Most "zero sugar" cold brews still have ingredients you can't pronounce. Bare Brew has two: coffee and water. Here's why that matters for your energy, your label, and your morning.
What Does Zero Sugar Cold Brew Actually Mean?
Zero sugar cold brew means exactly what it sounds like — cold-brewed coffee with 0 grams of sugar per serving. No added sweeteners. No sucralose. No stevia. No "natural flavors" doing work the label doesn't explain.
But here's the problem: most brands use "zero sugar" as marketing cover (see our cleanest cold brew breakdown). They strip the sugar, then backfill with artificial sweeteners, gums, or emulsifiers. The ingredient label tells a different story than the front of the can.
Bare Brew takes a different approach. Two ingredients: Honduran Arabica coffee and filtered water. That's the full label. No asterisks. No footnotes. Zero sugar because there was never anything sweet added in the first place.
Why Sugar in Cold Brew Is a Bigger Problem Than You Think
A single can of flavored cold brew from major brands can contain 17–25 grams of added sugar. That's 4–6 teaspoons in a drink most people assume is "just coffee."
Here's what that adds up to:
Added sugar you didn't plan for. A sweetened cold brew is a sugar-sweetened beverage. Dietary guidelines generally recommend limiting added sugar, and a daily can is easy to overlook.
A long ingredient list. Sugar rarely arrives alone — it usually comes with flavors, gums, and emulsifiers.
Extra calories. Those 17g of sugar add roughly 68 calories per can. Multiply that by a daily habit and it adds up over a year.
Zero sugar cold brew removes all three. You get the caffeine without the rest.
Bare Brew vs. the Competition: Sugar Comparison
Not all cold brews are created equal. Here's how the most popular ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brews stack up on sugar content, per each brand's published label:
| Brand & Variety | Size | Sugar | Calories | Ingredients Beyond Coffee & Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bare Brew Cold Brew | 12 oz | 0g | 20 | None |
| Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream (canned) | 11 oz | ~17g | ~110 | Cream, sugar, natural flavors |
| Starbucks Black (bottled) | 11 oz | ~10g | ~70 | Sugar |
| La Colombe Draft Latte | 9 oz | ~18g | ~120 | Milk, sugar, natural flavors |
| SToK Not Too Sweet | 13.7 oz | ~16g | ~90 | Cane sugar, natural flavors |
| High Brew Double Espresso | 8 oz | ~6g | ~50 | Milk, cane sugar |
| Chameleon Organic Black | 10 oz | 0g | ~5 | None |
| SToK Un-Sweet Black | 13.7 oz | 0g | ~10 | None |
Notice the pattern: the moment a brand adds flavor, milk, or cream, sugar follows. Even "not too sweet" options list around 16 grams. Bare Brew's approach — skip the additives entirely — keeps the label to two lines.
The Case for Zero Sugar Cold Brew
Beyond what's covered in our cold brew research roundup, going zero sugar simplifies what you're drinking:
No Added Sugar to Account For
Published research on coffee and metabolic health concerns coffee and caffeine generally, not any one brand, and none of it is a reason to change how you manage a medical condition. What we can say about Bare Brew is what's on the label: 0g sugar, 20 calories, two ingredients.
If you are monitoring blood sugar for any reason — diabetes, prediabetes, or anything else — talk to your healthcare provider about what belongs in your diet. An unsweetened 320mg cold brew adds no sugar, and that's the claim we'll make.
Caffeine Without a Sugar Spike
Bare Brew delivers 320mg of caffeine per 12oz can — sourced entirely from the coffee itself, not added synthetically. That's roughly 2.5x a standard cup of drip coffee. With no added sugar, there's no sugar spike layered on top of the caffeine.
Compare that to a sugared cold brew, where the caffeine comes packaged with 17g of sugar you may not have counted.
Fewer Acids Than Hot Brewing
Cold brewing extracts coffee's flavor at low temperatures over an extended steep time. Cold brewing also extracts fewer of the acids that hot brewing pulls from the same beans — research published in Scientific Reports found cold brew has a lower total titratable acidity than hot brew, though pH is comparable. That is a property of the brewing method. If coffee bothers your stomach or you have a digestive condition, talk to your doctor.
Keto and Fasting
20 calories. Zero sugar. Whether Bare Brew fits your fasting protocol or your keto macros is your call — it's one of the few ready-to-drink coffees with nothing added to work around. Learn more in our complete keto cold brew guide.
What to Look for on a Cold Brew Label
Not every "zero sugar" claim is honest. Here's how to read a cold brew label like a skeptic:
Check the ingredient list, not just the nutrition panel. A product can be "zero sugar" but still contain sucralose, acesulfame potassium, or stevia. These sweeteners don't register as sugar on the label, and research into how they affect the gut microbiome is ongoing.
Watch for "natural flavors." This catch-all term can cover a wide range of added compounds. If a cold brew has "natural flavors" in the ingredients, it's not just coffee and water — no matter what the front of the can says.
Count the ingredients. The cleanest cold brew has the shortest list. Bare Brew's entire ingredient label: Honduran Arabica Coffee, Filtered Water. Two ingredients. That's it.
Why Bare Brew Is the Zero Sugar Cold Brew Standard
Founded in Chicago by Miles Schwartz, Bare Brew was built on a simple thesis: cold brew doesn't need anything except great coffee and clean water.
Every 12oz slim gold can delivers:
- 0g sugar — not reduced sugar, not "less" sugar. Zero.
- 20 calories — one number to track
- 320mg natural caffeine — from Honduran Arabica beans, not synthetic sources
- 2 ingredients — coffee and water. Full stop.
- Lower titratable acidity than hot brew — a property of cold brewing, per research published in Scientific Reports
No gums. No emulsifiers. No preservatives. No "natural flavors." The ingredient label is the marketing — because when there's nothing to hide, you don't need to.
See how Bare Brew stacks up against every major brand in our best canned cold brew coffee comparison.
Zero Sugar Cold Brew and Weight Loss
Liquid sugar is easy to miss when you're counting. Most people don't track calories from beverages, and a daily sugared cold brew habit adds up over a year.
Switching to zero sugar cold brew removes those calories from the equation: Bare Brew is 20 calories with 0g sugar. We're not going to tell you what that does to your body weight — that depends on everything else you eat and do. For more on the topic, see our guide on cold brew for weight loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is zero sugar cold brew actually healthy?
Black cold brew with zero sugar is coffee and water — no added sugar, no sweeteners, no additives. Coffee naturally contains antioxidant compounds, and published research on coffee's health effects is about coffee generally rather than any one brand. What Bare Brew can state is the label: 0g sugar, 20 calories, 320mg caffeine, two ingredients.
How much caffeine is in Bare Brew zero sugar cold brew?
Each 12oz can of Bare Brew contains 320mg of natural caffeine from Honduran Arabica coffee beans. That's roughly equivalent to 2.5 standard cups of drip coffee.
Can I drink zero sugar cold brew while fasting?
That depends on your protocol. Bare Brew is 20 calories per can with zero sugar. Black coffee is widely accepted during many intermittent fasting protocols, while stricter ones allow water only. Check your protocol, and your doctor if you're fasting for a medical reason.
What's the difference between zero sugar and sugar-free cold brew?
They should mean the same thing, but they often don't. "Sugar-free" products frequently contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose or stevia as replacements. "Zero sugar" on its own just means no sugar on the nutrition label — it doesn't guarantee the absence of sweeteners. Always check the full ingredient list. Bare Brew's two-ingredient formula means zero sugar AND zero sweeteners of any kind.
Is Bare Brew cold brew keto-friendly?
Bare Brew has 0g sugar and 20 calories per can, with 5g total carbohydrate. Whether it fits your keto macros is your call.
Why is Bare Brew less acidic than regular coffee?
Cold brewing extracts coffee at low temperatures over an extended period, which pulls fewer of the acids that hot brewing extracts from the same beans. Research published in Scientific Reports found cold brew has a lower total titratable acidity than hot brew, though pH is comparable.
Where can I buy Bare Brew zero sugar cold brew?
You can order Bare Brew directly at drinkbarebrew.com and follow us on Instagram at @drinkbarebrew for drops, deals, and cold brew content.
The Bottom Line
The cold brew market is flooded with cans that say "clean" on the front and list 15+ ingredients on the back. (We compared them all — cold brew vs espresso and 10 brands ranked.). Zero sugar cold brew should mean zero compromise — and for most brands, it doesn't.
Bare Brew is different. Two ingredients. Zero sugar. 20 calories. 320mg of natural caffeine. Nothing else.
Stop reading labels. Start drinking the one that doesn't need one.
