Almond Joy–Flavored Nondairy Creamer

Published on Friday, December 16, 2011, by James Norton / Edit Post

International Delight Coffee Creamer Limited Edition Flavors

International Delight Coffee Creamer Limited Edition Flavors

I Paid: $2.16 for a 16-ounce container, $3.76 for a quart (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 4 stars

Marketing: 2 stars

According to the horrible commercials, if you have a childish, idiotic desire for Cinnabons and Almond Joys, unchanged since you were 8, then International Delight Coffee Creamer Limited Edition Flavors are the creamers for you.

The new versions of these familiar nondairy creamers (which in the past have come in more generic flavors like French Vanilla) are based on the megabrands of Cinnabon and Almond Joy. Do we need more candy and mass-marketed cinnamon rolls in our lives? How about liquefied and added to our morning coffees? Well, sure. Why not.

With a lactose-free, palm oil–based coffee creamer flavor called "Cinnabon," you might expect an unpleasant blast of chemicals and/or a big ol' cinnamon roll whacking you in the face, but the product itself is surprisingly meek. There is a bready sweetness that lingers at the end of each sip (I tried both flavors in coffee), but it's surprisingly subtle. In fact, I ended up adding quite a lot of the Cinnabon flavor to my coffee just to get a sense of it. Almond Joy is similarly easygoing: A coconut flavor predominates (if there's any chocolate component, it's mostly MIA), and the creamer is sweet but not cloyingly so, and relatively light on the palate. Overall: not an abomination!

If you're lactose-intolerant, have a massive sweet tooth, or are trying to make bad office coffee machine-coffee-palatable, these creamers will probably fit your needs. I'll stick to half-and-half. Call me a traditionalist.

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster Daily videos, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. (Click here to see all of James's previous Supertaster work.) You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook.

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POST A COMMENT |8 Comments

COMMENT

  • "Bad for you." That's what they said about eating a whole cake, but now who is laughing? Me. Because I ate the whole cake.

  • not to state the obvious, but do you all realize how bad an artifically sweetened non-dairy creamer is for you?
    COFFEE-MATE, FAT FREE LIQUID NON DAIRY CREAMER
    INGREDIENTS: Water, Corn Syrup Solids, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, and/or Cottonseed Oil, (Adds a Trivial Amount of Fat), and Less Than 2% of Sugar, Modified Cornstarch, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Caseinate, (Milk Derivative),...+READ

    not to state the obvious, but do you all realize how bad an artifically sweetened non-dairy creamer is for you?
    COFFEE-MATE, FAT FREE LIQUID NON DAIRY CREAMER
    INGREDIENTS: Water, Corn Syrup Solids, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, and/or Cottonseed Oil, (Adds a Trivial Amount of Fat), and Less Than 2% of Sugar, Modified Cornstarch, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Caseinate, (Milk Derivative), Not a Source of Lactose Color Added, Artificial Flavor, Mono And Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Carrageenan, Salt, Betacarotene. Color.-COLLAPSE

  • mmm surprisingly sweet breAdy goodness!

  • Poser: I'm sure it helps if you actually like the taste of coffee.

  • I like butter in my coffee. Unsalted, of course.

  • I don't use these very much but this one and the Italian cream flavor aren't bad.

  • If you brew good coffee, freshly ground, and brew correctly you don't need creamer, half and half, or anything else that destroys the natural taste of the coffee.

  • I normally abstain from these "creamos" as well, but the office coffee maker drove me to try these. Agreed, they work. I'm not going to use them for long. I still use half & half at home!