I tried 7 brands of cold-brew concentrate to find the best one, and there was a clear winner

I tasted cold-brew concentrate from Great Value, Starbucks, Dunkin', Chameleon, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and Bettergoods.Meredith SchneiderI tried cold-brew concentrates from labels like Great Value, Starbucks, Dunkin', and Bettergoods.I didn't love the cold brew from Target's Good & Gather line and Walmart's Great Value labels.Stumptown Coffee Roasters had my favorite concentrate — my cold brew tasted rich and smooth.These days, cold coffee options are only increasing in popularity.As brands continue to make coffee more accessible, ready-to-drink options have flooded the market — sometimes to the detriment of previous coffee-concentrate favorites.With so many varieties no longer available and others now appearing on shelves, I figured it was about time to find a new favorite cold-brew concentrate to prepare at home. So, I picked up seven options from my local grocery stores to find my favorite.Luckily, it was easy to prepare each cold brew as directed. Meredith SchneiderEach bottle I tried suggested doing a ratio that's equal parts cold-brew concentrate to water (or milk). So, for example, if the bottle had 32 ounces of coffee in it, then it would make 64 ounces of beverage, or eight 8-ounce drinks. This made it a bit easier for me to compare costs.To taste each variety, I made a drink with a 1:1 ratio of concentrate to water. Here's my final cold-brew ranking, from my least favorite to my top pick.The Great Value cold-brew coffee concentrate was my most cost-efficient option.Meredith SchneiderThe only coffee concentrate I could find from Walmart's Great Value label was the donut-shop medium roast. It came in a 32-ounce plastic bottle for $4.42, making it $0.14 per ounce. This coffee was the cheapest, but it was also my least favorite. I expected that specific, lightly sweet flavor that's often associated with the "donut shop" descriptor. Or, I guess I expected some flavor at all.In all honesty, I think this tasted like water with a little bit of coffee in it, and the consistency was super thin. I was disappointed, but the good thing about cold-brew concentrate is that you can control how much of it you use based on your personal preference. This brew might taste better if you ignore the suggested 1:1 ratio and use way more concentrate than water.Walmart's other cold-brew concentrate wasn't much better.Meredith SchneiderThis brew was also from a Walmart private label — though Bettergoods is considered a bit more premium and trendy than Great Value.A 32-ounce bottle of Bettergoods' cold-brew black coffee concentrate cost me $5.96 — or $0.19 per ounce.This had a bolder, richer taste than the Great Value option, as though it has been brewed longer. However, it still had that displeasingly similar thin, watery consistency.Good & Gather black unsweetened cold-brew concentrate tasted fairly smooth.Meredith SchneiderTarget's Good & Gather cold-brew concentrate is basic unsweetened black coffee, served in a very similar plastic bottle to the ones from Walmart. The 32-ounce bottle cost me $6.39, or $0.20 per ounce.This coffee had more of a red color to it than the others. It seemed very similar in flavor to the Bettergoods option, though slightly thicker.The medium-roast brew felt pretty mild and smooth. I wasn't blown away, but I think this brew would pair nicely with a bit of cream.I couldn't quite get past the consistency of the Dunkin' cold-brew concentrate.Meredith SchneiderThe Dunkin' cold-brew concentrate came in a 31-ounce bottle that cost me $8.59, or $0.28 per ounce.After I mixed my water with the concentrate, I noticed the coffee almost had an oily consistency. It reminded me of some of the drinks I get at Dunkin' locations, and I didn't care for it. (In my experience, adding a splash of milk makes this consistency less noticeable — but this isn't helpful if you drink black coffee.)This brew was the lightest in color, and I'd probably describe it as weak with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Still, it wasn't bad. The Chameleon cold-brew "super" concentrate was satisfying, but too bitter for me.Meredith SchneiderChameleon's organic "super" cold-brew concentrate came in a 32-ounce glass bottle for $8.99, or $0.28 per ounce.The flavor was bolder and more satisfying than the other brews I tried. However, as someone who likes a little sugar in her drink, I still made a face at the strong aftertaste.This coffee tasted the strongest and the most bitter of the ones I tried, but this could be easily balanced with a touch of sugar and creamer.Chameleon's "super" cold brew may not best option for a smooth morning beverage if you prefer a milder black coffee drink.Starbucks' cold-brew concentrate tasted milder than I expected.Meredith SchneiderA 32-ounce bottle of Starbucks signature black cold-brew concentrate cost me $7.98, or $0.25 per ounce.Price-wise, this was a decent middle-of-the-road option. Taste-wise, I could easily see this brew appealing to the masses.I didn't feel the need to add cream or sugar to this cold brew because it tasted so mild. The aftertaste was pleasant, and the coffee tasted less bitter than most others I tried.It was enjoyable on its own, and it blended really smoothly with cream when I tried it again later.Stumptown Coffee Roasters' cold-brew concentrate was incredible.Meredith SchneiderThe cold-brew concentrate from Stumptown Coffee Roasters came in the prettiest 25.4-ounce glass bottle.It was the most expensive brew I tried by far at $12.99, or $0.51 per ounce. Unfortunately, it also happened to be my favorite.The coffee had a thicker consistency than others, plus a bold flavor without a bitter or unsatisfying aftertaste. In my opinion, this was the best cold brew to drink black. Read the original article on Business Insider

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I tried 7 brands of cold-brew concentrate to find the best one, and there was a clear winner

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