The Worst Store-Bought Cold Brew Is An Overpriced Mess

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Take a look at the shelf of cold brews in a grocery store's beverage cooler and one sticks out like a sore thumb — Blue Bottle Coffee Cold-Brewed Coffee. While its silver and blue packaging is modern and sophisticated, it's hard not to first notice the smaller serving size and the high price tag ($5 for an 8-ounce can). The price might lead one to believe it's a reflection of exceptional quality beyond the rest — something the Blue Bottle Coffee brand prides itself on. Unfortunately, in our review of store-bought cold brew, the price can't be justified by its awful taste. Our reviewer described the flavor as, "water that seems like it was extracted from a potted plant's soil," which contributed to it being ranked as the worst.

Over the years, Blue Bottle Coffee has garnered a loyal following for its commitment to using high-quality beans and prioritizing ethical and sustainable sourcing. However, it's possible that the brand's professional coffee tasting team needs to reconsider the specific single-origin bean chosen for their "bright" style canned cold brew (the version we sampled in our review). In a blog post, Blue Bottle Coffee described their "bight" cold brew as having fruit-forward notes, but these notes might not be the best fit for cold brew coffee. The reviewer noted that adding milk didn't improve the flavor and only made it more watery.

Other corners of the internet share our sentiment. On Amazon, Blue Bottle Coffee sells its Bright canned cold-brewed coffee in a pack of six, which has a mere 3.5-star rating. While there were mixed reviews about the taste, most comments also expressed how overpriced it is for what you get, even when buying it in bulk — $34.99, about $5.83 per can. A recent 1-star comment left in May said, "Way overpriced. Mediocre taste. More expensive than Boss coffee. Terrible packaging. Also, 3 months past the best-by date."

On a Reddit thread titled "Blue Bottle Coffee, is it worth it?", there weren't any comments directed toward the brand's cold brew. Instead, the focus was on the general decline in across all their products since being acquired by Nestle in 2017. However, in another thread prior to their acquisition, titled "Blue Bottle's new canned cold brew," one commenter said, "I thought it was super chocolatey and full-bodied, miles and miles ahead of Stumptown's awful cold brew." But then unsurprisingly followed with, "I would not mind having it again, if it weren't $4 for 8 ounces."

It may be that Blue Bottle Coffee works better in an espresso machine than as cold brew. If you're in the market for a silky smooth and refreshing can of cold brew, the best store-bought cold brew is from a familiar brand and is one I can't recommend enough, especially since it doesn't cost a kidney per can.