La Colombe Nitro Cold Brew With Lemon Review: It's Like Iced Tea With A Sicilian Twist

"La Colombe" is the French word for "the dove." The company was founded by Todd Carmichael and J.P. Iberti who are committed to causes like supporting Haitian coffee farmers, emergency school lunch funding programs, and National Parks advocacy. Their goal is to use their influence to benefit communities through socially-conscious positive practices, sourcing, and events. Sustainability is a priority and they implement it through environmentally-friendly practices. Iberti cut his teeth in the French restaurant industry and was able to develop his company into an American wholesale business before going into retail.

La Colombe's flagship cafe and bakery is located in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood and there are now more than 30 locations in the U.S. The company sells packaged whole beans, espresso, French press, drip, and other grinds, with baristas serving fresh coffee on tap to customers. There are light, dark, and medium roasts, with flavors enhanced by additions like milk chocolate, Bartlett pear, and sweet cream. The cold brew and cold lattes selections are just as extensive, with choices including those with infused oat milk, ice cream flavors, caramel, mocha, and hazelnut. La Colombe had one other nitro option up until now –- the Nitro Extra Bold Cold Brew.

Sicily, Italy, is known for its stunning scenery; anyone who watched season two of "The Lotus" can attest to that. But this Mediterranean city is known for other things too, like its amazing lemons. Ninety percent of Italy's lemons come from Sicily, and it's even called the "Lemon Riviera." Many feel that the world's finest lemons are produced here.

So why are Sicilian lemons so good? This tart fruit has been cultivated here for more than 1,200 years and the region is still one of Italy's biggest growers and exporters. The lemons have a noticeably sweet taste that's different from those grown in other countries; the trees thrive in volcanic soil and get a boost from the sunny Mediterranean climate. It's also believed that lemons provide health benefits like anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, as well as plenty of vitamin C. Lemonade that's made with Sicilian lemons simply tastes better, and we'll soon let you know what it does for coffee.

This cold brew coffee tastes best when ice-cold, and we refrigerated it overnight for the best results. It can be temporarily frozen in case you forget to stick it in the fridge, too. Ice cubes can be added, but if the drink isn't consumed fast enough, those will melt and dilute the taste. One tip is to pour a can into an ice cube tray to create cold brew ice cubes; use them instead of regular ice so they don't hinder your drink's flavor. Of course, there's no reason why it can't be enjoyed straight from the can with or without a straw either, as there's no metallic aftertaste.

You can drink La Colombe Nitro Cold Brew with Lemon at any time of day, but we liked it as an afternoon pick-me-up. It is also easy to pack a few of these cans in a cooler with ice to take along with you. We cracked open a few after playing tennis and they were totally refreshing. And to make it even creamier, just add a bit of half-and-half or a splash of regular or plant-based milk -– you only need a few drops.

The amount of caffeine in one cup of regular coffee depends on the bean variety and other factors, but on average, there are about 95 grams. La Colombe Nitro Cold Brew with Lemon contains 100 milligrams of natural caffeine, so there's really no difference there. La Colombe's Nitro Extra Bold Cold Brew contains more than double that amount, at 210 milligrams. Some caffeinated coffee drinks can have as much as 500 milligrams of the stuff, so La Colombe Nitro Cold Brew with Lemon is pretty tame when you consider that.

Still, it's easy to drink several of these cans because they're smooth and go down so easily. The FDA recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, but countless people drink four or more cups of java like it is water. La Colombe Nitro Cold Brew with Lemon has a moderate amount of caffeine, but if you drink too many of them you might get jittery and have trouble going to sleep at night.

This cold brew canned coffee has broken new ground and we can't come up with another drink that has a close flavor profile. It tastes more like lemon iced tea than coffee and that can turn people off. Yet even though the fruity notes might not be appealing for some palates, others might love it. Healthline shows that an average cup of tea has 47 milligrams of caffeine (green tea has less), so La Colombe Nitro Cold Brew with Lemon is a good choice for people who want more than that in their pick-me-up drinks.

The taste of the Sicilian lemons is considerable enough to overpower the coffee and one grumpy reviewer said, "If I wanted iced tea I'd buy iced tea." But that wasn't the consensus, since others enjoyed the unusual flavor combination and found it to be tasty and refreshing. While it might be a polarizing flavor combo, the final verdict is that this one is worth a try. You might just find it's your favorite new summertime cold brew.