Blind Assessment: A ready-to-drink bottled black coffee tested over ice. High-toned and sweetly bright. Notes of grapefruit zest, cocoa, almond, a hint of sweet flowers. Roundly sweet-tart and lively in structure; satiny in mouthfeel. Balanced and very clean in the finish. Adding whole milk develops a crisp chocolate and nut without completely sacrificing the citrus and flowers.

Notes: This coffee tied for the second-highest rating in a tasting of ready-to-drink bottled black coffees for Coffee Review’s July 2018 tasting report. Sold in 8-ounce cans. Prepared by the cold-brew method, which involves prolonged steeping of ground coffee in cold or room-temperature water and subsequent filtering. Contains no additives or ingredients other than coffee and water. This product is certified USDA organic. In the years since its founding, Blue Bottle has attracted a strong following in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, and now operates four roasting locations in Oakland, California; Brooklyn, New York; Los Angeles, California; and Tokyo, Japan. In 2017, Blue Bottle was acquired by Nestlé. Visit www.bluebottlecoffee.com for more information.

The Bottom Line: A balanced, classic coffee profile in cold-brew format. The sweet-tart brightness is roundly refreshing and nicely nuanced: sweet citrus, cocoa, flowers.