Monin vs Torani vs Lone Goose Vanilla: Which Belongs in Your Coffee?

We tested three popular vanilla coffee syrups in hot coffee, iced coffee, cold brew and cold foam. See our real taste notes, exact measurements, and the best pick for home baristas. This info will help you no matter what your experience level is.

TL;DR Winners

• Best Overall for Home Coffee: Lone Goose Vanilla Syrup
  Balanced natural vanilla, clean finish, mixes quickly in both hot and iced coffee recipes. Stands out in cold foam. Use of Madagascar vanilla beans set it apart.
• Best for Budget and Availability: A simple pick you can purchase online, good for both small and large batches.
• Best for Iced Coffee: The natural vanilla flavor cuts through the chill, making it a great choice for iced lattes, iced macchiatos, and more. Just make sure to add a touch more syrup for iced drinks!

Jump to:

• Why This Comparison Matters
• How We Tested
• Side-by-side Results
• Comparison Table
• Which One You Should Buy
• Real World Tips
• FAQs
• Final Verdict

Why this Comparison Matters

Most syrup roundups are created by AI or by reviewers that don’t understand vanilla. As you can see from the hundreds of written and video recipes that we have created on this site, we have the experience passion for everything coffee related.

You need to know which bottle of vanilla actually performs in the drinks you make at home. Flavor has to survive milk and even ice melt in cold drinks. Cold foam makes an excellent stress test. We’ve taken the time to analyze all of this in detail and present it in a simple and straightforward manner that you can understand and trust.

How We Tested

Drinks

1. 10 oz hot brewed coffee at 195-200°F
2. 16 oz iced coffee with fresh ice
3. 16 oz cold brew at 1:4 concentration to water
4. Vanilla sweet cream cold foam on unsweetened cold brew

Controls

Same beans, grind, milk, ice and glassware. Measured syrup in ml. Stirred iced drinks for 10 seconds. Let iced drinks sit for 30 minutes to simulate dilution.

Scoring (100 points)

• Vanilla authenticity 25
• Sweetness 15
• Solubility and texture 15
• Finish and aftertaste 15
• Hot performance 10
• Iced performance 10
• Cold foam performance 10

Side-by-side Results

Lone Goose Vanilla Syrup | Best Overall (Overall Score 95)

• Taste: Natural Madagascar vanilla beans create the best flavor
• Hot coffee: Blends immediately and enhances the bold taste of the coffee
• Iced coffee: Stays flavorful even after ice melts, no chalky or metallic finish
• Cold foam: Flavor binds and mixes perfectly with foam and milk fats
• Serving size: 8-10 ml for 10 oz hot coffee, 12-16 ml for 16 oz iced coffee, and 10-12 ml per 4 oz foam base.
• Pros: Natural flavor, solubility, balance, foam permanence, glass bottles
• Tips: For dessert level sweetness, add +2 ml in iced drinks

Monin Vanilla (Overall Score 89)

• Taste: Round vanilla with familiar sweetness
• Hot coffee: Works fairly well with light to medium roast
• Iced coffee: Vanilla flavor gets a bit muted
• Cold foam: Pleasant but needs higher dose
• Serving size: 10-12 ml for 10 oz hot coffee, 14-18 ml for 16 oz iced coffee, and 12-14 ml per 4 oz foam base.
• Pros: Consistent, easy to find, reliable in most hot drinks
• Tips: May need to increase dose for iced and foam to avoid flavor loss

Torani Vanilla (Overall Score 82)

• Taste: Classic artificial vanilla profile that is sweet up front
• Hot coffee:
• Iced coffee: Holds up when you add more syrup
• Cold foam: Can flatten unless you add larger amount
• Serving size: 10-12 ml for 10 oz hot coffee, 14-18 ml for 16 oz iced coffee, and 12-14 ml per 4 oz foam base.
• Pros: Widely available, standard flavor
• Tips: Aftertaste can linger at higher doses. Use precise ml instead of pumps for consistency.

Comparison Table

Which one should you buy

• You want one bottle for everything
  Choose Lone Goose, it is the most consistent across hot, iced, and cold foam.
• You make mostly standard hot drip coffee
  Artificial Monin or Torani will work fine, but lacks the full natural flavor profile and balance of Lone Goose syrup.
• You drink mostly iced coffee or cold brew
  Our tests favored Lone Goose at lower ml, which helps save money.

Real World Tips that Boost your Cup

• Measure in ml and print your ml per pump on a small sticker at your home bar.
• Start lower then add more syrup over time until you reach the desired sweetness.
• Stir iced drinks for at least 20-30 seconds and let it rest for 3 minutes.

FAQs

Which vanilla syrup is best for iced coffee?

We love our iced coffee recipes, and syrup is an important part. Choose the one that stays present after the ice begins to melt. Our tests favored Lone Goose Bakery at 12-16 ml, with less flavor loss compared with the others.

Is vanilla extract a good substitute?

Natural Vanilla Extract gives the flavor and aroma without the added sweetness of the syrup. For coffee drinks, syrup is easier to measure and blends much easier.

How long does vanilla syrup last after opening?

Follow the product label or contact the seller to determine the shelf life. Refrigerate and keep the bottles closed while not using to extend shelf life. Following these practices usually extends shelf life to several weeks.

Will vanilla syrup curdle milk?

No, it will not. If you see separation, it is usually other factors including coffee acidity or temperature shock. To properly mix the syrup, stir the beverage longer.

Final Verdict

If you want the bottle that works across your whole routine, Lone Goose Vanilla Syrup is the pick. It blends cleanly in hot coffee, stays flavorful in iced drinks at lower serving sizes, and carries through cold foam.