I tried all of Dutch Bros Coffee's fan-favorite drinks and ranked them from worst to best
Dutch Bros Coffee has eight drinks on its Dutch Faves menu, and I tried them all.
The Caramelizer and the Kicker were both very sweet and didn't wow me.
Although the chain's pumpkin drink was a close contender, the Annihilator won.
Dutch Bros Coffee started as a pushcart in 1992 and has grown into a drive-thru empire.
It's opened more than 900 shops across the US. The Oregon-based coffee chain also had a 30% increase in total revenue from Q2 2023 to Q2 2024 — a sign of steady growth.
Dutch Bros' Dutch Faves menu is a collection of fan-favorite drinks, most of which are unique to the chain. As a longtime fan myself, I decided to taste-test all eight.
To keep things consistent, I ordered the medium, iced version of each, but you can also get them hot or blended.
Here's how they ranked from worst to best.
Note: Prices are based on one Dutch Bros location in Missouri and may vary in other states.
8. Caramelizer
Price: $6.38
Dutch Bros' take on a caramel mocha is a fan-favorite drink. It features espresso, caramel sauce, and the chain's branded chocolate milk.
As a hot beverage, I could see it being a nice cup of caramel hot chocolate. But the espresso didn't quite blend into my iced drink smoothly.
The competition was fairly fierce so that inconsistency landed it the bottom spot in the ranking.
7. Kicker
Price: $5.38
The iced Kicker is the equivalent of an Irish-cream breve, with espresso, half-and-half, and Irish-cream syrup.
It's definitely sweet and creamy. But it tasted a little like I oversweetened a regular iced coffee at home. I wasn't getting a ton of depth of flavor from the Irish cream.
If sweet drinks are really your thing, you might like this more than I did.
6. Cocomo
Price: $6.38
Dutch Bros' Cocomo, or coconut mocha, is a refreshing mix of chocolate milk and espresso topped with coconut syrup.
I've tried seasonal coconut drinks at other coffee shops, and they've always been too nutty for me. This had a more subtle flavor, which I preferred.
If you like a sweeter drink, I've seen some people suggest adding caramel sauce to the Cocomo.
5. 9-1-1
Price: $6.90
If you need a jolt of caffeine, the 9-1-1 is an amped-up version of the Kicker. It has the same basic ingredients, but a medium packs six shots of espresso.
The added espresso helps to balance the sweetness of the Irish cream. I'd definitely get this again to keep me energized for a long day of work.
4. Double Torture
Price: $6.90
Despite its somewhat aggressive name, the Double Torture actually has fewer shots than the 9-1-1. Instead of the typical double shot, it has four.
The heavy coffee content is balanced out with chocolate milk and vanilla syrup.
Although the color of the drink looks rather dark, the added vanilla makes it taste lighter than a typical mocha. I think it packs the right amount of caffeine and flavor for a busy morning.
3. Golden Eagle
Price: $5.71
The Golden Eagle is one of the most hyped drinks on the Dutch Bros menu.
The creamy beverage is made with blended espresso, half-and-half, vanilla syrup, and caramel sauce — with extra caramel on top.
This is probably the sweetest of the fan-favorite drinks. But there's still a nice coffee flavor, which bumped it up on my list. It's perfect for people who enjoy dessert-forward coffee experiences.
If you want to tone it down a little, I recommend letting the ice melt to dilute it or adding an extra shot of espresso.
2. Caramel pumpkin-brûlée breve
Price: $7.47
The only seasonal beverage featured on the Dutch Faves list is the caramel pumpkin-brûlée breve. As the fall weather rolled in, it felt appropriate to sip on the pumpkin and salted-caramel flavors.
The drink is topped off with the Dutch signature Soft Top foam, a pumpkin drizzle, and sugar sprinkles.
I thought it tasted more like caramel than pumpkin, but that actually worked for me. It was a refreshingly smooth take on the seasonal flavor.
1. Annihilator
Price: $6.38
Most coffee shops I frequent only stock macadamia-nut flavorings for a limited time in the summer, but Dutch Bros serves it all year in its Annihilator.
The drink features chocolate-macadamia-nut syrup, half-and-half, and espresso.
In my opinion, it has the perfect balance of flavors — not too sweet or bitter. The drinking experience was also incredibly smooth from start to finish.
It was easy to crown the Annihilator as my winner.
Read the original article on Business Insider