I look forward to sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee as soon as I wake up, but I don’t always have time to set up my Nespresso or Moccamaster. That’s where coffee concentrates come in: They’re a great way to make a delicious cup in seconds, and take half the time and effort required for a coffee maker. Plus, they’re stronger and more potent, so you’ll get that necessary energy boost throughout the day.
To find the best coffee concentrates, NBC Select editors tested different types and brands, keeping in mind factors like flavor, strength, preparation and price point. Below, I rounded up our favorites and what to keep in mind for each one. I also spoke to coffee experts about what to know when trying and preparing coffee concentrates.
Our top picks
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How I picked the best coffee concentrates
When selecting the best coffee concentrates to test, I considered the following expert-recommended factors:
- Preparation: Since coffee concentrates are much stronger than regular coffee, you’ll need to dilute them with water or milk to cut the caffeine level. Most concentrates require a 1:6 or 1:8 ratio of coffee to liquid, while others have a simple 1:1 dilution ratio. You can also customize the dilution level to achieve the strength you want.
- Flavor: Many concentrates come in a variety of flavors, including classics like vanilla and mocha, or more seasonal options like pumpkin spice and peppermint. You’ll also commonly find flavors labeled by the beans’ regions of origin or by roast type, including light, medium and dark.
- Strength: The strength of your concentrate depends on the dilution level — some have more caffeine than others, and require a greater amount of dilution. Some concentrates have a stronger coffee taste and higher caffeine levels compared to others (which typically depends on the beans they use), and many brands offer decaf or half-caf versions for those looking to reduce or avoid caffeine altogether.
- Packaging: How your coffee concentrate is packaged varies a lot between brands — some come in large plastic containers, while others come in fancy, smaller glass bottles (complete with a measuring tool). The most important thing to consider when it comes to packaging is whether preparation instructions are clearly labeled and easy to find, experts say.
How we tested the best coffee concentrates
Our NBC Select editors tested coffee concentrates across different brands, price points, caffeine levels and flavors. During the two-month testing period, we considered the below factors and shared feedback to determine the quality and ease of use for each concentrate.
- Preparation: We considered the overall preparation process for each concentrate, including the dilution ratio and whether the packaging clearly listed dilution instructions.
- Flavor: We kept in mind the overall tasting notes and flavors for each coffee concentrate, and whether it matched the brand’s description. We also considered the aftertaste of each concentrate, any bitterness, and whether the flavor was strong and pungent or on the weaker side.
- Strength: We noted the strength of each concentrate both in taste and overall effects, including how we felt after each cup, how long any effects lasted and whether the strong caffeine taste shined through even after diluting it.
- Packaging: We considered the look, feel and convenience of the packaging. Editors noted whether preparation instructions were clearly labeled, and whether the packaging made it easier (or more difficult) to pour and prepare.
- Price: We kept in mind the price per cup for each concentrate and whether we felt the taste and strength was worth the price point.
Best coffee and cold brew concentrates
Below, I compiled the best coffee and cold brew concentrates tested by our NBC Select editors.
Best overall: Jot Original Ultra Coffee Concentrate
Jot earned the top spot among our testers because it tastes great, it’s easy to prepare and comes in multiple flavors, including seasonal ones. “Jot is definitely the smoothest coffee concentrate I’ve tried, and it has a rich, warm flavor, which is exactly what I look for in a good cup of joe,” says NBC reporter Zoe Malin. “There really aren’t any acidic or bright notes. It’s more chocolatey, so I only add a little milk before I drink it.”
Though Malin isn’t usually a flavored coffee person, she loves Jot’s vanilla flavor and actually gravitates toward it more than the original flavor, which she can’t say about many other brands. “The vanilla flavor adds a hint of sweetness to the coffee without tasting sugary or artificial, and it pairs so nicely with a splash of oat milk. I find it super refreshing, especially as an afternoon pick-me-up,” says Malin.
Cups per bottle: 14 | Dilution ratio (ounces): 0.5 part concentrate to 8 parts water
Best pods: Cometeer Mixed Roast Box
Cometeer’s coffee pods are one of our editors’ favorite options; in fact, this was the one I enjoyed the most out of all the concentrates I tested. I tried out the Mixed Roast Box, which comes with a range of light, medium and dark varieties from different roasters across the country. Each shipment (which you’ll need to store in the freezer) includes coffees with different flavor profiles and roasts, which lets me expand my coffee tastes and compare my favorites. Plus, they’re super versatile: I can make iced coffee, lattes and hot coffee using these pods. If you typically stick to one coffee type, you can also choose to receive boxes of only light, medium, dark or decaf roasts. You can choose to receive a pack of four (32 capsules) or eight (48 capsules).
Cometeer freezes the coffee at peak flavor, which helps preserve its taste for months. That’s not marketing — it’s fully true, says Malin. “I don’t make coffee at home every day, so once I open a bottle of concentrate, it can be about two weeks until I drink the whole thing. At the end of those two weeks, the flavor definitely declines in intensity,” she says. “But since Cometeer’s pods have a three-year shelf life in the freezer, I don’t have to worry about decreasing intensity. Whether I make coffee with the pods the day I get my box in the mail or five months later, I get the same exact flavor.”
Cups per pack: 32 | Dilution ratio: 1 pod to 8 parts liquid
Best splurge: Kloo Craft Coffee Concentrate
This concentrate is definitely on the pricey side, but it’s well worth it, according to our testers. “Each of the flavors I tried were more sophisticated than the concentrates you’d typically find in the grocery store — they’re a bit stronger and more intense, and the tasting notes are more pronounced,” says Malin. The brand has detailed information online about tasting notes, the bean’s origins and cupping score, which makes it best for the expert or experienced coffee drinker. “It does require a level of coffee knowledge I don’t think the average person who simply likes coffee has. That said, if you’re someone who likes a super flavorful and more intense cup of coffee, this would be ideal for you,” says Malin.
Kloo’s concentrate bottles are the most aesthetically pleasing, eye-catching ones we saw during our testing — they look similar to bottles you’d see packaging a fancy liquor or spirit. The bottle looks great on a mantle or coffee bar, and it makes a great gift. Plus, the set comes with a coffee tasting wheel and accessories like a jigger (which perfectly measures out the recommended amount of concentrate), and it’s all neatly packed inside a drawstring bag. You can choose to receive two, three or four bottles, and you can mix-and-match origins, which include Colombia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Guatemala.
Cups per bottle: 12 | Dilution rate: 0.75 parts concentrate to 7 parts water
Best variety: Explorer Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
Explorer Cold Brew’s concentrates come in four caffeine options — standard, high, half caffeine and decaf — which makes it a great option for those who want to drink cold brew while still closely monitoring their caffeine consumption. Our editors tried all of these varieties, and they were very well-received. I tested the standard caffeine option, which has a smooth, robust flavor and works great for making lattes and iced coffee. NBC Select editor Jordan Bowman tried the low caffeine option, and though he doesn’t typically drink decaf, he actually preferred the smoother taste of this concentrate. “It was a pleasant drinking experience overall. The concentrate is easy to prepare — add water, cream, sugar and you’re good to go,” he says. (However, Bowman found the bottle to be on the larger side, which was a bit awkward to pour.)
Malin, who tried the extra caffeine version, enjoyed the strength and flavor, which she found to be a bit more acidic compared to other options she tried. “The flavor is noticeable but not overwhelming. I’m not super sensitive to caffeine because I drink coffee so often and have for years, so I didn’t notice a difference in how I felt with the high caffeine coffee versus the standard caffeine option,” says Malin.
Cups per bottle: 20 | Dilution ratio: 1 part concentrate to 4 parts liquid
Best pouches: Partners Coffee Rockaway Cold Brew Pouches
If you’re looking to make coffee concentrate at home (and don’t mind the more involved, time-consuming process), these cold brew pouches are the way to go. The process itself isn’t bad: I simply place a single pouch inside a large jug, fill it up with 24 ounces of water, stir it and let it steep in my fridge for 24 hours. Though I typically prefer the convenience of pre-packaged coffee concentrate, I ultimately love the rich chocolate and caramel flavor of this cold brew. Since I steep it for a long period of time, I also find it tastes much stronger than other pre-packaged options I’ve tried, and as a strong coffee lover, I’m a big fan.
Cups per pouch: 14 | Dilution ratio: 1 pouch to 1 part water
Best strong taste: Java House Cold Brew Coffee
Java House’s cold brew concentrate is definitely on the strong side — several of our editors noted they picked this up when they needed a caffeine boost. However, despite the intensity, it still tasted great: It has a strong, rich flavor that our testers could still taste after mixing it with cream or milk, plus it didn’t have that bitter aftertaste that many coffee concentrates do. However, it is a little less versatile than other options: it’s best served cold and there aren’t many other flavors to choose from besides the original blend.
In addition to the 32-ounce cold brew concentrate bottle, Java House also offers boxed cold brew and cold brew pods, which come in multiple flavors and decaf.
Cups per bottle: 20 | Dilution ratio: 1 part concentrate to 4 parts water
Best budget-friendly: Pop & Bottle Coffee Concentrate
Compared to other coffee concentrates on this list, this Pop & Bottle option has a lighter flavor, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — if you’re someone who doesn’t love the taste or intensity of coffee, this is a great option for you, according to our testers. It comes in several flavors, including vanilla, caramel and mocha, as well as a variety pack of three that lets you try different roasts. It’s also a great price: At around $17 per bottle (which makes 16 cups), it’s more affordable than several other options on this list.
Cups per bottle: 16 | Dilution ratio: 0.5 parts concentrate to 6 parts water
Best flavored: Grady’s Cold Brew New Orleans-Style Coffee Concentrate
NBC Select video producer Josh Rios has been drinking Grady’s coffee concentrate for the last five years and it’s one of his favorite ways to prepare cold brew. “I use the concentrate to make myself a single cup of coffee when I’m a little impatient,” he says. “The glass bottle sits perfectly in my fridge for when I’m ready to pour it into a half a cup of regular water. With just a little dash of concentrate, it makes a strong cup of cold brew in a short amount of time.” It has a rich, nutty flavor with hints of chicory and chocolate, though Rios gravitates more toward Grady’s Cold Brew Vanilla Concentrate. “Like with most concentrates, you have to cut the potency with water or you’re going to be vibrating through walls,” says Rios. You can also get this concentrate in pouches to help you easily take it with you on the go.
You can purchase a 6-pack or 12-pack of Grady’s cold brew concentrate on the brand’s website.
Cups per bottle: 8 | Dilution ratio: n/a
Easiest to make: Chameleon Black Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
“I really love this coffee concentrate — it’s flavorful but not too in your face, so it’s easy to drink and very smooth. There’s really no frills to it and it’s reliably good every time I drink it, making it ideal to keep in my fridge all the time,” says Malin. In addition to the smooth, rich taste, the concentrate is the easiest to prepare out of all the ones our editors tried: It’s a 1:1 ratio of concentrate to water (or any liquid of your choice), so you can easily measure it out or even eyeball it (plus, it’s easy enough to remember where you don’t have to keep referencing that ratio every time you make your coffee). The concentrate comes in several delicious flavors, including hazelnut, pumpkin spiced pie, cinnamon vanilla and mocha (the brand’s ready-to-drink cold brew lattes also come in Girl Scout Cookies flavors). Our editors noted that while the concentrate’s glass bottle looks sleek and attractive, it does require a bit more attention if you’re accident-prone.
Total cups: 8 | Dilution ratio: 1 part concentrate to 1 part liquid
Best decaf: Java House Cold Brew Decaf Black Concentrate
If you’re looking for a decaf option that still tastes like a good cup of coffee, consider this one from Java House. NBC Select SEO editor Nikki Brown, who doesn’t typically drink coffee every day, enjoyed the flavor of this concentrate. “It’s smooth with a hint of chocolate and walnut (though not getting any of the fruitiness). It’s decaf so the strength is low but it’s been a nice afternoon pick-me-up,” she says. Reviewers say it doesn’t have the bitterness of most fully-caffeinated coffee concentrates. Brown also found it easy to prepare: The dilution instructions are on the side of the bottle and simple to follow. Keep in mind since this is a decaf option, the dilution ratio is to adjust the taste rather than the caffeine levels, so you can drink it without diluting if you want.
Cups per bottle: 20 | Dilution ratio: 1 part concentrate to 4 parts liquid
Best ready-to-drink: Nguyen Coffee Supply Classic Black Vietnamese Coffee
Though not quite a concentrate, these Nguyen Coffee Supply coffees were our editors’ favorite ready-to-drink cold brews. Malin, who refrigerated the cans, poured the cold brew over ice and added oat milk to make iced coffee. “I was honestly surprised by how good this was. I think I was a little thrown by the fact that it came in a can, and I weirdly expected it to be slightly bubbly, but it wasn’t at all. It was just smooth, flavorful coffee,” says Malin. I was also a big fan of these cans: They’re easy to take on the go, so I often drank them in the office or on the way to work. Our reviewers say the coffee has a rich, chocolate flavor, and the 7.5-ounce cans are an ideal serving size. “Each can is about $4 when you work it out, which is less that I’d pay at a coffee shop,” says Malin.
Cups per pack: 3.75 (4-pack), 11.25 (12-pack) | Dilution ratio: n/a
What is a coffee concentrate?
A coffee concentrate is a strong coffee liquid made by steeping coarse beans or grounds in cold water for a long period of time (usually 24 hours or longer). You’ll need to dilute before it’s ready to drink. “Concentrates are typically more convenient than brewing a fresh coffee beverage because all the roasted coffee grinding, measuring and brewing was already completed for you,” says Spencer Turer, vice president of Coffee Enterprises, a coffee testing laboratory and consultancy in Hinesburg, Vermont.
“There is a preferred ratio of coffee to water when brewing coffee that makes a pleasant and balanced cup. The golden ratio is around 1 part coffee to 17 parts water. Coffee concentrate increases that ratio so there’s more coffee to water, usually around one part coffee to 10 parts water,” says Marco Suarez, co-owner of Methodical Coffee.
You can dilute the concentrate with hot or cold water, or with hot or cold milk. You can also use coffee concentrates as a flavor component to smoothies, cocktails and as an ingredient in recipes — you’ll get the strong coffee flavor without needing to add a lot of liquid, says Turer. For example, Suarez uses coffee concentrate when making tiramisu, adds it to his morning protein smoothie or pours a little over vanilla ice cream.
Is coffee concentrate stronger than regular coffee?
Coffee concentrates tend to have much more caffeine than your typical drip coffee, which is simply due to using more coffee in the brewing process. Concentrate is coffee that is brewed with a strong coffee to water ratio — since there is typically more coffee (and less water) used to make concentrate and the coffee is steeped for longer (typically 6-24 hours), it’s ultimately stronger, says Suarez. However, it’s difficult to tell exactly the difference between caffeine levels because coffee is an agricultural product, and there’s several varieties of coffee plants that produce different amounts of caffeine, says Suarez.
Keep in mind that when researching caffeine in coffee concentrates, it’s important to look at the amount of caffeine in milligrams per fluid ounce in the concentrate, which is listed on the packaging, says Turer. This tells you exactly how much caffeine is in your concentrate based on the serving size and prevents a guessing game when you’re preparing your cup.
How to shop for cofee concentrates
There are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a coffee or cold brew concentrate, specifically flavor and preparation method.
Preparation
Most coffee and cold brew concentrates are ready to prepare from the bottle — each one has a specific dilution ratio based on concentration level. Some concentrates have a 1:1 ratio for dilution, while others have greater concentration of flavor and less liquid, which means you’ll need to dilute it more to achieve the desired strength, says Turer. Coffee concentrates are easily mixed in a glass with milk or water, either hot or cold.
Strength and flavor
Coffee concentrates are notably very caffeinated (more than your typical drip coffee or ready-to-drink lattes), which goes hand-in-hand with dilution ratio. The best part is, you can adjust the caffeine level based on your personal preferences — simply dilute it with more or less liquid, depending on how strong or weak you want it. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, several brands also have decaf options, which means dilution mostly affects flavor rather than caffeine levels.
How strong you prepare your concentrate will inevitably affect the flavor. While you can add syrups to change up the taste, many brands also offer flavored coffee concentrates, including vanilla, mocha or caramel.
Packaging
Coffee concentrates don’t just come in bottles and cans — you’ll find options in pods, powders and steeping pouches. The packaging you choose depends on several factors, including how easy the concentrate is to store and take on the go (smaller pouches, for example, are handy when you’re traveling), whether it affects preparation (a larger bottle might be harder to pour and measure) and the overall aesthetic to match your personal style and decor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cold brew concentrate and iced coffee?
Coffee concentrate, cold brew and iced coffee are very similar, and some tend to overlap based on preparation method. Below is what to know about each one, according to Turer.
- Iced coffee is traditionally brewed hot and then served as a cold beverage over ice. You can prepare iced coffee as a hot concentrate using double coffee or half water dosage — this will ultimately dilute to a standard strength when you pour it over ice. You can also brew iced coffee with hot water at standard strength and then chill it in the fridge.
- Cold brew is prepared using room temp or cold water, which requires a lot more time to dissolve the soluble materials (usually around six to 24 hours), says Suarez. A cold brew concentrate is similar to typical cold brew, but has more coffee and less water so it requires dilution, says Turer. “When the ratio of coffee is higher than what is typically desired in a cup of coffee, it’s considered concentrated,” says Suarez.
Can you consume coffee concentrate as-is?
Generally, experts don’t recommend consuming coffee concentrate as is, but recommend diluting it in water or milk, or using it as an ingredient in other foods. “I think the tricky part is getting the right amount of water to get a balanced strength for the coffee so it tastes good,” says Kaleena Teoh, co-founder and director of education of Coffee Project NY. If you don’t dilute it, you run the risk of consuming too much caffeine, which might have various health effects, like jitters throughout the day or trouble sleeping at night, experts say.
Can you make coffee concentrate at home?
If you prefer to make your own coffee concentrate, you can do it using most brew devices, including an automatic coffee maker, a french press or pour over, says Suarez. But it does require a little math: “In coffee brewing, weighing everything is extremely helpful. If you’re wanting 800 grams of liquid and you’re wanting a concentrate, you’ll want to use 80 grams of coffee,” says Suarez. “If you’re wanting it ready to drink, you’ll want to use 47 grams of coffee. That would make the concentrated coffee to water ratio 1:10, and the ready to drink a 1:17 coffee to water ratio.”
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Spencer Turer is the vice president of Coffee Enterprises, a coffee testing laboratory and consultancy in Hinesburg, Vermont.
- Marco Suarez is the co-owner of Methodical Coffee in Greenville, South Carolina.
- Kaleena Teoh is the co-founder and director of education of Coffee Project NY.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m an updates editor at NBC Select with four years of experience writing about coffee and coffee makers. For this article, I spoke to three coffee experts about what to consider when shopping for a coffee concentrate and how to best prepare it. I and three other NBC Select editors also tested more than a dozen cold brew concentrates to find the best ones based on strength, flavor, packaging and preparation method.
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