11 Peet's Hot Coffee Drinks Ranked Worst To Best

It's safe to say there's such an incredible array of coffee drinks out there for one to try, thanks to all the different types of flavorings, milks, and add-ons on the market today. Peet's Coffee has a long list of hot and iced coffee beverages to select from, but I wanted to try out the company's hot drinks specifically. As someone who drinks hot coffee in the summertime (not to be confused with heatwaves or obscenely hot temperatures), it seemed like a safe place to start. 

I tried 11 hot coffee drinks from the brand, selecting one or more beverages from each section of the menu: drip, espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, and macchiatos. But there's quite a lot more if you factor in whether you want medium or dark roast, caffeinated, decaf, and all the different flavorings and coffee styles. I selected the basics as well as flavors that sounded appealing to me, and my ranking is determined by cohesive flavor, delivery of the drinks' ingredients, price, and my own personal preferences. 

The drinks I sipped on ranged from $3.95 to $7.50, based on San Diego prices; I won't mention specific cost because this may vary on your location, but I will give context, where relevant, and where the price played a part in the ranking. Let's see how they fared when compared against each other. Prices and information are accurate at the time of publishing; in fact, Peet's just upped its prices as I wrote this article, so everything has a newer (higher) price.

At the bottom of the list, we have the café au lait, a drink made from steamed milk and dark roast coffee. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it was easily the blandest beverage of the bunch. It doesn't have quite the strength of a latte because it uses dark coffee as the base, as opposed to espresso. This comes across in the overall flavor, which tastes like milky coffee or a more watery version of a latte. 

I like milk in my coffee, but I likely wouldn't purchase this again purely based on the price — especially when there are other menu items at a similar price point that taste better, such as the cortado, which I'll talk about later. Alternatively, I would order a black coffee and ask for room for milk. Granted, it's not steamed milk, but that's okay by me for the small savings it provides. This didn't hit the spot at all.

If you sip on the dark roast coffee right when they give it to you, and it's piping hot, it tastes extremely bitter. It's difficult to drink and hard to enjoy. If you let it cool, though, it mellows out a bit and makes it more sippable — in this case, it's earthy and slightly nutty on the tongue. This is tied for the cheapest Peet's drink I tried, so it has the price in its corner above all else. 

I'd be inclined to order this again and add a hefty glug of cream into it if I wanted a more economical drink than some of the others on the list. You can also customize the coffee by adding your desired milk, syrup, or sauce for an added cost, but that doesn't seem worth it to me. Cinnamon or basic sweeteners like raw sugar are free to add. As it is, the black coffee is quite pungent and strong, but there's another black drink I'd get instead (that's coming later, though). I'd rather get this plain coffee than the café au lait because I can customize it to taste. Just be cautious, since Peet's large coffee has a lot of caffeine!

The hazelnut mocha is like an upgraded version of the classic mocha drink. It is an espresso mocha with steamed milk and a smidge of French hazelnut syrup added in. This creates a captivating, nutty, chocolate dynamic that transforms this Peet's hot coffee drink from the ordinary. It's also the only drink I tried that had whipped cream, if that's to your liking — it offers some added creaminess to each sip. 

I found the flavors more intriguing than the previous two drinks, but it wasn't a phenomenal knockout sipper either — which is why it ranks toward the bottom of the list. The hazelnut takes up a lot of room on the taste buds and tastes more artificial than anything. For the cost (it's one of the higher-priced items), I felt let down with the overall result. Instead, I'd get a standard mocha next time, so there aren't any competing flavors. Sometimes simpler is better, and that seems to be the case here.

I love the milky, rice, and cinnamon notes of a traditional Mexican horchata. It's so comforting and delicious, so I was expecting a similar experience with Peet's horchata oat latte. But it didn't offer up any of those distinguishing flavors, which left me feeling deflated after the first sip. First, I don't know what oat milk Peet's uses, but it isn't luscious and creamy like others I've had. It had a watery flavor that made it seem more like almond milk. 

Next, the vanilla and cinnamon included in the drink to make it horchata-adjacent don't do enough to make it similar to the drink I love so much. Arguably, the rice element is a big part of horchata, and that's missing here, too. While I appreciate the idea and like the twinge of cinnamon more than the hazelnut mocha, the flavors were amiss. Plus, it's the second-most expensive drink I tried, which I don't find to be a good value.

I quite enjoyed the Americano after it had a chance to cool off a bit. The drink, much like the plain dark roast coffee, is strong and fragrant when sipped on hot. I sat in the store and took some photos of my other drinks to allow the Americano to cool a bit, and it transformed and improved in those mere minutes. I found it pleasant and robust rather than intensely strong. 

I prefer the Americano's strength and taste over the coffee, but it also holds out against the flavored and milky drinks like the horchata oat latte. Sometimes, you want something without all the flavoring and sugary hubbub, and this hits the spot in those instances. On the Peet's website (and I assume in person), you can customize with a splash of dairy like half and half, nonfat milk, almond, or even Ripple Barista Milk at no cost. I'd absolutely go this route if I wanted a hint of creaminess, but it's tasty on its own once it's not scorching hot.

Peet's espresso chai latte is made of chai tea, a shot of espresso, and milk, which you might know as a dirty chai at other establishments. I'm not sure what kind of tea the company uses, but it's extremely ginger-forward. I love the zesty, mild spice of ginger and enjoy the flavor profile, but it's not quite giving chai tea either. Typically, chai has a multi-dimensional taste, thanks to ingredients like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, anise, fennel, and more — although, this may vary based on the brand of tea or if you craft it from scratch. 

On top of that, it usually has black tea to further enhance the flavors. Here, I pick up ginger, milk, and maybe a whiff of espresso. Everything else falls to the wayside. I definitely want more black tea, more spice beyond ginger, and ideally, more espresso notes. While it's a flavorful drink that I'd order again over anything else mentioned thus far, it doesn't quite hit on everything that it advertises. So, for that reason, I'll give it sixth place. 

The latte macchiato is described as ristretto shots that get poured through steamed milk and foam. How is this different than a latte, you may ask? Well, a latte typically is created in the opposite step, in that the milk is poured into the espresso. In my photo, you can see the little brown section where the espresso was poured into the milk — kind of cool, right? The ristretto shot is a bit more concentrated, too, which adds to the deep flavor. 

There's no sweetness, except for naturally occurring ones from the cow's milk. I like the deep, robust, complex espresso and the lightness of the milk to give it a lead over the ginger notes of the espresso chai latte. Plus, it delivers everything it's supposed to: espresso and milk. Theoretically, the flavors are quite similar to a latte, especially if you do any kind of stirring or have a particularly bumpy drive; so, if you like lattes but want to try something a bit different, then this is a fantastic Peet's menu item to try. 

We've made it to the highest-priced item on the list, and that's the golden latte with protein. While Peet's has previously offered a standard golden latte, the protein aspect is newer. It's made with espresso, milk, "turmeric-ginger-honey flavor" (whatever that is), and Bob's Red Mill Whey Protein Powder, which brings 20 grams of protein with it. Protein coffees are widely available now, whether you frequent Starbucks or Dunkin', so it's a wise move for Peet's to offer its own spin. 

The golden latte has a similar ginger-spiked profile as the espresso chai. Ginger is the strongest component, followed by milk. If I really concentrate, I can gather the earthy, peppery marvel that is turmeric and perhaps a smidge of espresso. It doesn't quite hit all the notes it's supposed to, and the price means that I'd limit it to a once-in-a-while treat and not a regular order. I'd also love to see a more yellow, gold hue, which you get from the turmeric — but given that Peet's uses the turmeric-ginger-honey flavoring, this might not be feasible.

Peet's turned me into a cortado fan. I typically go for a plain latte at any coffee shop, but I've come to realize it's always too milky, even if I get the smallest size. Well, there's a cure for that: a cortado. This caffeinated creation is equal parts espresso and steamed milk. Therefore, it can never get too milky. It's strong, just how I like it, and I might make it my new go-to coffee order. If you want a drink without frills but seek a bit of hot milk, then this is the sipper for you. 

There's nothing more to say about it, since it has the same espresso as everything else, but I thoroughly enjoyed the heavy espresso flavor. It allows you to savor the coffee itself rather than an overly creamy creation that's covered up by sugar and syrups. Plus, the price is alluring, too; it's the same price as a coffee, but it's much better, at least in my humble opinion. The taste and cost give this a clear leg up over the golden protein latte.

Okay, now we go back to flavored drinks. If you're not a fan, then stick with the cortado and don't read any further. The Havana cappuccino is my second-favorite drink of the bunch because of the taste, but the texture is one of the most interesting that I tried during my taste test. The foamy head of the cappuccino comes into play and provides an unbeatable experience. It felt like it lasted sip after sip. It just feels whimsical and jolly, and that's nothing to scoff at in this day and age.

The flavors are surprisingly subtle, minus the cinnamon, which is pretty evident. It's made with espresso, sweetened condensed milk, steamed milk, and cinnamon. The sweetened condensed milk doesn't come across too prominently, only imparting its sweetness into the already creamy beverage. The cinnamon seems to float atop the frothy milk cloud. It's truly satisfying to look at and sip on. My husband seemed to like this over my No. 1 choice, if that sways you at all.

Pistachio and rose are not for the faint of heart. It's certainly not your average vanilla or caramel latte. Instead, this Peet's creation has a floral lead with a nutty backend that gets clearer as you finish the sip. It's made with Táche Pistachio Milk, rose-flavored syrup, espresso, and steamed milk. I should note that I'm Middle Eastern-ish, half Persian to be specific, so I've consumed pistachio and rose combinations for as long as I can remember. 

This flavor combo reminds me of good times, sweet treats, and snacking around the table with my family, with just a mound of pistachio shells and a language barrier between us. So, that's to say I know the pistachio rose latte won't appeal to the masses — my husband took a sip and said he didn't like it. I was surprised (and a little sad, honestly) and confirmed whether he was indeed talking about my beloved pistachio rose latte — he was. However, if you know you like the dynamic duo, this drink is wonderfully made. 

I like the use of pistachio milk, which tastes subtler than the pistachio-flavored syrups I've had (although you can find pistachio drinks at Starbucks, pistachio syrup is still one of the more uncommon coffee flavorings). This drink is on the higher end of the Peet's pricing spectrum, which is in part because Táche is not a cheap milk. Regardless, this is a comforting coffee drink with balanced flavors that hit all the promised notes; I'd be most pleased to get it again.

I opted for a medium size and chose dark roast for all of these drinks; I didn't make any changes and ordered them as they came; and I visited Peet's twice to try my 11 hot coffees. I primarily based the rankings on the flavor and how well it delivered on what it was supposed to. That means drinks that had a balanced flavor without being too bitter, watery, muted, or overpowering ranked higher. I was also looking for drinks that achieved the promised flavors, so if it said it had three components, I wanted to be able to taste all of the elements. Price and value are important for some drinks because they didn't seem like a good offer for the price, but I'm willing to pay a higher fee for a well-made sipper. The drinks I tried ranged from $3.95 to $7.50. 

Personal preference comes into play here, as well, so you might prefer a heavily spiced ginger drink while someone may not like that whatsoever. Not all criteria show up for all drinks; it varies, but the flavor is the most important quality. There are also a lot more options on the menu at Peet's, so what I tasted was just the tip of the iceberg.