The Worst Nutpods Creamer Flavor Just Doesn't Make Sense

In our ranking of Nutpods creamers, the almond and coconut unsweetened caramel flavor consistently came in last. The issue wasn't texture or performance in coffee, and the brand has other flavors that are perfectly fine. The Nutpods' Sweet Crème iteration came in first with us, disappearing into the cup evenly and cutting the bitter acidity of the brew with its nominative creamy sweetness. Our problem with the unsweetened caramel creamer was conceptual.

First, we need to define what caramel is, which is easy: It's the result of the chemical reaction that occurs when sugar is heated to a particular temperature. It's strategically burned, aka caramelized, sugar. So how the heck could a caramel flavor be unsweetened? Unsurprisingly, what pours out of the Nutpods carton feels like a bit of a betrayal. Other common creamer flavors, such as vanilla or hazelnut, register to us as just fine, aroma-first additions to coffee that represent the flavor printed on the packaging. But this caramel doesn't do that. The unsweetened caramel is an ersatz flavor that technically exists, but not in a meaningful way.

To understand this unsweetened caramel creamer, and maybe even give it a little bit of credit, at least for trying, let's explore the science of flavorings and the relationship between taste and aroma. As sugar is heated and caramel formed, its molecules break apart and recombine to form something newer, better, stickier (think caramel sauce). 

The chemical compounds created give us the toasty, buttery and slightly browned-bitter caramel notes we all know and love. They are inseparable from the sweetness, because they are just different forms of sugar itself. You actually can extract and even synthesize them with a chemistry lab. This is how we get modern wonders like caramel flavored candles, vape juice, and body spray.  

In hot beverages, a lot of what you taste comes via the inhalation of aromatic compounds in the vapor through your nose. We're talking about smell, which accounts for the majority of taste perception. Coffee is already saturated with its own aromatic, volatile, bitter flavor compounds, meaning any additional flavors need to work hard to be decipherable. That is the ambition of this unsweetened caramel creamer, but sadly, without the sweetness to hold down the aromas, the flavor seems only artificial, a ghost of anything like real caramel.

When Nutpods divorced sugar from the caramel flavor they created, they likely selected a narrow band of volatile flavor compounds, picking out only those responsible for the browned, buttery impressions that signal "caramel" to our brains. Sadly, it doesn't work. The isolated flavor strikes all at once and disappears, leaving a flat, synthetic impression that has more to do with scent than taste. The chemistry makes sense on paper, but the delivery system is wrong.

Even though we didn't enjoy the unsweetened caramel creamer due to its taste of being formed only in a lab, without any of the mouthfeel or pleasure of actual caramel, or the sugar which contributes so completely to its flavor, some people do like the product. Nutpods' unsweetened caramel creamer received 70% positive reviews on Amazon, with most people saying it's joyless and bland but essentially good enough to get the job done. It's damned with faint praise, really.

But to be fair, Nutpods' unsweetened caramel creamer will probably make a very specific drinker very happy: Someone who can't or doesn't want to consume sugar, but still misses the pleasure of a caramel latte. In that situation, the breath of a gesture of caramel may be welcome, because it's better than nothing. For everyone else, this creamer is disappointing, because caramel needs sugar to carry its weight. As a reviewer on the Nutpods website succinctly says, "Did not like taste, not caramely enough."