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These days, virtually any coffee shop you walk into has iced coffee on the menu. Thanks to the cold-brew craze, it's the caffeinated beverage of choice for tons of people — sometimes even in the off-season. Not everyone has an Instagram-worthy spot that grinds its own beans around the corner, so many rely on fast-food restaurants and other quick-service spots to get their morning jolt. That's why we took on the task of taste-testing iced coffee at 8 places to identify which chain is pouring the best of the best. Find out how typical iced coffees with milk and sugar compared across these popular spots.
Here are the iced coffee contenders:
McDonald's
Price: $1.99
Our taste testers had high hopes for McCafé — a well-oiled machine like McDonald's must have figured out something as simple as iced coffee, right? At first sip, we discovered the answer was no. The milky concoction was bland and lacked sweetness, with little to no coffee flavor at all. Some mentioned that it tasted like iced tea masquerading as coffee, and one person even claimed to taste lemon. Though it's easy to drink, we were looking for something with more of a jolt.
Dunkin' Donuts
Price: $2.79
For all the east coasters I know who live and die by Dunkin' Donuts' iced coffee, I expected this chain to perform well in the line-up. Unfortunately, comparing it to nearly any other iced coffee revealed its true colors. While many of the varieties were slightly watered down due to melting ice, Dunkin's coffee honestly tasted like straight H20. Though it wasn't bitter, it had an odd flavor that caused more than one look of disgust while tasting.
Starbucks
Price: $2.65
This was the first variety in the lineup to truly satisfy in terms of strong, coffee flavor. Some mentioned that it had a slightly bitter or acidic flavor, but there's no denying that it would wake you up. The sugar level was overpowering for a few, and some wondered whether vanilla syrup had been added (it hadn't). Overall, the consensus was that despite the small amount of coffee that comes with a tall order, you get plenty of bang for your buck.
Pret A Manger
Price: $3.04
Though not available everywhere, we threw Pret A Manger into the mix for its popularity in New York, Boston, Chicago and D.C. This clocked in as the most expensive iced coffee of the bunch, but it makes up for its cost in size. Milk and sugar are DIY at this chain, so we eye-balled the milk and added one packet of sugar for comparable flavor to the other coffees. There were many comments on how rich the coffee flavor was, which shone through even though it was a bit watery.
7-Eleven
Price: 99 cents
As far as cheap options go, 7-Eleven is about the best deal you'll find — but you get what you pay for. Iced coffee is self-serve at these convenience stores, and it comes out of the spout at room temperature. Customers fill their own cups with ice and fix up their drinks with milk and sugar, and our testers were not pleased with the result. Someone noted that it "tastes like dirty water that's been sitting for a week," and the plastic-like aftertaste didn't inspire anyone to seek this out for a caffeine boost.
Krispy Kreme
Price: $2.29
One sip of Krispy Kreme's iced coffee and you can feel the sugar rush coming. One tester joked that it tasted "like someone dropped a glazed donut in here," but despite the sweetness, most still found it enjoyable. This creamy variety reminded us of a melted Frappuccino that would perhaps be better suited as a treat than an early-morning drink — so maybe choose between the coffee and a donut at Krispy Kreme?
Panera
Price: $2.29
Though they serve a variety of baked goods and breakfast treats, Panera is, surprisingly, a self-serve coffee spot. Pouring it into the cup, we noticed it was warm, leading us to wonder whether it was simply hot coffee cooled down, meant to be poured over ice. In terms of taste, many were pleased with how strong the coffee flavor was, and since we added our own milk, that flavor wasn't drowned out.
Tim Horton's
Price: $2.49
This Canadian chain surprised us with an iced coffee that had a nice balance of creaminess and coffee flavor. From sight alone you could tell that it was heavy on the milk, but the coffee notes still stood out, creating a sweet and satisfying concoction. The sugar level made it feel like a bit of an indulgence, but unlike many other chains, Tim Hortons manages not to overdo it.
The Winner:
After sipping our way through the line-up, the clear standouts were Starbucks, Pret A Manger and Tim Horton's. Personal favorites varied a bit, but we concluded that Starbucks is the dependable powerhouse we suspected and Tim Horton's is not one to be overlooked for a delicious caffeine kick. Overall, we had to give it to Pret A Manger, which wowed us with bold flavor and a great value. It's an easily drinkable and satisfying iced coffee that anyone would be happy to start their day with.
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