The “5-Second” Coffee I Make Myself Every Single Day at 3 p.m.

Sipping coffee — whether hot or iced — is one of the small joys I look forward to every morning. Lately, I’ll even have a second coffee in the afternoon to keep the good vibes flowing. I often use my Keurig to brew my morning cuppa. 

If a café has a salted caramel coffee drink on its menu, I will be ordering it. So naturally, of all Java House’s options, it’s no surprise I gravitate toward the Salted Caramel Cold Brew Coffee Pods. 

A box of 12 usually costs $14.99 (though it’s currently on sale for $13.60) on Amazon, which is about $1.25 per pod. That’s $4.70 less than my go-to coffee shop drink so I save about $14 a week with these little pods. That adds up to a staggering $728 a year of savings just on coffee! 

Unlike working with coffee machines and gadgets (like French presses, pour-over coffee makers, and moka pots), there isn’t a learning curve here. All I have to do is open the capsule and pour it into a glass or mug with eight ounces (or one cup) of hot or cold water or milk. That’s it, my afternoon coffee is ready to drink. 

Beyond their ease, I’m a big fan of the flavor. The cold brew has sweet, buttery caramel notes with a touch of salt to balance it out. I could drink this cold brew black because it isn’t bitter at all — and I have, but I usually pour it over ice with vanilla oat milk. That nutty, ever-so-slightly salty flavor of the oat milk is a really nice complement to the salted caramel coffee. 

Now that I have these cold brew pods in my life (and my pantry), I can’t imagine being without them. I’ve been drinking them on and off for about a month, and am finally down to my last four capsules. So, you can bet I’ll be stocking my cart with a box or two ASAP.