Iced coffee is the perfect summer time drink, especially here in the desert where temperatures can get way out of control.  An iced cold coffee always sounds so tempting to me on those days.  Normally, I would run out to my closest coffee shop or make my own, but the thought of being able to grab-and-go is quite inviting.  When International Delights asked me to participate in their campaign for their new Iced Coffee product, I was happy to try it out.

On my first shopping mission to Wal-Mart, I looked for the International Delights Iced Coffee drinks in the places that seemed obvious to me where I would find a ready made iced coffee beverage.  I went straight to the specialty drinks in the refrigerator section, you know, the place where you would first check for things like coconut water, pomegranate juice, trendy iced teas…why not iced coffee?  Strike 1.  I then ventured over to the soda aisle in search of the canned Starbucks and Seattle’s Best coffee drinks.  Perhaps it’s not a refrigerated item?  Strike 2.  You know I had to grab my milk for the babies, so thought, where else could this product possibly be?  It’s got to be near the creamers at least!  I found the International Delight creamers, but no Iced Coffee product.  In fact, when I asked for help locating it, the employees were not familiar with the product.  Strike 3.  Needless To Say, when I made it home and reviewed my photos, I happened upon the beverage in the section next to the soy and almond milks.  Not where, as a consumer who enjoys specialty beverages, would think to look for an Iced Coffee product, especially since it was near other products that are considered healthier beverages.  None the less, made a second trip and grabbed the much sought after International Delights Iced Coffee drinks.

Naturally, I couldn’t just taste test on my own!  Coffee is way more fun when done in the presence of others…good conversation makes for good coffee, so I invited a few of my friends over to give it a try.  In that mix was my sister, sister-in-law, some girlfriends and my grandmother.  She is the first person to introduce me to iced coffee, so it only seemed natural to learn her opinion.  I was a bit disappointed that there was not a hazelnut flavor, but offered up the Original, Vanilla and Mocha ones to sip and see.

We also had some tasty treats from a local bakery, and I grabbed a package of chocolate chip scones (ready to bake) and Pilsbury Disney themed Valentine’s cookies for the kids.  It was a Sunday afternoon, and the husband’s were out playing golf, so the moms brought their kiddos over.  While they played outside, enjoying the awesome Vegas weather in January, we sat inside chatting and enjoying our mid-afternoon snacks.

 

The majority ruled that the Original flavor provided the best taste.  It was the right balance of sweet and coffee flavors.  Runner up was the Vanilla, then Mocha.  I had bought a few extra, so was able to send some of my guests home with their favorite flavor.  Some of my girlfriends are “label readers”, so they would most likely not purchase the product due to some of the ingredients listed.  However, the other ladies liked the idea that it was ready-to-go and could easily throw it in a travel cup for their daily routine.  Some of the ladies even put it in their regular coffee for some added flavor.  My grandmother isn’t too big on sweet, so she preferred the Original flavor to the Mocha or Hazelnut.

It was a fun Sunday afternoon, thanks to International Delights Iced Coffee and some great friends and family to spend it with.

Want to learn more about my shopping trip?  Check out my Inside the Mind of a RockStarMom google+ album.

For more information on International Delights Iced Coffees, you can visit them on-line or follow them on Twitter and FaceBook.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All thoughts and opinions are my own.  #CBias #IcedCoffee