Castle & Cairn

With the tagline "Bold Never Burnt", this ready-to-drink dark roast coffee from Philadelphia's La Colombe provides a self-described nutty flavor in a convenient format. It can be found nationally in the USA in standard retail outlets like Target or Publix, 48oz container for around $5. I do not see it on the La Colombe official website which focuses more on direct consumer retail. Made with specialty-grade beans, it is brewed strong with around 280mg caffeine per serving, a good deal more than a standard cup per volume. Not much other data available, but let's get into it! 🌍 Origin: Noted as Colombian in the product description - 100% Arabica 🔥 Roast Level: Dark - Espresso Roast 🧪 Brew Method: Immersion Cold Brew (assumed) 👃 Nose: Mild as they tend to be with cold brew. Generically roasty. 👅 Flavor: Initial palate is nut forward as advertised which deepens into roast and a chocolate adjacent gentle bittering note towards the finish. Aftertaste and back of fin...

Launched in 2025 with a limited-edition basketball pattern, Ghost Energy Peaches  was the second flavor to have an exclusive themed wrapper. Ghost printed a small number of custom peach-and-black basketballs for use as prizes for in-app mini-game giveaways. Interestingly, the brand went with the plural "peaches" instead of the more common singular peach as a homage to Georgia peach crates.  GHOST (GHOST Lifestyle LLC) is a lifestyle sports nutrition and beverage company headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. Founded in 2016 by Dan Lourenco (CEO) and Ryan Hughes (CMO), the brand positions itself around its mantra "Be Seen," targeting fitness enthusiasts, gamers, and mainstream consumers rather than traditional bodybuilders. I first encountered them as a part of sponsored content around Call of Duty Warzone on Twitch. Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is in the process of fully acquiring Ghost by 2028, having held the controlling interest in the brand since 2024. Ghost Peaches set ...

A ready-to-drink cold brew black coffee in 100% recycled packaging, this Espresso Roast from Califia Farms can be found in most national US grocery chains. Califia is named after a shortened version of its California home and is best known for their wide-hipped and curvy bottle shape. They are a eco-centric firm with values like contributing to resilient agriculture, climate, and circular economy through a plant-based food lens. With 195mg of caffeine per 12 Fl oz serving, you still get a decent amount of boost even when diluted. 🌍 Origin: Undisclosed - 100% Arabica, at this time Califia sources from Central/South America exclusively. Rainforest Alliance Certified.  🔥 Roast Level: Dark 🧪 Brew Method: Immersion Cold Brew 👃 Nose:  Not much on the nose, a small amount of cereal, sweet biscuit, and and maybe the slightest hint of berry. 👅 Flavor:  Undiluted it is very balanced with only the slightest bitterness. Mouth experience is roast heavy with that same cereal or...

Hailing from the South Carolina Lowcountry, High Wire Distilling is a craft producer of grain-centric whiskies. Jimmy Red is named for a rare landrace (naturally evolved and locally adapted) corn that was grown historically in the James Island/Charleston, SC area. It was long valued by local moonshiners for its high starch and oil content which yielded a creamier, richer spirit. By 2013, the last local grower had ceased operations and only two cobs of the erstwhile famed corn remained, protected by a local preservationist named Ted Chewning. Glen Roberts of Anson Mills helped propagate the grains in partnership with Clemson University, giving some seeds to Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall, the founders of High Wire Distilling. An initial 2.5 acre harvest in 2014 has blossomed into recurring plantings across multiple farms and hundreds of acres, more than 1.3million pounds of Jimmy Red corn per year. 🛒 Sourced: $57.99 for 750ml from Smyrna World of Beverage, GA - MSRP $59.99 🧪 Proof...

First released in 2024 as an official collaboration between Ghost and Welch's , this purple can aims to take you back to your childhood, full of refreshingly sweet Juicebox nostalgia. Ghost formulated the flavors using real Welch's Concord Grape juice concentrates in micro-doses augmented by artificial flavor systems, producing a distinctive sweet + tart profile. GHOST (GHOST Lifestyle LLC) is a lifestyle sports nutrition and beverage company headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. Founded in 2016 by Dan Lourenco (CEO) and Ryan Hughes (CMO), the brand positions itself around its mantra "Be Seen," targeting fitness enthusiasts, gamers, and mainstream consumers rather than traditional bodybuilders. I first encountered them as a part of sponsored content around Call of Duty Warzone on Twitch. Keurig Dr Pepper is in the process of fully acquiring Ghost by 2028, having held the controlling interest in the brand for a number of years. 🛒 Price:  3 for $6, two bucks apiece at Pu...

  This Ready-to-Drink iced coffee is produced as part of a longtime joint venture between Starbucks and PepsiCo in their continued march to manage retail distribution. The 48oz, 100% recycled bottle is unsweetened and intended to be consumed black or with one of Starbucks' specially packaged creamer options.  🌍 Origin: Undisclosed, 100% Arabica 🔥 Roast Level:  Blonde (Lighter roast) - typically associated with more mellow flavors 🧪 Brew Method: Traditional bulk hot extraction and pasteurization that is then flash-chilled. Note that this is not a "cold brew" as the brew cycle is heated. 👅 Experience:   Mild and nutty with a slight woody note to it. There is a slight sweet biscuit towards the finish, but it is fleeting at best. Very inoffensive and a bit weaker than the brewed hot would be at the store; perhaps they factored in some dilution? Tastes a bit oxidized.  🏆 Score:  2.25/5 - Short of Ideal - It's fine but doesn't have the edges to stand up if...