Caribou Coffee

Product Type:Coffee Drinks; Container: 12 fl oz bottle
BevNET Review: As the name suggests, Caribou Iced Coffee Plus Espresso is a stronger version of the Regular variety. However, we're not really sure that it actually tastes like espresso but rather a stronger brew of coffee with a bit less milk (hence only 100 calories in this bottle). Either way, we think that this product exposes the relative lack of coffee quality that is contained inside this drink. Specifically, the bitterness of the product is accentuated, leaving a much stronger aftertaste. Packaging is just like the others, but there's added text on the front panel which takes away from the clean design found on the others. Overall, it's not bad, but this is definitely our least favorite flavor of the lineup.Reviewed on: 12/13/2007

Product Type:Coffee Drinks; Container: 12 fl oz bottle
BevNET Review: The "Regular" variety of Caribou Iced Coffee is your straight up blend of coffee, milk, and sugar (as well as natural flavors, etc). The flavor is different than most other iced coffees we've tried in recent memory, mainly due to its lighter flavor profile. The product doesn't overwhelm the palate with flavor, allowing more mellow notes of coffee to hit your tongue. Plus, the product has 120 calories per bottle -- which is well below the market leader, Frappuccino. Lastly, there's the packaging, a 12 fl oz aluminum bottle. It's certainly not the typical format for an RTD iced coffee, which should help this product have a feeling that's all its own. The look is polished and reasonably attractive, but it lacks the brand power and image that you'll find in a Frappuccino. Still, it's a solid entry -- and definitely much better than Coke's previous attempts to crack the category.Reviewed on: 12/13/2007

Product Type:Coffee Drinks; Container: 12 fl oz bottle
BevNET Review: The Vanilla flavor of Caribou coffee has a pretty weak flavor, which is rather surprising given how often vanilla iced coffee products are over flavored. Instead, there's a light milky flavor that has only a slight touch of coffee and vanilla flavors. It's decent, but not great, especially if you like a richer bodied product. On the other hand, we do appreciate the fact that this isn't just a cookie cutter product. Aside from the flavor differences, there's the aluminum bottle -- a category first as far as we know. It's reasonably attractive, but the offbeat look of the Caribou Coffee logo seems a bit out of place with the otherwise sterile feeling of the product. Overall, it's a good -- and definitely mainstream -- entry but it definitely won't stand up against other premium competitors.Reviewed on: 12/13/2007