The short answer: the best canned cold brew is the one whose label matches what you want: a caffeine figure you can check, the sugar you're after (often none), and an ingredient list you're happy with. Below, we compare black, unsweetened ready-to-drink cold brews from 10 brands plus our own, using only what each brand states on its own product page. Every competitor figure links to that brand's page. Where a page doesn't state a figure, we say so rather than estimate one.
Disclosure: we make Bare Brew, one of the products in this comparison. Bare Brew is our own product. To keep this a comparison rather than a ranking, brands are listed alphabetically.
On This Page
- How to compare canned cold brew
- The comparison table
- Brand-by-brand notes
- Canned cold brew vs energy drinks
- How we compared them
- Frequently asked questions
How to Compare Canned Cold Brew
Four things on the label do most of the work:
- Caffeine, and the basis it's stated on. Some brands state caffeine per can, others per serving of a multi-serve bottle, and some don't state it at all. A per-serving figure on a 48 oz bottle isn't comparable to a per-can figure until you check the serving size.
- Sugar and sweeteners. Check total sugars on the Nutrition Facts panel, and look for sweeteners in the ingredient list. "Zero sugar" and "unsweetened" aren't always the same thing.
- Ingredients. Some black cold brews list only coffee and water. Others add natural flavor, chicory root fiber, phosphates or nitrogen.
- The exact variant and size. The same brand often sells several black products with different figures, plus flavored or milk-based versions that are a different drink.
For more on reading labels, see what to look for in canned cold brew.
The Comparison: What Each Brand States
Brand pages checked October 30, 2026. Products are reformulated from time to time, so check the label on the can or bottle in your hand. "Not stated" means we couldn't find the figure in the page text, not that it's zero.
| Brand and product | Caffeine (as stated) | Sugar (as stated) | Ingredients (as stated) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bare Brew Cold Brew, 12 fl oz can (our own product) | 320mg per can | 0g | Filtered water, Honduran Arabica coffee | Product page |
| Bizzy Organic Medium Roast, 48 fl oz bottle | 250mg per serving (serving size not stated on the page) | Not stated | Reverse osmosis water, organic arabica coffee | Bizzy |
| Chameleon Black Ready-to-Drink, 10 oz | Not stated | 0g total sugars | Organic cold brew coffee (water, organic coffee) | Chameleon |
| Death Wish Organic Cold Brew Unsweetened, 48 oz | "Approximately 250mg of caffeine based on a standard 6oz serving" | Not stated | Organic cold brew coffee (water, organic coffee) | Death Wish |
| High Brew Black & Bold | 140mg per can | Not stated | Not listed in page text | High Brew |
| High Brew Black Triple Shot | 225mg per can | "No sugar" | Not listed in page text | High Brew |
| High Brew Nitro Cold Brew | 200mg per can | "Sugar-free" | Not listed in page text | High Brew |
| La Colombe Cold Brew, 9 oz can | 160mg per can (the brand notes this is a new, reduced level) | "No sugar added" | Coffee (water, coffee), chicory root fiber, trisodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, nitrogen | La Colombe |
| RISE Black, 11 oz can | Not stated | "No sugar" | "Made with 100% coffee" | RISE |
| Starbucks Cold Brew Black Unsweetened, 40 fl oz bottle | 255mg per 12 fl oz serving | Not stated | Not listed | PepsiCo Product Facts |
| Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew Black Unsweetened, 9.6 fl oz can | 155mg per can | Not stated | Not listed | PepsiCo Product Facts |
| STōK Unsweetened Black, 48 oz bottle | Not stated in page text | 0g total sugars per 12 fl oz serving | Coffee (filtered water, coffee), natural flavor | STōK |
| Stumptown Original Nitro Cold Brew, 10.3 oz can | Not stated | Not stated | "Two ingredients: Coffee and Water" | Stumptown |
| Wandering Bear Original Black, 8 oz can | 200mg per can (brand FAQ) | "Sugar free" | Not listed in page text | Wandering Bear |
Bare Brew is our own product.
About Bare Brew
No sugar. No dairy. Bare ingredients, a special blend of coffee and water: filtered water and Honduran Arabica. Each 12 fl oz can has 320mg of caffeine, 20 calories, 5g total carbohydrate and 0g sugar. A 12-pack is $53.99 ($4.50/can). See Bare Brew.
$8.99 flat shipping on every order — no minimums · 30-day money-back guarantee
Brand-by-Brand Notes
Bare Brew (our own product)
Bare Brew's product page lists 320mg of caffeine per 12 fl oz can, 0g sugar, 20 calories and 5g total carbohydrate, with filtered water and Honduran Arabica coffee as the ingredients. Bare Brew was a finalist in Newsweek's Readers' Choice Best Cold Brew Brand 2026. We make it, so weigh this entry with that in mind.
Bizzy Organic Medium Roast
Bizzy's page states 250mg of caffeine per serving and lists reverse osmosis water and organic arabica coffee. The page text doesn't give the serving size, so check the bottle before comparing it with a per-can figure.
Chameleon Black Ready-to-Drink
Chameleon's page lists organic cold brew coffee (water, organic coffee), 0g total sugars and 15 calories per 10 oz bottle. It doesn't state a caffeine amount, so we don't list one.
Death Wish Organic Cold Brew Unsweetened
Death Wish's page says the 48 oz bottle has "approximately 250mg of caffeine based on a standard 6oz serving" and lists organic cold brew coffee (water, organic coffee). We quote the page as written rather than convert it to another serving size. For a closer look, see Bare Brew vs Death Wish.
High Brew
High Brew's pages state 225mg per can for Black Triple Shot, 200mg per can for Nitro Cold Brew and 140mg per can for Black & Bold. Black Triple Shot is described as "no sugar" and Nitro as "sugar-free". The page text doesn't list ingredients or can sizes, so check the can for those.
La Colombe Cold Brew
La Colombe's page lists 160mg of caffeine per 9 oz can and notes that this is a new, reduced level, so older cans may show a different figure. It lists 15 calories, says no sugar added, and lists chicory root fiber, trisodium phosphate, disodium phosphate and nitrogen alongside the coffee. See also La Colombe vs Bare Brew.
RISE Black
RISE's 11 oz Black page says "no sugar" and "made with 100% coffee". It doesn't state a caffeine amount in the page text, so we don't list one.
Starbucks
Starbucks ready-to-drink products are listed on PepsiCo's product facts site. It states 255mg of caffeine per 12 fl oz serving for Cold Brew Black Unsweetened in the 40 fl oz bottle, and 155mg for the 9.6 fl oz Nitro Cold Brew Black Unsweetened can. Different Starbucks black SKUs carry different figures, so check which one you're holding. The flavored and cream versions are different drinks with different labels.
STōK Unsweetened Black
STōK's page lists a 12 fl oz serving with 15 calories and 0g total sugars, and an ingredient list of coffee (filtered water, coffee) and natural flavor. We couldn't find a caffeine figure in the page text, so we don't state one. Many other STōK products are sweetened.
Stumptown Original Nitro Cold Brew
Stumptown's page describes its 10.3 oz nitro can as "two ingredients: coffee and water". It doesn't state caffeine, sugar or calories in the page text.
Wandering Bear Original Black
Wandering Bear's FAQ says the original black 8 oz can has 200mg of caffeine and describes it as sugar free. A separate line on the same page gives a lower figure, so check the can.
Califia Farms
Califia's FAQ says its products have a wide range of caffeine content and points shoppers to the packaging for each variety. We didn't include a Califia figure for that reason.
Flavored and Latte-Style Cans Are Different Drinks
Most brands that sell a black cold brew also sell sweetened, flavored or milk-based versions under the same name. Those usually list sugar, milk or other ingredients the black version doesn't. If you want black coffee with no sugar, read the label on the exact variant, not the brand in general.
Is Cold Brew Less Acidic Than Hot Coffee?
It's a common question. One lab study in Scientific Reports (Rao and Fuller, 2018) found hot brew had higher titratable acidity than cold brew, while pH was similar between the two. The same study found hot brew had higher antioxidant activity. For more, see is cold brew less acidic?
Canned Cold Brew vs Energy Drinks
Caffeine is the same molecule whatever the drink, so the useful comparison is the label: milligrams of caffeine, sugar and the ingredient list. The FDA lists 113 to 247mg of caffeine in 12 fl oz of regular brewed coffee and 54 to 328mg per 16 fl oz for energy drinks, so both categories vary widely. Black cold brew is usually coffee and water, while many energy drinks list sweeteners, taurine, vitamins and flavors. For the full breakdown, see cold brew vs energy drinks.
How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?
FDA says up to 400mg a day is an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults. EFSA says single doses up to 200mg and daily intake up to 400mg raise no safety concerns for healthy adults, and puts the figure for pregnant women at up to 200mg a day. Canned cold brews range widely, so add up every source of caffeine in your day. Anyone pregnant, on medication or sensitive to caffeine should check with their doctor.
How We Compared Them
We looked at each brand's black or unsweetened ready-to-drink cold brew and recorded only what the brand's own product page (or, for Starbucks, PepsiCo's product facts site) states, on October 30, 2026. We didn't use nutrition databases, retailer listings or third-party charts. We report caffeine on the basis each brand uses rather than converting it, because several pages don't give the can or serving size. We left out brands whose pages we couldn't read that day. That isn't a judgment on those products.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best canned cold brew coffee in 2026?
It depends on what you want from the can. If you want a stated caffeine figure, look for brands that publish one (several in the table above don't). If you want zero sugar, check the Nutrition Facts panel on the exact variant. If you want the shortest ingredient list, look for coffee and water only. Use the table to compare on the points that matter to you.
Which canned cold brews state their caffeine?
On the pages we checked, Bare Brew (our own product), Bizzy, Death Wish, High Brew, La Colombe, Starbucks (via PepsiCo) and Wandering Bear state a caffeine figure. Chameleon, RISE, STōK and Stumptown didn't state one in the page text we read, and Califia points shoppers to each package.
Which canned cold brews say they have no sugar?
Bare Brew, Chameleon and STōK Unsweetened Black list 0g sugar on the pages we checked. High Brew Black Triple Shot, High Brew Nitro, RISE Black and Wandering Bear Original Black describe themselves as no sugar or sugar free, and La Colombe says no sugar added. Check the panel on the can in your hand, since flavored versions of the same brands differ.
How much caffeine is in Chameleon cold brew?
Chameleon's Black Ready-to-Drink page doesn't state a caffeine amount, so we don't give one. Check the bottle, or contact the brand.
About Bare Brew
No sugar. No dairy. Bare ingredients, a special blend of coffee and water: filtered water and Honduran Arabica. Each 12 fl oz can has 320mg of caffeine, 20 calories, 5g total carbohydrate and 0g sugar. Bare Brew is our own product. See current prices.
$8.99 flat shipping on every order — no minimums · 30-day money-back guarantee
Keep Reading
- Cold brew caffeine content by brand
- Canned black coffee with no sugar or milk
- What's in your canned cold brew
- Unsweetened cold brew
- Does canned cold brew taste good?
This article is general information, not medical advice. Bare Brew is a coffee drink, not a treatment for any condition. Each 12 fl oz can has 320mg of caffeine. It's not recommended for children, people who are pregnant or nursing, or anyone sensitive to caffeine. If you take medication or have a health condition, talk to your doctor about caffeine.
