The co-founders’ Matt and Ben met each other in grad school. Amidst their grad school struggles, they found joy in participating in the friendly competitions of making the smoothest and strongest cold brews. Soon it turned into their obsession.
Since 2014 their coffee has been extra strong as well as smooth. They were also the first to put coffee in a tap box. Today you can find their brand in all coffee stores, offices, and yes, virtual Zoom meetings and homes across the nation.
Their motto is “Making coffee this strong and good is a full-time commitment. And it is our full-time job”. So, why keep you waiting? Let’s jump into the Wandering Bear Cold Brew review!
- DELICIOUS, SMOOTH COLD BREW COFFEE: Coffee shop quality cold brew coffee at the push of a button. Suprisingly smooth. We are pretty sure this is the best cold brew coffee on the market; so sure, that we guarantee your 100% satisfaction with all of our products. Just get in touch!
- STAYS FRESH AFTER OPENING: Our packaging is designed to keep your cold brew fresh for up to 30 days after you tap the box by keeping air and light away from your cold brew.
- ORGANIC, HEALTHY, CLEAN LABEL: Just organic Arabica coffee beans and filtered water. Sugar-free, dairy-free, no unnecessary ingredients or additives. Paleo, Whole30, Keto, and whatever-lifestyle-is-in-trend compliant (unless there’s an anti-coffee lifestyle in the future, but who would do that to themselves? Not you).
- EXTRA STRONG: Our cold brew has 150 mg of caffeine per 6 oz. serving. That’s two espresso shots right there. And you get about 12 glasses of cold brew in the 72oz box.
- SHELF-STABLE: Our cold brew can be kept at room temperatures until after you open it. This means you can buy in bulk and store it.
Key Features
- Shelf-Stable: They can be stored at room temperature. But we recommend having it cold. You can also purchase it in bulk and store it
- Convenient, Ready To Drink: Lightweight and re-sealable packaging make the Wandering Bear the best on-the-go cold brew brand. No more need to struggle to open a can on the subway. A fun fact about the packaging: the caps look like plastic. But they are actually made from sugarcane! So their carton is 100% Recyclable
- Coffee On Tap: Their unique packaging keeps the cold brew fresh. Even after opening. After opening the brew stays fresh for a month
- Healthy: No sugar, all organic, and no unnecessary ingredients. Fair Trade certified filtered water and coffee beans. Paleo, Keto, Whole30, and any trendy lifestyle compatible
- Roasted In Brooklyn, New York: Small-batch roasted as well as packed freshly in the one-way valve bags to ensure freshness until opening
- Coarse Ground Version: Moms claim that Wandering Bear Coarse Ground Coffee is also great when brewed hot. The brand offers a 100% guarantee on their products on that claim too! So if you face any issues otherwise, please do report that
- Strong: Their coffee has 25 milligrams of caffeine content per ounce. That’s more than twice the strength of your average cup of Joe
- Extra Strong Version: Their cold brew has 300 milligrams of caffeine per carton. That’s four espresso shots packed in there
Wandering Bear Cold Brew Reviews: Comparing the Top 3 Flavors
Straight Black
The first brew we made was the straight black type. Our favorite and most consistently strong tasted yet smooth as ice. And yes it was over ice. Don’t get confused, cold brew is legit. We filled a mug up with some ice. Then poured the black brew into it. We sipped our way straight to joy-Ville!
We tried it also in a few different ways, like creamer with and without, some sweetener. Overall, the flavor was bold and non-bitter. The flavor profile was very refreshing tasting.
Vanilla
Our favorite non-traditional brew flavor of the three we’ve tested. We were not a big fan of being punched in our mouths with exaggerated vanilla flavor. Some brands of vanilla coffee try to shower you in that front. As a result, you can’t offer enough coffee flavor. Not the case here.
This brew was in harmony with vanilla. We tested it without and with added sweetener. We must admit if you like a tad more black coffee, you will be able to drink it without any extra sweetener.
Hazelnut
Hazelnut was not our jam prior to this testing. So the idea of tasting this out was not the first thing on our minds. But, after we tried we became fans. The subtle flavors were balanced. Such will easily help you drink more of it throughout the day.
Coffee Analysis
Flavor
The coffee has great flavor and is one of the best pre-packaged coffee brands we’ve come across recently. It is really smooth and offers a bold taste that holds up even when diluted as the ice melts. The coffee does a clean job of balancing the flavor and boldness of undertones to make it really a joy to drink.
Our favorite among the 3 was Straight Black. Given the limited additions to the flavored types, we were impressed with their prime quality.
Quality And Ingredients
While conducting the Wandering Bear coffee review, we were most impressed with the quality of the ingredients in the coffee. Many cold brew coffees are either loaded with other flavorings or sugar or just don’t taste good without cream. With Wandering Bears’ Straight Black cold brew, such isn’t the case at all.
It tastes authentic black and consists of nothing but organic coffee which they currently import from Peru and filtered water. No sugar or any other ingredients. The Vanilla and Mocha flavors also contain Zero grams of sugar. They are also flavored with natural coconut cream. Created from either organic natural flavors or, cocoa extract respectively.
Their coffee is also certified by the Organic and Fair Trade agreement. Though the Vanilla and Mocha variants have all organic ingredients, they do not have the organic seal.
Complexity
Most of the time the pre-packaged cold brews can be flat without the proper definition. Also, the complex procedures can get in your way of having a fresh-brewed pour-over. We did not find that to be an issue with Wandering Bear. The Straight Black option was balanced and had some brightness at the start and a chocolatey smooth finish.
While the flavorings have overshadowed the sophistication a bit in the Vanilla and Mocha flavors, you will find the added complexity layered on top of the coffee of either of their respective flavors.
Why You Should Choose Wandering Bear?
Wandering Bear makes sure that coffee brewers of all kinds can enjoy the rich, robust notes within the coffee. Though they do not provide a wide range of roasts, they honestly do not have to!
Offering Keurig K-Cups, ground coffee, and cold brew on tap packaging, all of Wandering Bear’s coffee products are skillfully crafted, and fresh, and are designed to make the coffee experience as soothing and efficient as possible.
Many other cold brews on the market available today lack freshness, saturated with sugar and flavor because of their extended shelf life.
In addition, most other cold brews, especially those which are produced by big-name companies may taste dull or burnt in flavor from over-roasting and mass-production of coffee beans meant to increase profits and save time.
Pros And Cons
Pros
- The ingredients used are top-quality
- Organic and Fair Trade-certified production
- Available from a lot of different retailers all over the country
Cons
- Slightly more expensive price than the competitors
Customer Feedbacks
The newbies of the Cold brew making world or even if you are not new to general coffee making, most coffee lovers can differentiate between good to crappy quality. The Wandering Bear cold brew reviews consist of some of the seasoned cold brew coffee users who already expressed their satisfaction and approved recommendations for those who like an easy-to-use, good cold brew coffee.
Normally users place the coffee inside the Cold brew maker for about 20 to 24 hours. Overall, most customers found this to be delicious-tasting coffee. Some even paired it with foamed almond milk creamery. Word around the corner is that it has been getting folks through pulling extra-long shifts. Meanwhile, it does not give you nerves. But drinkers found themselves being awake, as well as more focused.
Some are even in awe that it has a flavor that can be difficult to describe. Because they honestly did not try anything of this sort. If you are already thinking about giving it a try, go ahead. Most recommendations were in favor of the cold brew straight black version.
Conclusion
Since our aim of Wandering Bear cold brew coffee review is to give you unbiased information, we must admit that it is a tad more expensive product than its competitors. But it offers prime-quality ingredients.
The Straight Black is the obvious best-tasting pre-packaged cold brew available. If natural, organic ingredients are important to you, we believe you’ll not find a much better pick than Wandering Bear.
If you like your black cold brew, external flavorings, or even added cream or sugar, Wandering Bear Coffee is one of the best innovative products out there.
Enjoy Your Coffee!
