Cold Brew Boldness: Wandering Bear Coffee
Cold Brew Coming in Hot.
Bears are bad-a$$. They are strong, bold Motha Fuc$ers and they don’t mess around with any of that weak sauce. That might be where the crew at Wandering Bear Coffee came up with the name for their boxed Cold Brew coffee brand. While their crew won’t attack you for waltzing into their territory, they will go to blows over their passion and belief in their first ever boxed cold brew blend coffee. Our crew usually avoids bears, but when we heard about Wandering Bear Coffee we said: bring it on.
Wandering Bear Coffee brings you coffee shop quality cold brew coffee at the push of a button. Stronger, simpler, better alternative to ready-to-drink coffees on the market, Wandering Bear is re-shaping cold brew coffee by not only putting it in a box, but in some ways one could say by also thinking outside of one. What started as a friendly competition to perfect the humble DIY cold brew soon became a campus wide phenomenon, and from there, city-wide, and then nationwide go-to cold brew. Our crew loves us some coffee, so we had to give this young cub a taste test review.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Our initial impression of Wandering Bear Coffee was the concept of a box of cold brew, with a simple tap, in a sleek box for the fridge- how simple yet cool is this?
In regards to the actual cold brew, we’re just going to “tap into” the goodness. The flavor varieties, the always fresh tap system, and the caffeine packed into each blend (Each glass = 2 espresso shots (150 mg caffeine) is quite something. Since our crew wanted to try a variety we grabbed a box of Straight Black, Vanilla, and Hazelnut.
Straight Black- This cold brew packs a punch with simple ingredients: filtered water, organic coffee. No more and no less.
Vanilla- Same key ingredients, but toss in some organic vanilla flavor
Hazelnut- Shocking, but its the same ingredients: filtered water, organic coffee, organic natural flavor.
The lineup from Wandering Bear features simple organic ingredients and packs the caffeine punch that could probably take a bear down. No, we do not condone punching bears, but we are all in on the 150mg of caffeine per glass, always fresh tap, and recyclable packaging. Speaking of packing, they did a solid job with the labeling, presentation, and informative facts- ya know, in case a bear wanders in your fridge and wants to try some. It can happen, we have seen the youtube videos. All in all, the initial impression of Wandering Bear had us ready to roll.
Our initial duuude impression: Let’s bear down and try this stuff out!
TESTING IT OUT
Now that our crew tossed the coffee boxes in the fridge, we took each of the 3 varieties, tapped into the tap, and poured a cup for all to try. Each box brought a different level of flavor and punch-
Straight Black
Caffeine: Each glass = 2 espresso shots (150 mg caffeine)
Variety: Straight up black
Box Sizes: 72OZ, 96OZ AND 1-GAL
Recommended: Over ice, chilled
Tap: Built in Tap for easy pour
The first blend/brew we tried was the straight black variety. Strong flavor yet smooth as ice, and yes while over ice. Confused yet? Don’t be- this brew was legit. We filled a cup up with some ice, poured the black brew in and sipped our way to alert-ville. We tried it a few different ways- with and without creamer, some sweetener, and all in all the flavor was bold and not bitter. Very refreshing taste and flavor profile.
Vanilla
Caffeine: Each glass = 2 espresso shots (150 mg caffeine)
Variety: Subtle natural Vanilla Flavor
Box Sizes: 72OZ, 96OZ AND 1-GAL
Recommended: Over ice, chilled
Tap: Built in Tap for easy pour
Probably our favorite brew of the three we tested. We don’t like being punched in the mouth with overpowering vanilla flavor. Some vanilla coffee tries to drown you in that profile, and don’t give you enough coffee taste. Not here. This brew was perfectly balanced with vanilla. We tested it with and without added sweetener and must say if you like a little more black coffee, you could drink this without any added sweetener and still feel like you are in coffee heaven.
Hazelnut
Caffeine: Each glass = 2 espresso shots (150 mg caffeine)
Variety: Subtle Hazelnut Flavor
Box Sizes: 72OZ, 96OZ AND 1-GAL
Recommended: Over ice, chilled
Tap: Built in Tap for easy pour
We have to be honest- hazelnut is not our jam…until now. We are not big hazelnut fans in general, so the idea of trying this out was not our first pick. But, once we tried it we were fans. The subtle flavors were something we could easily see drinking more of as the day went on. Same concept of the vanilla and yet it was still refreshing and an even balance of hazelnut flavor to coffee flavor.
Testing these coffee blends/varieties out was a hit around the office. The bag holding the coffee didn’t impact the taste, and the simple built in tap was a great addition to the box-keeping the freshness. Speaking of, we tested the coffee on day one, then waited 2 weeks and tried it again. The flavor remained just as good day 1 as day 14, so win-win on the ole tap-a-roo!
STANDOUT FEATURES
Wandering Bear is a solid crew themselves (we know because we talked to them, ok?) and their coffee is standout for some of these reasons:
The amount of caffeine in each cup/glass will keep your energy and spirits up
The variety of flavors are all spot on, and well balanced
Easy storage and tap solutions make the coffee not only taste consistent but last longer (unless you drink it all super fast)
The organic and simple ingredients are good alternatives to some other brands out there
Wandering Bear Cold Brew offers so much smooth flavor that it is hard to highlight it all. So don’t just read our review- go visit them and see for yourself!
BONUS FEATURES
What, coffee from a tap is not enough? Yeah- we thought you’d want more. Wandering Bear makes more than just legit Cold Brew out of the box- they also feature their blends in Pods, Grounds, and Cartons for all your coffee desires.
FEATURES:
Dark Roast coffee PODS for those pod brewers
Coarse Dark Roast ground coffee beans make the perfect drip drip boom bang!
Cartons: Come in varieties of flavors such as Straight Black, Vanilla+Coconut Milk, and Mocha+Coconut Milk
All the same organic ingredients!
Wandering Bear also has Coffee Starter Kits for those who need the help from the ground(s) up-See what we did there?
Overall duuude Factor: Cold, Bold, On Tap and Meant for Your Fridge!
Price: Varies by Blend
BRAND INFO
“Our coffee has always been extra strong. It’s always been smooth. And we were the first to put it on tap in a box. Today, you can find our coffee in stores, in offices (and on Zooms), and in homes across the country.”
Learn more about Wandering Bear Coffee and explore some bold cold brew today!
