La Colombe Coffee

La Colombe’s latest additions to their RTD Draft Latte coffee beverages lineup are three SKUs of oat milk based draft lattes. Included are an unflavored Original as well as Vanilla and Caramel flavors.

The product is packaged in a 9 oz. can that features a light blue background. The front of the can features a slightly busy stack of text that includes the La Colombe logo, the Draft Latte logo, and a large “Made with Oatmilk” callout that’s sitting in the center. The bottom of the can has a white band where you’ll find a tiny oat icon (at least that’s what we assume it is) followed by the flavor name and a callout for the caloric content. 

The stacking of these different elements is in the order of most important to least so we think it’s an intuitive and efficient layout. However, we’d imagine that over time the need to and benefit from making Oatmilk the largest element will diminish.

The final and perhaps most important element of the can is the plastic ring that sits over the top of the can. This ring, which is colored to match the particular flavor, is what creates the “draft” effect and the fluffy mouthfeel of the product come to life when consuming the product direct from the can.

Of course a draft effect is only good if the liquid inside the can tastes good. We’re pleased to say that all three of these products taste amazing. This starts with the Original, which features smooth coffee flavor, a mild chicory note, clean oat milk flavor, and a touch of sweetness (3g added sugar, 9g of total sugars, and 110 calories per can). It is, in our opinion, a no compromise product and one that we think works better than its dairy-based counterpart.

Flavored offerings are always a challenge in the RTD coffee set, especially when it comes to not totally overwhelming the coffee flavor. Fortunately, they’ve done a superb job of crafting the Vanilla offering and it adds another layer of flavor that pairs nicely with the coffee and oatmilk. It, too, is really mild when it comes to the level of sweetness, which is a nice thing to see for a flavored coffee drink.

Finally, there’s the Caramel flavor. It’s the sweetest tasting of the trio and definitely walks the like of having a bit too much caramel flavor. While the overall flavor experience of this drink is enjoyable, dialing this down might be an improvement.

In the end, La Colombe’s Draft Lattes with Oatmilk might be the best ready to drink coffees that we’ve ever had. That’s a tall order, especially when we’ve previously called La Colombe’s dairy-based Draft Latte “Perfection in a Can.” This product line not only takes advantage of the steady stream of refinements that La Colombe has made to the Draft Latte line, including a major one in that the Draft Latte line is now shelf stable, it also utilizes a trendy ingredient to create a version that’s vegan and, in our opinion, tastes even better.

La Colombe’s latest offering is a nitrogen-infused blend of coffee and lemonade, which is the company’s first product to feature citrus.

While citrus is still a bleeding edge flavor as far as the coffee category is concerned, what La Colombe has created is very palatable and refreshing. It’s made with cold-pressed coffee from Arabica beans, Sicilian lemon juice (7 percent juice), sugar, acacia and xanthan gums, and ascorbic acid and the product has 60 calories, 13g of sugar, and 90 mg of caffeine.

Getting a little bit deeper into the flavor of the drink, they’ve done a nice job of achieving balance between the coffee and the lemonade. It’s both reminiscent of an Arnold Palmer (the classic blend of iced tea and lemonade) and not that far off from the flavor profile of some of the cascara products that are hitting the market. It’s lightly sweet but well balanced, and the 90 mg of caffeine puts it closer to an energy drink than a coffee drink.

Positioning it as a shandy, which is traditionally a beer based product, is an interesting move. While there are some coffee retailers serving coffee shandy’s made with coffee and lemonade rather than beer, being the first to do this in a ready-to-drink product is a whole other story. It’s hard to say if this will be good or bad, but it’s definitely an edgy move that feels on-brand for a company that has been pushing the envelope within the coffee category.

Plus, we really like the look of the packaging. It has a two tone color palette of dark blue and bright yellow that is going to be impossible to miss. It’s easy to read and screams “LEMONADE,” which is definitely a good thing. We think there’s some chance that a consumer sees “Shandy” and thinks that there’s beer in it, but for those who are familiar with the La Colombe brand this likely won’t be an issue.

Still, this very much feels like an offering that’s going to appeal to a very specific niche. We’d say the same for other citrus-based coffee offerings, which simply speaks to the fact that all of these products are blazing a new trail rather than playing to the tried and true flavors of the category. That said, the path to big success for this product is one that will likely take longer than some of La Colombe’s other flavors.

Overall, we really like what La Colombe has done with their Cold Brew Shandy. It’s a fun, refreshing, innovative and well-executed addition to the lineup.

When it comes to innovation, La Colombe has been on quite a tear over the past year. And with the introduction of their seasonal Peppermint Mocha, the trend continues.

From our perspective, adding a peppermint flavored beverage to your lineup for the Winter season is almost like adding a pumpkin spice flavored product to your lineup in the Fall. And much like their pretty phenomenal take on pumpkin spice, La Colombe’s Peppermint Mocha Draft Latte offers a more subtle approach than you’ll find in other products using these flavors. This starts with the blend of cold-pressed espresso and frothed milk that’s at the base of this and all of the other La Colombe Draft Lattes. It adds a texture to the drink’s body and gives the product a light and almost fluffy mouthfeel. This is, above everything else, what really sets this product apart.

From there, they’ve added peppermint and cocoa to provide the Peppermint Mocha flavor. These flavors, along with the added sugar, have been used with restraint, which results in pretty subtle notes of both the mint and chocolate. This also helps the product have really nice balance in what it offers, which we think will help it appeal to both the masses and the more serious coffee drinkers out there.

On the packaging front, the theme of subtlety continues. Peppermint Mocha is packaged in the same 9 oz. can that’s used throughout the La Colombe Draft Latte lineup. It features a stacked design to the front of the can along with an aqua blue accent color that’s on both the label and the top of the can.

Overall, this is another really well-executed product from La Colombe that’s both very enjoyable and shows how versatile the Draft Latte format is.

With their new Pumpkin Spice Draft Latte, La Colombe is taking aim at one of the most popular -- and divisive -- seasonal coffee offerings.

Most third wave, independent, and premium coffee roasters have tried to steer clear of pumpkin spice, so it’s somewhat against the grain for La Colombe to attempt this. That means that there’s additional pressure on to make it something really special.

From that perspective, putting this into their Draft Latte line is a great starting point. But the biggest differentiator here is the use of pumpkin puree, which they’ve called attention to on the front of the can.

The resulting flavor is definitely more about pumpkin than spice, although they’ve done a really nice job of balancing all of the flavors. This is, just like the rest of the La Colombe Draft Latte lineup, a coffee drink first and foremost. The addition of milk, sugar, pumpkin, and spices add additional layers of flavor but in no way drown out the coffee. And the frothy body from the use of nitrous oxide really helps it have a silky smooth feeling in your mouth.

On the packaging front, the product uses the same 9 oz. can that is used throughout the Draft Latte lineup. In this case, the use of orange to denote pumpkin is super obvious, which is a plus. Otherwise, it’s clean, polished, and intuitive in how it presents itself.

Overall, we think La Colombe has done a really nice job with this product. While we probably wouldn’t drink this on a regular basis (there’s only so much pumpkin one can take), it’s a nifty seasonal offering that should generate both some buzz and plenty of satisfied customers.

When it comes to cranking out new products, La Colombe has been on a tear as of late, launching a variety of nitro-based coffee drinks to complement the draft latte that they launched in 2016.

While La Colombe is releasing additional coffee flavors, they’ve also launched their first non-coffee offering: a Chai Draft Latte. This product attempts to do to chai what their draft latte did for coffee: take a high quality, cold-brewed chai and give it that fluffy and light texture of a nitro.

We can’t say that it’s as game changing as nitro coffee might be, although that’s simply because the mass appeal of chai simply isn’t the same as that of coffee. But as far as ready-to-drink chai products go, what La Colombe has created is definitely the best we’ve ever tasted. It’s rich and creamy, with just the right amount of spice from turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper. They’ve sweetened the product with honey and sugar to the tune of 14g of sugars per can, which seems spot on in terms of complementing the tea and spice at its core.

Finally, there’s the nitro. As we mentioned earlier and in other reviews, it gives the product a frothy layer of foam and it gives the product a silky smooth body. This, even more so than the flavor of the chai, is really why you’ll want to drink this product -- and probably come back to it again. They’ve essentially redefined the experience of drinking chai.

On the packaging front, this product uses the same 9 oz. can and associated label design as their other draft latte products. Right off the bat, it is slightly unclear as to whether or not this is a coffee drink as both “latte” and “La Colombe” are synonymous with coffee. To figure this out, you’ll have to turn around the can and examine the ingredients list. If they could figure out a way to make this a bit more clear, we think that would be helpful. Otherwise, we wouldn’t change a thing about it.

All in all, La Colombe has done an exceptional job with this product. We’ll reiterate what we hinted at earlier in that this product probably doesn’t have quite the market potential as their coffee draft lattes, but, as far as chai drinks go, this product is certainly something special.

At Expo West 2016, La Colombe launched its innovative Draft Latte in a can format, the first of its kind to be enhanced with nitrous oxide. Now, a few short months later, La Colombe is extending its lineup with two additional nitrous oxide-enhanced coffee drinks. These products, Triple Draft Latte and Vanilla Draft Latte, along with a third can-based line extension, Pure Black, give La Colombe a well rounded RTD lineup that could certainly go head to head with any brand that’s currently in the space.

The most daring move is La Colombe’s straight coffee offering, Pure Black. Like its other varieties, this one uses cold-pressed espresso, but without  the dairy and sweetener included in the others. While it doesn't have the nitrous oxide found in the latte varieties, this is still a very tasty can of coffee. There is a pronounced nuttiness to the body of the coffee, which gives the product some really nice flavor without needing any sweetener. Plus, the company has done a nice job creating some visual separation between this product and the Draft Latte offerings.

As for the two Draft Latte extensions, Triple and Vanilla, they both extend the appeal of the brand. First, Triple Draft Latte is a super caffeinated version of the original. It features three shots of espresso, although the taste is only slightly stronger than the original variety. While they don’t mention exactly how much caffeine is in the product (a shot typically has 65mg, so figure around 200mg per can), it’s hard not to feel the kick from this product. With the Vanilla, they’ve opted for something that’s a bit more than a standard vanilla flavored coffee. Specifically, the ingredients list states that they’ve used vanilla  “with other natural flavors (like maple).” It’s hard to put our finger on the flavors that we taste, but it definitely grew on us as we consumed it. And with both of the products, we think La Colombe nailed the level of sweetness.

If there’s any room for improvement with these products, it comes in the form of minor tweaks that could be made with the packaging and messaging. For starters, the quality of the shrink sleeve labels doesn’t match up to painted cans’. This was especially noticeable on the Pure Black cans, where the the label was slightly askew. With regards to the messaging, we think further explanation of “cold-pressed espresso” would be helpful, especially if they can help the consumer understand the differences between this and regular cold-brew.

As far as packaged iced coffee beverages go, La Colombe has definitely succeeded in creating something that’s unique and innovative with its Draft Latte. The formulation, which is made with milk, cold pressed espresso, cane sugar, and acacia gum, mimics the taste and mouthfeel of a freshly made iced latte. In our opinion, the texture is even a bit better than what you get from something that’s freshly made. It has a nice fluffy and foamy consistency that’s on par with a nitro coffee. However, it really needs to be poured into a glass to get the full effect and best drinking experience. As for the coffee itself, it’s top notch, and exactly what we’d expect from a high end purveyor like La Colombe. There’s also some sweetness to the product, which, at 14g of sugar per can, seems like just the right amount (although we could certainly make an argument for an unsweetened variety). All in all, this is an extremely enjoyable and innovative tasting product. On the packaging front, the 9 oz. can is clean and minimalist in its design. There’s a plastic ring around the top, which catches the eye quickly and calls attention to the uniqueness of what’s inside. While it isn’t immediately obvious what a “draft latte” is, La Colombe has done well to describe the beverage in a succinct way. Overall, this is an exceptional product, both in terms of the innovation that it brings to the category and the liquid that’s inside the can.