The Dutch Bros Iced Coffee Drink That Just Isn't Worth The Money

While not quite as well-known as other coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin', Dutch Bros is a beloved coffee chain that's been operating in the Pacific Northwest since 1992. With both seasonal offerings and a selection of year-round coffee drinks, there's a flavor for any iced coffee lover at the chain. However, one disappointing flavor earned the bottom spot in not one, but two Tasting Table rankings of Dutch Bros drinks: the Golden Eagle.

Tasting Table's Carmen Varner ranked 11 iced coffee drinks at Dutch Bros, and the Golden Eagle took the 11th spot. The drink is composed of espresso, caramel breve, vanilla breve, and caramel, and Dutch Bros claims it's the most popular drink on the menu. However, we noted that the amount of espresso pales in comparison to the breve, the caramel pools into the bottom of the cup, and it's overall very sweet. As she said, "I enjoyed the buttery profile of caramel, but other iced espresso libations are more captivating for the price from Dutch Bros."

The sugar-free variation of the Golden Eagle is even worse. Tasting Table writer Koko Paranteau put it at the bottom when ranking Dutch Bros' low-sugar offerings, and she had similar complaints, lamenting the lack of espresso taste before stating, "The flavor of the sugar-free sweetener overwhelms the espresso, leaving a lingering plastic sting beneath the caramel." This means the Golden Eagle is especially best avoided if you typically order reduced sugar drinks.

Our complaints about the Golden Eagle have been repeated by other Dutch Bros customers. User u/Leslieb1996 on the Dutch Bros subreddit posted an image of their Golden Eagle drink, which visibly lacked almost any espresso and was milky white. "This tasted exactly how it looks, like milk," the user said. Another user agreed that the drink often tastes too milky, and one even called it the "Bald Eagle."

A lot of complaints about the Golden Eagle have come after Dutch Bros changed the drink's recipe. While employees used to mix vanilla and caramel syrups by hand to make the drink, it is now made with a pre-mixed Dutch Bros branded Torani syrup, according to employees on Reddit. As both reviews were made after the recipe change, this may account for the disparity in the drink's popularity versus its quality. Many customers on Reddit suggest ordering it in the "OG style" and asking baristas to mix the vanilla and caramel syrups separately rather than using the Torani syrup. However, this seems to only be the case for the regular Golden Eagle, so it doesn't explain the poor taste of the sugar-free version. That drink is best avoided entirely.