New Maxwell House Iced Latte With Foam Review: Heavy On Foam, Light On Flavor
One of the oldest names in American coffee is Maxwell House. Currently owned by the Kraft Heinz Company, Maxwell House got its start during the latter half of the 19th century. Since then, it has become one of the leading coffee brands in the United States.
It's changed its look over the years, but Maxwell House coffee has largely remained a simple brand known for its straightforward coffee products, like plain ground coffee. This summer, the legacy brand is pushing the envelope with its new product, called the Iced Latte with Foam. This new grocery store item allows you to whip up a fancy iced espresso beverage with just a cup of cold water. That's right, this new iced latte is a packet of powder that produces a ready-made beverage with just a bit of mixing.
When it came down to reviewing Maxwell House's Iced Latte with foam, we were particularly curious about two things: if it worked as promised and how it tasted. We will find all this out and more — including whether or not the new Maxwell House latte packets are worth your money.
How does the Maxwell House Iced Latte with foam work?
Maxwell House delivers simplicity with its new Iced Latte with foam packs — each of which comes with six packets. This will no doubt be the easiest latte you've ever made, as long as you follow the instructions.
First, you need to add your powder to the bottom of a mug that holds at least 8 ounces of liquid (we used a clear cup to demonstrate). Then, you fill your receptacle up with 8 ounces of cold water. Trust us, for this product, colder is better. Immediately after you've filled up your mug, begin stirring until all the powder has dissolved into the liquid and the beverage has a nice layer of foam on top.
When we made our lattes, the foam actually appeared right away and didn't require any stirring. However, unless you want clumps of powdered espresso and milk in your drink, you are going to want to stir that sucker aggressively for at least a minute.
What does the Caramel Iced Latte with Foam taste like?
The Maxwell House Iced Latte with foam comes in three different flavors: caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut. We tried each one to determine which, if any, were the best. When it came down to it, the first one we tried was the winner. But before digging into why caramel was the clear frontrunner, here is what the experience of drinking one of these iced lattes is actually like.
For starters, the way this drink is made (by adding water to powder) means that the entire thing is flavored, including the foam on top. In a typical flavored espresso drink, this usually is not the case. While the texture of the foam is certainly impressive, the artificial flavor of it isn't the best.
As for the latte's liquid base, you aren't getting the strongest coffee flavor from this drink. The texture of the beverage component is closer to coffee creamer than an actual latte. Of all the flavors, we found caramel to be the one that tasted the most harmonious. Additionally, there was a richness to this sweet flavor that put it above the other options, at least according to our palate.
What does the Vanilla Iced Latte with Foam taste like?
The next Iced Latte with foam flavor to tackle was vanilla. This felt like the baseline flavor. It allowed us to really evaluate the quality of the coffee. Unfortunately, we wouldn't recommend this product to any coffee snobs.
When it came down to the flavor, we found the vanilla quite lacking, compared to the relative richness of the caramel flavor. As it turns out, the artificially flavored vanilla only provided a mild sweetness to gussy up the thin espresso drink. Plus, if you don't put any ice in your cup, these drinks tend to come to room temperature fairly quickly, where the vanilla flavor becomes even less appetizing.
What does the Hazelnut Iced Latte with Foam taste like?
After trying all three flavors, we were least impressed by the Hazelnut Iced Latte with foam. We are generally a big fan of hazelnut when done well, but are well aware it's an easy flavor to get wrong. Unfortunately, Maxwell House doesn't nail it with its attempt at artificial hazelnut flavoring.
While this flavor is more ambitious and interesting than the vanilla, the Hazelnut Iced Latte ultimately tastes least like what it's going for. The flavor in this beverage is closer to that of a coffee with almond milk or almond-flavored creamer than it is anything that resembles hazelnut. It was also, by far, the least tasty of the three flavors Maxwell House currently has on offer for its new line of Iced Lattes with foam.
What's the nutritional information like?
We admit that we were a bit let down by the taste of these iced latte packets. Still, there are other factors to consider when deciding whether or not to recommend the latest Maxwell House innovation to someone. A major one to consider is the product's nutritional information.
In a one-packet serving, there are 120 calories, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, and 25 milligrams of sodium. Each Iced Latte with foam serving also contains 22 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein. Compared to a 12-ounce Starbucks iced caffe latte, the Maxwell House at-home drinks are slightly lower in their overall fat content, and much lower in their sodium content. In the latter category, the Starbucks latte has a whopping 90 grams of sodium per 12-ounce iced caffe latte.
These iced lattes also contain less sodium and fat than similar offerings at Dunkin'. When it comes to salt and fat content, Maxwell House's brand-new iced latte creations are thankfully on the lighter side. However, this could also be because it comes in 8-ounce servings, which is smaller than the aforementioned 12-ounce products from Dunkin' and Starbucks.
Where to buy Maxwell House Iced Latte with Foam and how much it costs
This Maxwell House Iced Latte with foam costs around $6.99. For this price, you'll receive six packets. At just over a dollar per packet, it's easy to see how price is what this product has going in its favor, since most coffee shops will charge at least $3 for a latte. Thanks to this, Maxwell House is offering a tempting alternative to going out for coffee each morning.
As of July 2023, these new Iced Latte with foam products are now available in the instant section of the coffee aisle of any grocery store where Maxwell House products are sold. Most major retailers, as well as services like Instacart, also sell these new latte instant beverage mixes.
Final thoughts
We found that the Maxwell House Iced Latte with foam packets could be a good option for an espresso drinker on a budget, due to their low cost. They could also work for those who are watching their nutritional intake, due to the relatively low calorie, carb, and sugar values per drink — thanks in part to the small serving size. But beyond that, we found these difficult to enjoy for an average coffee drinker.
These all-in-one mixes are a new technology that is clearly inferior that the thing Maxwell House is trying to imitate. We found the disappointing flavors and overwhelming richness made it difficult to finish a cup, making it hard to feel any noticeable effects from the promised caffeine. If these beverages don't taste good and aren't noticeably caffeinated, is it really that good of a deal? We don't think so.