La Colombe Coffee

by La Colombe Coffee Roasters

Review: La Colombe Draft Latte with Oatmilk

Posted: Sep 09, 2019 at 1:15 PM (Last Updated: Sep 12, 2019 at 10:28 AM)

Covers Products: Original - Draft Latte made with Oatmilk, Vanilla - Draft Latte made with Oatmilk, Caramel - Draft Latte made with Oatmilk

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.


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