Daily Bread’s Robbie Dalgetty has over 16 years of coffee experience and says a decent iced coffee should not skimp on the coffee flavour and cut-through.
“I want to taste the coffee and whatever it’s mixed with without it being too watered down,” he says.
Atomic Coffee Roasters’ Kary Luo agrees, explaining that her ideal iced coffee is “strong and balanced with the milk”.
“You just want something refreshing. I think the coffee shot itself is really important as well.”
We asked our experts to blind judge six randomly selected store-bought iced coffees, across four categories: flavour, acidity, body and aftertaste.
We’ve found the average of their scores out of 10 for each category.
With no prior knowledge of the products, here’s what they thought, from their least favourite to the best supermarket iced coffee in New Zealand.
Bickfords Almond milk base wasn’t a hit. Photo / Dean Purcell
Bickford’s Iced Coffee Almond Milk
Price (per 1 litre): $7.60
Average score: 2.12 / 10
Dalgetty says:
“I’m going to say if there is body, it’s definitely not breathing anymore.”
“I’m still not convinced there’s coffee in here.”
“If there is coffee in this cup, there’s not enough.”
Luo says:
“Honestly, if I wanted an iced coffee and you gave me that, I’d just be very angry.”
“It tastes like a coffee-flavoured banana bread but made with oat milk.”
“The flavour is nice, but from a coffee flavour perspective, no.”
Mammoth Supply Co’s iced coffee contained a protein hit. Photo / Dean Purcell
Mammoth Supply Co. Protein Fix Iced Original Coffee
Price (per 1 litre): $9.98
Average score: 2.62 / 10
Dalgetty says:
“It’s really thick, and I can’t taste any coffee.”
“I feel like there has to be protein in it because it’s thick. I might get this if I’m hitting the gym.”
“I can’t tell if the lack of acidity is a good or a bad thing.”
Luo says:
“It’s not bad to drink if this is a protein shake, but for an iced coffee, I would be disappointed.”
“It’s like a meal substitution that sort of smoothie thickness.”
“There’s no aftertaste. It’s just kind of once you swallow everything just disappears.”
Japanese-created Boss iced coffees are flash brewed. Photo / Dean Purcell
Boss Iced Coffee Double Espresso
Price (per 1 litre): $16.67
Average score: 3.87 / 10
Dalgetty says:
“It’s got legs on it, but I don’t know if it’s running.”
“The actual flavour of the coffee isn’t really there, but I can still taste the sweetness from the milk and the sugar.”
“Doesn’t have that bold coffee flavour.”
Luo says:
“I would say it’s a medium body, but that’s more from the syrup and the milk, not from the coffee itself.”
“It smells like it’s going to be really sweet, but it’s kind of flat.”
“Kind of like Vietnamese coffee.”
Puhoi Valley’s iced coffee came second best out of our ‘premium’ products. Photo / Dean Purcell
Puhoi Valley Arabica Espresso
Price (per 1 litre): $13
Average score: 4.25 / 10
Dalgetty says:
“It’s definitely richer on the coffee side, [but it is] still sweet though.”
“There’s not much linger, but it is nicer than a sugar mouth.”
“It’s basically like drinking a cream syrup with a touch of coffee flavour in it.”
Luo says:
“It definitely uses good quality milk.”
“The aftertaste just disappears real quick. Like, there’s not much to it.”
“If you’re starting young, like a 10-year-old who wants to have a coffee, you can give them that. They will be very happy.”
Australian iced coffee brand Nippy’s was runner up. Photo / Dean Purcell
Runner up: Nippy’s Double Espresso
Price (per 1 litre): $7.80
Average score: 4.5 / 10
Dalgetty says:
“I feel like the body’s hitting the highest range for me. It’s more like a coffee milkshake.”
“I’ve definitely bought this after a night out in a dairy somewhere.”
“Smells sweet again. This one’s more vanilla-y though.”
Luo says:
“I feel like with this one, anyone can drink it, even kids, because it’s really sweet and milky.”
“It’s really smooth.”
“It reminds me of coffee-flavoured ice cream.”
Lewis Road Creamery’s iced coffee came out on top. Photo / Dean Purcell
Winner: Lewis Road Creamery Double Espresso
Price (per 1 litre): $16.90
Average score: 6.87 / 10
Dalgetty says:
“I feel like this was made with quite a high-quality coffee, just because the flavours are very balanced.”
“It gives that complex. My whole tongue’s being engaged for the first time.”
“The body’s the best on this one coffee-wise because I can taste it initially, and then I can taste it lingering a little bit.”
Luo says:
“More balance with the milk and sugar.”
“It’s not really bitter like a cheaper one.”
“There’s obviously been more care put into the coffee being the predominant flavour in comparison to the other ones.”