Bones Coffee Co.'s Worst RTD Latte Tastes Overly Artificial

Most roasters are adamant about the purity of their coffee beans, offering perhaps one or two flavored varieties only. But Bones Coffee Company stands out from the competition with a wide range of whimsically flavored coffees. They also have a selection of ready to drink (RTD) canned lattes that follow the same creative flavor scheme. Tasting Table ranked 6 of Bones Coffee Co.'s RTD lattes, and unfortunately, despite the eye-catching packaging, not all of them lived up to their enticing flavor descriptions. The Salty Siren, which is described as a sea salt and caramel mocha flavored latte, landed in last place according to our ranking criteria of sweetness, caffeine content, and how well the flavor description matched the taste.

While we expected all of these drinks to be quite sweet, we had high hopes that the salted caramel and bitter chocolate would balance this one out. Upon first sip, we were instantly hit with the sweet caramel, followed by a distinct saltiness, and finished with light mocha notes of coffee and chocolate. The sugary taste of caramel was overwhelming and ended up circling back around at the end too. But the most off-putting and overpowering taste of all was artificial. The caramel gave off a fake, chemically flavor that only got stronger the more we drank it. Now, we could've handled an overly sugary latte, but the chemical taste was what landed Salty Siren dead last.

Overall, we were impressed by the delicious flavors of Bones Coffee Co.'s various RTD lattes, but the Salty Siren was just too fake-tasting. Amazon reviewers noted the same artificiality while adding some grievances of their own for good measure. One customer wrote, "There's something unusual in the background of the flavor that tastes plastic and that flavor builds with each sip." Others described the taste as "chemical sweet," flat, rancid, and even burnt. In fact, certain Amazon reviewers complained that there was no coffee flavor whatsoever. While we applaud the impressive 7 grams of protein in each can, the amount of milk needed for it is likely at the expense of coffee content. 

If you want a salted caramel latte, you're better off making one from scratch using our delicious Starbucks-inspired recipe. You could add homemade salted caramel sauce or even store-bought caramel to milk and then froth lightly before pouring it into a shot of espresso or a freshly brewed cup of coffee. For that matter, Bones Coffee Co. makes Salty Siren as a coffee bean flavor that you could take a chance on if you want a more coffee-forward drink with hints of caramel and mocha flavors.