It’s always fun to compare three different brands of similar products, and we’ll do that from time to time on IMBHO. Today we had a taste test between three cold coffee drinks, all purchased at Dollar General.

The first brand test was Clover Valley Café. If you see the Clover Valley brand in Dollar General, this is their store brand, which often leads to a lower price than national brands (like the other two in this tasting).

Clover Valley’s 13.7oz coffee drink (in a glass bottle) cost $1.75 each. This is substantially lower than Dunkin’ Donuts coffee drink (13.7oz in a plastic bottle), which comes in at $2.35, and a whole dollar less than Starbucks 13.7oz Frappuccino (in a glass bottle), with the highest price of $2.75 each. (Note: Starbucks is a buck higher at the convenience store.)

But price isn’t everything, right? It’s about the quality of the product.

On a sweetness scale, Clover Valley tops the list. It is considerably sweeter than the other two brands and provides a whopping 56 grams of carbs per serving. The coffee flavor is undermined by all that sugar, but if you have a need for sweet and don’t like strong coffee, this may just be for you.

Starbucks, with 47 grams of carbs, places second on the sweetness meter. It has a much bolder coffee profile than Clover Valley, so it holds up to the sweetness level. It was also the creamiest of the three coffee drinks.

Our personal favorite in terms of sweetness was Dunkin’ Donuts, which comes in at 44 grams of carbs. It was lighter on coffee flavor than Starbucks and lighter overall, using skim milk instead of reduced fat milk like the other two brands.

All three coffee drinks earn an IMBHO-yes, so it’s really a matter of your preference as a consumer in terms of which one is right for you.

• Are you most concerned with price? Clover Valley

• Do you want a bold coffee flavor? Starbucks

• Do you like your coffee super sweet? Clover Valley

• Do you want a creamy consistency? Starbucks

• Do you want a good balance between coffee and sweetness? Dunkin’ Donuts

Regardless of your choice, you will get a sugar and caffeine high when you consume any of these three products.

Enjoy!

Let us know what product comparisons you’d like us to do. We’re listening!