There is but one truism about summertime : as the outdoor temperature rise , the temperature of what ’s in yourcoffee cup must lessen . Who the hell want to drink a coffee heat to 135 degree in 135 - stage weather ? And because there are apparently millions of insensate drinks on the grocery at our land ’s coffee mountain range , we taste the offering of everywhere from Starbucks to Peet ’s to find the best insensate drink at every major coffee chain .

McDonald’s:McCafé Frappé Caramel

Yeah , it ’s not a coffee range . But it wants to be , so we ’re gon na throw a ivory to this littlemom - and - pop organisation . The Frappe – relieve me , the   McCafé Frappé – is Mickey D ’s Starbucks Frappuccino ripoff for a fraction of the toll , and while brassy knockoffs of anything usually mean you ’ll be let down shortly after purchase , this caramel drink could stand proudly next to the ' Bucks . The iced coffees are serviceable , but they lack a little something something . Enter the Frappé . McDonald ’s has nailed what make these type of drinks so addictive , and it ’s that you get your daily java fix along with a healthy amount of chop - up ice to jaw on in this blended potable . Typically caramel drinks at coffee tree chains are disgustingly sweetened , but the caramel here is n’t overcome – it blends in nicely with the coffee feel .

Dutch Bros:Mocha Dutch Freeze

In the Pacific Northwest , there seems to be a drive - up Dutch Brothers kiosk on every other street corner ( and abikini baristaon the 1 with no Dutch moving in ) , and for a realm live for itscoffee snobs , people sure do eff them . The menu ’s ginormous on its own , and even bigger when you factor in a surreptitious bill of fare that ’s deeper thanIn - N - Out ’s . If we were going off that , the minty Ninja Turtle shake would make headway . But dammit , we typeset our rules , and we ’re go with the Mocha Dutch Freeze , a blended espresso bomb you’re able to get in all kinds of tone , though , come on , you ’re at a place advert for the Dutch . So get chocolate . And if you do n’t want coffee but for some reason are at a java kiosk without any bikinis , go for the Dutch Frost , the shake version of the same thing , sans the dome . Or get the Ninja Turtle . Just do n’t say we told you that .   There are rules …

Dunkin' Donuts:Pistachio Swirl iced macchiato

Macchiatos ( the American kind , not the real kind ) are not my thing – too much milk and too picayune coffee . So it was a surprise to be completely enchanted by a Pistachio Swirl drink , of all thing . But this mark is racy in all the right ways , like a millionaire uncle who gifts you a sports car for no intellect . Unlike most of Dunkin ’s to a fault sweetened and Milk River - ladened iced potable , the pistachio nut flavour is n’t overtake , and the macchiato somehow feels like it has a good balance of milk and coffee than an iced coffee . This might be because Dunkin ' does n’t skimp on milk in its iced coffees . Honorary second place fit to anything in it with a Cookie Dough Swirl , because normally you have to pay $ 5-$6 for that sort of season at any other chocolate chain of mountains .

Peet’s Coffee & Tea:Chocolate & Caramel Swirl Javiva

Real talk : if you ’re at a coffee shop and not wanting to tope something that taste like coffee , you ’re either a tea toper , on a first escort , a hippy , or do n’t own adult taste buds . The latter ’s just fine . But if you ’re in the mood for an arctic , creamy sugar bomb that snaps you out of slumber , well , just go for it . Do n’t lie to yourself and get it with matcha or chai . Get it with chocolateandcaramel . Be honest with yourself . You ’ll be way happier – and a lot more energized – when you get a big - nates , blended cup of coffee tree candy clear with enough whip cream to top a banana tree split . Speaking of which , that would be a pretty good flavor here …

Starbucks:Coffee Frappuccino

While the summertime bound - edition S’mores Frappuccino is worth a attempt , and the orange mango smoothie isway well than I ever have a bun in the oven it to be(it actually has whey in it , too ! ) , there ’s nothing at Starbucks that come close to the Coffee Frappuccino . It alter the blended coffee drink biz , and remains a client favourite . And it ’s probably because of its simplicity : deep brown , Milk River , ice , and a whole bunch of sugar . It ’ll keep you caffeinated and awake for those blistering , muggy Monday morning commutes when the last thing you require to do is go to work . It ’s a plunk - me - up in a plastic cup , and it shows that the unproblematic drink is sometimes the honorable .

Tim Hortons:Frozen lemonade

The Frozen Capp – which is like the Canadian Frappuccino , in that it ’s not as good but extremely cultivated and good at hunt – seems like the logical selection here , and it ’s not a bad one . But that would mean overlook the frozen lemonade , which is basically a Slurpee , but one that tastes like literal yield and not corn sirup that ’s been circulating for several day on destruction . It ’s gross for any occasion , whether you ’re in a dealings jam in the Midwest or braving the sweltering deserts of Manitoba . Which … those are a affair , correct ?

Caribou Coffee:Cookies & Cream Snowdrift

wassail this is like sipping an Oreo dip in 2 % Milk River . It says " SNWDRF Oreo " on the receipt , but not on the menu . Why would Caribou hide its partnership with Oreo ? This is like me state I ’m playing basketball with supporter , but I do n’t secern you my friends are Steph Curry and Kevin Durant . I ’m ahuge rooter of Oreo , and this live up to my Oreo jones and provides me with a glass of Milk River to pair with my favorite cooky . It ’s somehow not to a fault sugary , either . I entail , in the ingredients , yes , there are , umm , 72 g of refined sugar in a diminished , but not with regards to how it tastes . Caribou ’s Mint Condition Mocha comes in a close , closemouthed second . There ’s some smooth mint flavor that pairs well with its espresso , and there ’s a refreshing peppermint finish .

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf:Black Forest Ice Blended Drink

I ’m not a huge fan of maraschino cherries – I have n’t had a Shirley Temple since I was 13 and it was the nerveless thing to drink at bar mitzvahs because you were n’t old enough to consecrate a screwdriver like the adults . But this Black Forest Ice Blended Drink has a whole sight of ‘em inside , and it does n’t seem to ruin the drink . In fact , it just supply layers of flavor to the legal proceeding , which let in the aforementioned cherries , a scoop of coffee + chocolate powder , and cocoa - cover espresso beans for even more chocolate and caffeine . All the Ice Blended Drinks are solid , but the Black Forest ’s flavor profile makes it less of a one - trick pony than the caramel , cobnut , or vanilla extract versions .

Einstein Bros. Bagels:Iced Oregon Vanilla Chai tea latte

Oregon Chai is one of my best-loved chai firebrand , and not amazingly , other than Starbucks , this is the first chai that really sets itself aside as something that does n’t smack like a potpourri mill exploded in my mouthpiece . For the record , that ’s a speculative thing . The mochas are also amazingly decent at Einstein , and hold up to the standard Starbucks set up with the Frappuccino ( albeit , this is at a lower price power point in my area ) , but the fact that the company partnered with a legit chai brand pushes this into first topographic point . And you do n’t have to be an Einstein to realize that . ( Sorry . )

Panera Bread:Low-fat mango smoothie

You probably know this if you go to Panera in the summertime : its swallow are a cut above the rest . The iced caffe mocha is in the top tier of mocha drinks in the deep brown - chain infinite . But the Mangifera indica smoothie is the best cold drink , and that ’s something I ’m not sure I would ’ve write prior to glut myself on iced crapulence before melting on the sidewalk into a pool of icing and chocolate . This is n’t a boring charmer with mango and Milk River . Panera ’s offer include orange juice , banana , vanilla yogurt , and Methedrine . you may get umber drinking anywhere , but a smoothie this good is much more difficult to come up at any deep brown chain .

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Starbucks Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds coffee drinks

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

McDonalds McCafe Caramel Frappe

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Dunkin Donuts iced drink

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Caribou Coffee Cookies and Cream Snowdrift

Lee Breslouer/Thrillist

Einstein Bros Vanilla Chai

Lee Breslouer/Thrillist