Coffee drinks are always fun to try. The spin that people put them on generally boils down to new flavours, different syrups or perhaps different roasts.
Iced coffee is great in the summer, and honestly, despite the heavy milk and sugar content, I like a cold coffee drink from time to time.
Not so long ago, I was talking to someone at work about how odd it is that sports nutrition companies hadn’t got in on the coffee game. Hell, I’ve had protein cola, protein cookies, protein energy drinks. Surely, with all the standard protein shakes on offer, a milky coffee drink was an easy win?
I honestly thought it was an original concept, and one that I should’ve taken to someone as an idea…….until I saw that Percol had beaten me to it.
Percol Protein Latte – Taste
This isn’t a big review about the nuances of a blend and roast from a single origin source. It’s more about getting down to the brass-tacks and sharing some quick thoughts on something that I thought I’d invented……
Percol are a pretty big player in the UK coffee sourcing and roasting scene, so seeing their name on the cardboard can (great invention by the way!) meant I was pretty confident it would a nice drink.
Suffice it to say, I wasn’t wrong.
The blend of sugar, coffee extract and milk tastes great. Really nicely balanced, and as good as any other off-the-shelf chilled latte drink.
A nice well-rounded coffee taste that’s been balanced against the sweetness and creaminess of the other ingredients. Milky coffee isn’t my bag, but this was a decent drink, regardless of that.
What Percol have done here, though, is add all that extra protein, without adding that sometimes off-putting protein taste. Now, I’m sure that there are different ways of adding protein to drinks, but in my experience, you can usually tell. A little hint of it on the back of your tongue.
Nothing like that here, though. So whilst the drink tastes like any other, you have to bear in mind that, that’s actually quite a feat here. Percol have worked wonders here to be honest.
As a post-gym treat, and a caffeine hit. This really hit the spot.
Protein Latte – Look
One thing I hadn’t accounted for, would be a detectable change in texture. Not as runny as your standard cold coffee drink here. There was a thickness that was honestly a little off-putting initially.
When I poured it out of the cardboard can into a glass, it was a little more gloopy than a thick milkshake.
Not quite so thick as perhaps a yoghurt, but thicker than I was anticipating.
I imagine that this is a side-effect of adding all that milk protein, and to be honest, after the initial surprise, I got over it pretty quickly. You’d arguably never notice if you drank it straight from the can, anyway.
That can looks fine, and the colouring of the drink was exactly as you’d expect. It’s just that gloopiness that really hit me. I’m not sure that there’s much that Percol can do about it if I’m honest. But if there was one way to improve this drink, that would be it.
Anything with a slightly off-texture can be enough to stop enjoyment of something, can’t it?
Getting over that initial hurdle let me just enjoy it, though, and overall, it didn’t really impact the enjoyment of the drink itself.
All in all…
At the risk of repeating everything I’ve just said above, Percol have delivered a great cold coffee drink, with the added benefits of some extra protein.
I knew this was a good idea!!
If you can get over the thickness of the drink itself, you’re left with a well balanced blend of coffee, milk and sugar that rivals all of the usual “chiller section” coffee drinks.
Not quite the “exceptional” standard, but certainly recommended to anyone that loves a coffee and requires that extra bit of protein in their day.
If you see it out in the wild, get some for the fridge. Just don’t worry too much about pouring it into a glass. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
It’s worth noting, too. Percol pride themselves on sourcing things ethically and only using organic ingredients. Tied-in with the paper can, you know you’re doing your bit for the coffee industry and the environment, too.
Great job Percol!