CATEGORY

Coffee Drinks

2007 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER

Starbucks Frappuccino

What Makes a Good Ready-to-Drink Liquid Coffee Drink?

Coffee lovers who prefer their drinks milky and sweet should consider ready-to-drink coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up. Not as hot, strong or bitter as a typical cup of coffee, ready-to-drink coffee drinks are also a nice alternative to carbonated soft drinks. They are great in sack lunches for commuters and picnics for the family. 

Our chefs define high-quality ready-to-drink liquid vanilla or mocha coffee drinks as having a homogenous, medium brown color that is opaque and shows no signs of separation. These bottled beverages shouldn’t appear to need stirring or shaking before opening. The moderate aroma will have a complex character with coffee, dairy and vanilla or chocolate notes. The aroma should not be simple, one-dimensional or dominated by inappropriate notes like almond or hazelnut extract, and no off notes should detract from the overall aroma.

Ready-to-drink liquid vanilla and mocha coffee drinks are in taste balance when a bold sweetness is the leading basic taste. For vanilla coffee, sourness should be low and bitterness minimal. For mocha coffee, bitterness will be higher—at half the level of sweetness—and sourness will be low. In either variety, any saltiness should be just enough to provide balance.

In the flavor profile for vanilla coffee, either coffee or dairy flavors may lead—depending upon the stylistic choice of the manufacturer—followed by a minimal amount of vanilla flavor. For mocha coffee, bold coffee flavor will lead, followed by moderate dairy flavor and low chocolate flavor. Together these flavor intensities will create proper flavor balance. With coffee, dairy and vanilla or chocolate notes, the flavor’s character will be more complex than the aroma. As with the aroma, there should be no inappropriate off notes detracting from the overall flavor.

The mouth weight of vanilla or mocha coffee is expected to be relatively heavy on the palate, similar to heavy cream. After swallowing, the finish should be creamy rather than chalky, and the moderately long dissolve should leave a fairly clean aftertaste. The coffee sensation may linger on the palate, but should not be cloying or overly sweet.

Product Category Definition

The category judged was defined as ready-to-drink liquid coffee drinks for the consumer market, not including instant coffee, on-the-go coffee soluble flavored drink mixes, ground or whole bean coffee. This judging included bottled vanilla and mocha liquid coffee drinks.

Other Leading Brands:

Godiva Belgian Blends