend and introduced a host of new tinned drinks to its food halls.
HOAR’s Consumer Reporter James Flanders put popular cold brew canned coffees to the test
If you don’t have time for a barista to prep your favourite iced latte in the morning, canned beverages are a great alternative and are often cheaper.
Brits can pick them up for as little as £1 at their local coffee shop or supermarket.
But I do love fresh coffee and I’m probably not the first to admit that I’ve never rushed to take a canned version off the shelf.
However, my opinion on the matter has completely changed after giving many of them a go, including big brand names like Starbucks and Costa
After testing a handful of the most popular cold brews available on the high street, I’ll admit that you can get a decent coffee in a can.
Here are the full results of the taste test.
Costa
Classic Latte
- £1.80-£2.30
- 72p-92p per 100ml
- 13g of sugar per can
Costa’s most popular canned coffees are a latte cold brew
Shoppers can bag Costa’s Classic Latte cans from Tesco for as little as £1.80 – which is cheaper than buying the cans direct from the brand’s own cafes.
I tried four different canned lattes – two from Costa, one from M&S and another from Co-op.
Costa’s take on the coffee beat M&S’s version, but it wasn’t as tasty as Co-op’s offering.
It has a creamy flavour but a nice sweetness that helps balance this out.
- TASTE: 5/10
- VALUE: 7/10
- TOTAL SCORE: 12/20
Costa Caramel Latte
- £1.80-£2.30
- 72p-92p per 100ml
- 14g of sugar per can
Again for those who like the coffee buzz but ultra sweet creamy flavour – this is for you.
The caramel flavouring is rich and not overpowering but if you’re after that traditional coffee flavour this won’t be for you.
This coffee also contains a high sugar content compared to the others we tested.
TASTE: 4/10
VALUE: 7/10
TOTAL SCORE: 11/20
Co-op
Ever Ground Oat Latte
- £1.90
- 76p per 100ml
- 8.8g of sugar per can
Co-op’s Oat Latte tasted the best out of the three we tried
Co-op’s Oat Latte contains a double espresso shot and oat milk.
This was my favourite canned Latte and beat both Costa and M&S’ versions for taste.
I should admit that I’ve never been a fan of nut milk. But the combination in this cold brew blew me away – I was super impressed.
It has a smooth creamy flavour -much like regular milk – and a nice sweet aftertaste.
I liked the fact that it was nice and sweet but had just under half the amount of sugar of Costa’s version.
But this scored lowest on the value scale as it costs the most per 100ml.
- TASTE: 9/10
- VALUE: 4/10
- TOTAL SCORE: 13/20
M&S
Classic Latte
- £1.85
- 74g per 100ml
- 7.8g of sugar per can
M&S is offering a whole host of new cold brew coffees but the classic latte didn’t blow me away
Marks and Spencer has recently launched five new types of cold brew canned coffees.
We opted to test the two most traditional types – one of those being the milky latte.
This cold brew comes in a 250ml can and contains a double shot of espresso and semi-skimmed milk.
But I wasn’t impressed. In fact, this was the least tasty of all the cold brews tested.
This coffee will definitely float the boat for those who love an overly milky flavour.
But if my eyes were closed I would barely be able to differentiate between drinking skimmed milk on its own and this coffee.
Even though it contains 7.8g of sugar, it doesn’t seem to be enough to compliment the overly milkiness of the brew.
- TASTE: 3/10
- VALUE: 8/10
- TOTAL SCORE: 11/20
M&S Black Americano
- £1.85
- 74p per 100ml
- 0.1g of sugar per can
This cold brew is as simple as it’s named and is made up of just arabica coffee and water and it doesn’t disappoint.
This is the real winner for those who love filtered black coffee to fulfil their morning caffeine cravings.
It has a pleasing bitterness and rich dark flavour you’d expect from an Americano.
At the same time it’s watered down to the perfect level but still super strong.
It’s a great alternative for those who don’t want a sugar-filled canned coffee.
- TASTE: 8/10
- VALUE: 8/10
- TOTAL SCORE: 16/20
Starbucks
Double Shot Espresso and Milk
- £1
- 50p per 100ml
- 17.2g of sugar per can
Starbuck’s no added-sugar Doubleshot Espresso was the real winner here
I’m a sucker for Starbucks coffee and the chain’s iced latte’s never let my taste buds down.
So I was pretty keen to put their canned coffees to the test.
The regular double shot didn’t disappoint with its rich flavour and sweet aftertaste.
The only single downside to this coffee is that it had the highest sugar content.
But if we’re talking value for money – Starbucks beats all the other canned coffee tested.
- TASTE: 8/10
- VALUE: 10/10
- TOTAL SCORE: 18/20
Double Shot Espresso and Milk (no added sugar)
- £1
- 50p per 100ml
- 7g of sugar per can
This is a great alternative for those worried about the high sugar content in the regular Doubleshot Espresso.
It also happens to be my favourite drink of all the cold brews I tested.
It’s cheap, tasty and comes in a smaller can than the others so it’s easy to store in the fridge and pack in a small bag when your caffeine cravings kick in.
- TASTE: 10/10
- VALUE: 10/10
- TOTAL SCORE: 20/20
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