Popular Biggby Coffee Drinks Ranked From Worst To Best
Biggby Coffee's BIGG List of Drinks includes more than a hundred options, so ordering there is hard if you're a first-timer. If you're not familiar with this chain of coffee shops, Biggby feels less pretentious than Starbucks — orange and blue decor including paintings of the lunar landing will do that. It offers more specialty drinks than Dunkin', but like Dunkin', it's linked to a specific geographical region — Michigan and the Midwest, as opposed to Massachusetts and New England. Similar to Starbucks, many Biggby locations have armchairs and short coffee tables, making it comfortable to sit and chat even though it seems to do most of its business at the drive-through.
Some critics have said coffee shop menus are hard to decipher because they use foreign terms for coffee. While Biggby's names are all in English, they're so creative that you still can't be sure what you ordered. You might think you're in a YA fantasy novel instead of a coffee shop when you hear "Starry Skies," "Nutty Squirrel," and "Electric Dragon," not to mention "Magic Milk." Biggby's eccentrically-titled drinks include lattes, creme freezes, energy drinks, and hot chocolate.
The price of heading to Biggby's for a drink with a sci-fi name is around $5 for 16 ounces. Frozen drinks run slightly more expensive and drip coffees cost less than $3. Some of the beverages on the chain's menu will justify that price tag while others will leave you feeling disappointed. Read on to find out which are worth it and which aren't.
11. Pear-adise Blast
Not every drink at Biggby Coffee is coffee — the chain serves energy drinks laced with caffeine to keep its customers wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. One example is the Pear-adise Blast, but this beverage will leave you confused before you even take a sip — it's fuchsia. Pears are usually more boring colors like pale green, yellow, and brown, so it's unclear how this drink got to be bright pink. Could it be for prickly pear fruit? Whatever the reason, it's not a great first impression since it heightens the sensation that you're about to drink something toxically artificial. To add even more luminescence, Cincinnati's Biggby Coffee added edible glitter to the mix for a week to honor Taylor Swift's Eras tour date there.
You can order this energy drink iced or frozen — for the latter, the barista will run it through a blender to give it the texture of a slushy. The flavor is much closer to the actual fruit than the color is. It's not a strong taste — a little watery — but not unpleasant. If you're not big on pear, you could try other Blast energy drinks including Scuba (blue), Green Lagoon, Electric Dragon (red), and Blood Moon (orange) which come in equally alarming colors as the Pear-adise Blast. Each 16-ounce drink contains nearly 100 milligrams of caffeine to keep you awake. If you really want a boost, though, Biggby's traditional espresso may do the job more efficiently — just 1 ounce contains 50 milligrams of caffeine.
10. Strawberry Punch Red Bull Mocktail
Energy drinks are not Biggby's forte. The Strawberry Punch Red Bull Mocktail is bright orange and comes with two pale, frozen strawberries floating on top. Why the chain adds the berries is unclear. They do not make the drink seem more authentic — the alarming orange color has already convinced most people it's not, and strawberries aren't orange. Likewise, as a garnish, wilted frozen fruit does not enhance the drink's visual appeal.
Order this mocktail iced or frozen to refresh you on a hot summer day and you'll like the flavor while you're drinking it. Then, after you've finished, you may end up with an unpleasant aftertaste in your mouth and throat. If you decide to order Strawberry Punch, ask for a glass of water to wash the taste away completely when you're finished. It kind of seems like a waste to spend $5 on something that will leave your mouth tasting sour and uncomfortable.
All-in-all, the Biggby menu offers many better alternatives to this beverage. If you're drinking this mocktail to stay alert, try a latte instead, it will have more caffeine in it. There are 80 milligrams in the mocktail versus around 100 milligrams in the latte. If you simply wanted something refreshing, order a fruit-based Creme Freeze smoothie. If you're avoiding milk, try the dairy-free Banana Mango Freeze. The Strawberry Punch Red Bull Mocktail offers you nothing that a different Biggby order couldn't provide more satisfactorily.
9. Iced hot chocolate
Not everyone who walks into Biggby Coffee wants a cup of joe or even plain old caffeine to wake them up. Some are just kids or kids at heart, which explains why hot chocolate is on the menu.
If you order the kids' version, which is still 16 ounces, you can pick from vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. When meant for adult consumption, Biggby hot chocolate comes in four flavors: Mellow, dark, Cocoa Carmella, and mint. You can ask for it iced, frozen, or hot. The iced version is a vision to behold — you can see ice and swirls through the clear plastic container where they've mixed the milk and syrup and it's topped with a mountain of syrup-striped whipped cream. Drinking it is a letdown, though — it tastes like chocolate milk you could make at home. Since it costs more than $4, you'd likely be better off making it there. The specialty flavors like caramel or mint aren't great either. When mixed with the bitterness of coffee, these syrups taste delicious. With milk, they take on an artificial tinge, although less so in the hot version.
If you don't want to order coffee, you'd be better off ordering a tea latte. If you're hanging out with your little ones at Biggby, they'd probably prefer the frosty novelty of a Creme Freeze instead.
8. Bear Cub Sweet Foam Cold Brew
Every Biggby latte contains espresso, steamed milk, and flavored syrups. You can order them iced, frozen, hot, or as a Sweet Foam Cold Brew. The Bear Cub flavor is no exception and, in this case, the syrups are caramel, hazelnut, and white chocolate. If you order this hot it will come in a traditional cardboard take-out coffee cup with a cardboard insulator. As iced or frozen coffee, it's packaged in a transparent plastic cup and topped with whipped cream. If you order it as a Sweet Foam Cold Brew, it'll come packed with ice and topped off with a flat layer of cream that tastes like marshmallow fluff.
As you drink further, you'll discover the whole beverage tastes just as sweet as the topping. Consuming this beverage is like drinking melted ice cream and coffee — delicious and so sweet it'll stun your taste buds. It may leave you wondering if the latte called Sugar Bear could possibly be any more sugary than this. The sweetness completely overpowers the hazelnut and espresso. It's the perfect beverage for someone who wants to order coffee, but doesn't like it. Consider it a gateway coffee for teenagers.
7. Cinn-ful hot latte
Anyone who loves cinnamon will want to order Biggby's Cinn-ful latte. It's scrumptious and spiced. The recipe includes mocha, marshmallow, and cinnamon syrups. Hot, this latte is perfect for a crisp fall or winter day. The cinnamon will warm you up to the tips of your toes. Then, the mocha and marshmallow will remind you of the profound pleasure of sipping hot chocolate beside a fireplace when the weather is frosty. There's just a hint of that, though, since cinnamon is a stronger taste.
The temperature is the biggest problem with choosing the hot latte version of the Cinn-ful. At some locations, the baristas serve lattes warm rather than piping hot and that changes how you experience the cinnamon flavor. When you order, ask the server for an extra-warm latte if you prefer it steaming hot. The cinnamon also covers up the flavor of the espresso and that's an issue if you wanted to taste the coffee.
One admirable thing about the Biggby chain is it offers sugar-free syrups, although not in all the flavors. A person on a low-sugar diet could order the Cinn-ful latte to fit their diet. The Biggby website even has a handy tool showing how using alternative syrups has an impact on the nutrition of each drink.
6. Chai latte
Biggby's chai latte is enchanting. It tastes like steamy, sweet, spicy milk — smooth and flavorful. Even kids will love it, despite its complex flavor.
The chai latte is one of Biggby's line of tea lattes which includes Earl Grey, Rainbow Rooibos, matcha, and several versions of chai. These are perfect for people who don't want to order coffee or need to watch how much caffeine they consume. A 16-ounce espresso latte has about 100 milligrams of caffeine while tea lattes range from none (rooibos) to around 70 milligrams (earl grey). The chai latte, for example, contains just 18 milligrams. That's less than a can of Coke.
The biggest problem is this drink is oversized even when you order the smallest size, a 16-ounce. The first drop of chai latte that hits your tongue is an explosion of flavor, but every sip you take after that tastes slightly less delicious. Its flavor is most enjoyable in small quantities, so if you're looking for a beverage to share, pick this. Otherwise, if you drink the whole thing on your own, you may get tired of it before you finish.
5. Caramel Marvel iced latte
If you want to taste the espresso in your latte, order a Caramel Marvel. This drink only adds one flavored syrup — caramel — and that simplicity makes it great. In its iced version, this coffee comes in a transparent container with a mountain of whipped cream on top. Your Biggby barista will drizzle copious amounts of caramel syrup on top of that — delicious and beautiful.
Our biggest critique of the Caramel Marvel is that it tastes a little too toasty. Caramel is the taste of burned sugar, and espresso usually has a more bitter flavor than drip coffee. So, this latte has an underlying smolder-y taste which goes nicely with how sweet it is but may not be for everyone. Finally, if you're looking for something to cool you down on a hot summer day, you may want to pick a different menu item. Although you can order this latte iced or frozen, all the cream and milk make it less refreshing than a simpler iced coffee or fruit-based drink. If you wanted, you could try it with soy milk, though, since Biggby offers alternative milks for people on lactose-free diets.
4. Chocolate Chip Cookie Creme Freeze
If you're a big fan of Dairy Queen's Oreo Blizzard or McDonald's Oreo McFlurry, you'll probably love Biggby's Chocolate Chip Cookie Creme Freeze. Although this blended treat doesn't use Oreos like the other two, it still includes plenty of chocolatey cookie goodness. The chain blends its house smoothie base with chocolate chip cookies, ice, and milk. Then, it comes topped off with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Santa Claus would love it.
The flavor of this Creme Freeze is five stars, but the texture is less pleasant. Those blended-up cookies give it a grainy feeling in the mouth and some people might find it unpleasant. If some of the cookies came in large enough chunks to give it some crunch, it would feel better. Unfortunately, this is also one of Biggby's highest-calorie drinks — probably in part because of all the cookies in it. A 16-ounce Chocolate Chip Cookie Creme Freeze contains 820 calories. Of course, an Oreo McFlurry has around 500 calories and a medium Oreo Blizzard has almost 800, so you know you're not choosing a low-cal option when ordering a frozen cookie treat. Many alternative smoothies from Biggby, which are just as delicious, range from about 400 to 700 calories.
3. Mint Mocha frozen latte
Biggby's frozen Mint Mocha latte is heavenly. The combination of the mocha, mint, and espresso gives it fantastic flavor — especially if you're a fan of mint-chocolate chip ice cream. Imagine making a cup of coffee with your Italian stove-top espresso maker and then adding a scoop of ice cream on top. Think melty chocolate chips and foamy, liquid ice cream on top of perfectly brewed coffee. That's one of the most delightful things you could drink, and this Biggby offering comes very close to recreating the sensation.
By paying a little extra, you can order any latte (not just mint mocha) frozen, and this type of preparation is Biggby's strength. The quality of the chain's coffee isn't bad, but it's not anything special either. Its hot lattes can sometimes be tepid while the iced versions get watery as they melt. Biggby's frozen lattes are just right, though. The mint in this one makes it particularly refreshing on a hot day. Of course, not everyone likes mint and that's the only reason this drink didn't make it to first place in this ranking.
2. Banana Berry Creme Freeze
In some Biggbys, the baristas write their top three favorite menu items on a whiteboard as a suggestion to guests. Their tastes range, but one drink shows up more frequently than others — the Banana Berry Creme Freeze. This banana, strawberry, and orange juice smoothie is scrumptious. This is a clear demonstration of Biggby's quality since it's a classic smoothie flavor that's available in most places, and this coffee chain makes it especially well. There aren't too many strawberry seeds that'll get stuck in your teeth. No flavor overpowers the others — it's a perfect balance of orange, banana, and strawberry. The texture is smooth and icy. It's everything a banana berry smoothie should be. It's also a family-friendly drink, perfect to share with little ones.
Once you try this smoothie, you'll probably be back for more. If you plan on being a frequent flyer, you can set up a Biggby e-wards account. Being a part of this program means you'll get a free drink on your birthday and a free drink after buying 12. The company will also send you emails with coupons and special offers. That's a pretty good deal.
1. Butter Bear frozen latte
Biggby's Butter Bear Latte creates a fantastic imitation of cafe con leche with its mixture of milk with caramel, butterscotch, and espresso. Of course, there are advantages to ordering a Butter Bear Latte from Biggby instead of drinking cafe con leche. First, not everyone has an abuelita to make cafe con leche for them, and, even if they did, they couldn't very well ask her to make it frozen. Biggby baristas won't bat an eyelash if you do, though, and frozen is the way to drink this latte.
It comes topped with whipped cream and caramel sauce and it will change your life. The smooth, blended ice coffee is just the right combination of syrupy sweet and bitter espresso. Anyone who orders this from Biggby won't be disappointed. If you head through the drive-thru with your dog, your four-footed pal won't be disappointed either since every Biggby keeps a container of dog treats to hand out to canine passengers when their human friends get a coffee. There are a lot of great drinks to try at Biggby, so next time you're in the mood for a latte or smoothie, you know where to go.