What you're actually getting
Tia Maria has been knocking about for decades, and the Cold Brew version is a proper step up from the original. It's made with 100% Arabica coffee, which you can actually taste. Less sweet than Kahlua, more coffee-forward, a bit cleaner on the finish. At 20% ABV it's not going to floor you, which is the point.
I made a batch of espresso martinis with this for a Friday night in last winter. Six people, one bottle, nobody complained. The coffee flavour held up even with the vodka and a bit of sugar syrup. That's the real test, honestly.
Who this is actually for
If you make espresso martinis at home with any regularity, this is the obvious choice. It's also solid over ice with a splash of milk if you're not bothered about a proper cocktail. Or just as an after-dinner pour.
Who it's not for: if you want something sweeter and more syrupy, go for Kahlua. Tia Maria is drier, more bitter in a good way, and some people find that a bit stark neat.
One reservation
There's no current discount here, which is worth flagging. At around thirteen quid for a litre it's not a bad price, but it's not a screaming bargain either. The community heat on this one suggests stock moves quickly though, so if you've been meaning to grab a bottle anyway, now's as good a time as any. Just don't expect a half-price miracle.
