The Concerning Mystery Behind Costco's Food Court Frozen Coffee

While members often rave about Costco's affordable hot dog combo or those addictive, savory chicken bakes, one of the more underrated options on the food court menu is the cold brew mocha freeze. This rich, decadent beverage is something like a chocolate coffee milkshake. Whether you're looking for a yummy sweet treat or an afternoon pick-me-up, this little-known food court item can provide. And if you're not in a mood for chocolate, one of Costco's many food court secrets is that there's a cold brew latte freeze available exclusively on the electronic kiosks.

While some Costco members love the taste of these decadent drinks, there is one concerning mystery behind them: There's no information posted anywhere about how much caffeine is in each drink. There's nothing on the food court menu board or the nutritional fact sheet about it at all. That's actually pretty dangerous and leaves us scratching our heads. If you're curious, you can always ask a Costco employee to see what they know about what's in it, but that's about as far as you can go to uncovering the coffee freeze caffeine content mystery.

While we don't know the caffeine content of these frozen treats, there are a few things we do know about them. For starters, both beverages are made with cold brew iced coffee crafted from Kirkland's signature Colombian beans. Starbucks might produce these beans, by the way, and you can even buy the brand's Signature Colombian Cold Brew separately in stores. But curiously, these beverages don't have a caffeine content listed anywhere either. 

Next, we do know plenty of other health facts about these drinks. The cold brew latte freeze, for example, is a 16-ounce beverage that has about 470 calories. With 6 grams of fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 96 grams of sugar, and 93 grams of carbohydrates, this is certainly an indulgent treat. But hey, there's also 12 grams of protein per serving, and with the price hovering around just $2.99, it's not all bad.

The cold brew mocha freeze also sells for roughly $2.99, but its nutritional facts are a little different. (Apparently the mocha freeze is the same drink as the cold brew latte, just with an extra shot of chocolate syrup.) The mocha option comes in at about 580 calories per 16-ounce cup. It has 8 grams of fat, 160 milligrams of sodium, 116 grans of carbohydrates, and 111 grams of sugar. 

While we don't have any concrete current data on the caffeine content of these drinks, some customers have guesses. "I think it still has 275 mg caffeine," one Reddit user said of the mocha freeze. "That number is like 4 years old though." Another customer agreed that the drink tastes strong.

As far as the flavor of the beverage, there are mixed reviews. "As a mildly caffeinated chocolate slurpee, I find it to be a complete success," a satisfied Reddit user wrote. One customer even compared it to Starbucks: "Better than a Frappuccino, I like it as an option and I get it without the chocolate." Another agreed, saying, "[The] Latte Freeze is my go-to food court item every Costco trip!" Still, others had opposite opinions. "Not too much of a fan of it," one customer wrote. "It tastes like a White Russian just without the alcohol." One Redditor used to be a fan, but changed their mind following a recipe change. "I loved and was addicted to the previous version of this," they wrote. "Then, they changed it up (for the worse) and significantly increased the price. So there went that." 

To get the most accurate take on these drinks, you might just have to try them both and decide where they end up on your own ranking of Costco's food court items. Just sip cautiously, as no one seems to know exactly how much caffeine is inside.