Blue Bottle vs Stok
Why They Make The Cut?
Review Summary
Flavor Profile
The flavor profile of the Three Africas blend is truly exceptional. It offers a complex mix of jammy notes from the natural Ethiopian coffee, pleasant acidity from the washed Ethiopian, and body and sweetness from the washed Central African. When cold brewed, it produces a drink with impressive depth and luminosity that spans the coffee spectrum.
I found the cold brew to be smooth and well-balanced, with a nice interplay of fruit notes and deep sweetness. It's refreshing and easy to drink, yet still complex enough to satisfy more discerning palates.
Okay, so here’s the most redeeming part about Stok. It’s the fact that they have a wide variety of delicious flavors for you to choose from.
Un-Sweet.
Extra Bold.
Un-Sweet Bright Mellow.
Not Too Sweet.
Protein.
Pumpkin.
Mocha.
Vanilla.
Now, I haven’t tried all of their flavors yet, but the Mocha, Un-Sweet, and the Extra Bold flavors are delicious! It’s nice that they have different flavors for different types of coffee drinkers. However, just keep in mind, Stok does have a few reviews of people claiming that their coffee tasted expired, so maybe try a single bottle before buying a bigger package.
Flavor Notes
Caffeine Content
Blue Bottle doesn't provide specific caffeine content for their cold brew set. However, cold brew generally contains more caffeine than regular coffee due to its concentrated nature. Based on my experience, it provided a good energy boost without feeling jittery.
It's worth noting that you can adjust the strength (and thus caffeine content) by changing the coffee-to-water ratio or diluting the final product to your liking.
Okay, I’ll be honest here, Stok comes LOADED with caffeine. Each bottle comes with 145 mg of pure energy-kicking caffeine...
And that can be a good thing, or a bad thing. If you’re used to drinking normal black coffee, it’s going to feel like a bit much for you. So the first time you drink it, you might get an EXTRA BIG kick, and that might be what you want.
However, the problem is, if you go back to drinking normal coffee, it’s not going to feel exactly the same. And that’s because you’re going to get used to having 145 mg of caffeine in each serving, so the next time you drink regular coffee, you might not feel quite as energized.
Now, what I do is if I’m ever feeling extra tired, or if I'm in a pinch. I’ll grab one of the cold brews, because I know that it will give me an extra big boost. However, I try not to drink them on a regular basis, so that I can still drink regular coffee while getting the energy boost I need.
Convenience Factor
The Blue Bottle Cold Brew Set is quite convenient, especially for those who enjoy making cold brew at home. The set comes with everything you need to get started, including the coffee and brewing instructions.
One minor inconvenience is that you need to plan ahead, as cold brew typically needs to steep for 12-24 hours. However, once brewed, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, which is great for having coffee ready to go.
Ughhhhhh…
This is where I have a problem with Stok, and other cold brew coffees who make similar products. You see, each serving of coffee that you want comes packaged in it’s own bottle. So every time that you want to drink a new serving of Stok…
You have to open up a new bottle, which means you either have to drive to WalMart to pick one up, or you have to order a bulk package on Amazon. And I don’t know about you, but that’s SUPER annoying to me! Plus, can you imagine how much plastic you would waste in a single year if you drank Stok consistently?
And while this isn’t an environmentally-themed review, I just want to point that out. So let’s move onto something more positive for Stok, and talk about how easy it is to use.
Ease of Use
The cold brew set is straightforward to use, even for those new to making cold brew. Blue Bottle provides clear instructions on their website and with the product.
The process involves combining ground coffee with cold water, letting it steep in the refrigerator, and then filtering. While it's not as instant as some concentrate options, the process is simple and yields great results.
This is probably the biggest selling point for Stok as well as other products like it. Because when you want to drink coffee, you don’t have to worry about mixing, heating up water, or doing any work at all…
All you have to do is tear the plastic seal at the top of the bottle, twist the lid off, and your coffee is ready to drink! It really doesn’t get easier than that, and you can see why so many people like drinking cold brew from a bottle.
However, for me, it doesn’t make sense for me to stock up on 20-30 bottles of Stock in my pantry. I just don’t have the room. So unless you’ve got room to spare, I recommend that you find a more space efficient way to drink coffee.
Scoring Breakdown
Coffee
Blue Bottle Coffee Cold Brew Set
Stok Cold Brew
Attribute Ratings
Origin
Blue Bottle Coffee Cold Brew Set
Stok Cold Brew
Quick Facts
Recommended Preparations
Best prepared as a cold brew by combining ground coffee with cold water and steeping for 12-24 hours in the refrigerator. Can be diluted to taste and served over ice. The concentrate can be stored for up to two weeks when refrigerated.
Ready to drink straight from the bottle, best served cold. No preparation needed.
Ideal For
Pros and Cons
Blue Bottle Coffee Cold Brew Set
- Exceptional flavor profile
- High-quality, freshly roasted beans
- Versatile brewing options
- Requires advance preparation
- More expensive than some alternatives
- Lack of specific caffeine content information
Stok Cold Brew
- Smooth flavor
- Available in grocery stores
- Convenient for cold brew coffee
- Only a few servings per bottle
- Limited flavors