In November 2025, MADRINAS partnered with Neopets on a new cold brew instant coffee mix! MADRINAS is a beverage brand, producing options such as milk and fruit boba teas, caffeinated fruity drink mixes called "Refreshers", whole bean coffee, and instant cold brew mixes. They have several other collaborations, primarily with video game properties. The Neopets bundle includes a container of the cold brew coffee powder in Ice Cream Sandwich flavour, a shaker cup exclusive to the collector's box, and three rare item codes. Jellyneo received an early sample of the package to try out before it's available to purchase!
This product was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review by Jellyneo staffer Steph!
Right off the bat, the packaging is absolutely adorable. It's bright, it's fun, and it feels Neopian. There are many species of Neopet represented on just the box art alone.
While the Kougra does take center stage, rightfully so—I literally gasped when I opened the shipping box—it's nice seeing some love given to pets that don't always make it onto merchandise. The art does seem to have been drawn specifically for this collab, so while there are some stylistic differences on the Grundo and Shoyru on the back of the package, all the pets are easily identifiable as their correct species.
The art wraps around the box, with one of the side panels featuring a Kacheek living their best life, a Xweetok about to make the Kacheek's day a little worse, a Bruce anticipating catastrophe, and a Lupe who is relaxing with their tongue out. The other side of the packaging showcases the nutritional information.
The top of the box features five stars and says "Best Coffee in Neopia", though I think Ristretta might take exception to that! The bottom of the box is simply a light purple background with some darker purple stars, reminiscent of the 25th Anniversary pet colour.
It also appears that new paint brush art was drawn specifically for this box!
The box contains a pair of fliers about the product.
The art on the container is thematic, and features yet another caffeinated Meepit (maybe that's why they cause so much trouble), a JubJub who looks like an ice cream sundae, a Kiko who is also an ice cream sandwich, and an Aisha who has replaced part of their secondary set of ears with coffee beans.
The container itself feels sturdy, and the lid screws on securely. The packaging is reminiscent of other powdered drink mixes, protein powders, or even pre-workout. It comes with a scoop that is equivalent to one serving of the mix.
The nutritional information is also available on this packaging, so you don't need to reference the box for that.
The 16-ounce/500-milliliter shaker cup itself is surprisingly sturdy and made of plastic (BPA-free!). It feels substantial yet not unwieldy, and it appears to be well-suited for regular use. The lid fits very securely, it's easy to drink from, and the art is just as adorable as what's on the box.
The downside is that the art is a wrap and is not painted onto the cup. While paint can also peel and not be a permanent feature, especially on plastic, you will want to be careful when washing this to avoid peeling off the art.
Two of the images feature text; the more relatable one for me is the overly caffeinated Meepit. The stylistic references to the personality stats you can select when creating a new pet are also a cute addition.
The cup also features some measurement options on the sides, although they're hard to read due to the design. The side with an Acara wearing a JubJub as a hat has milliliter measurement, while the side with the JubJub trio ice cream cone has ounce measurement.
This is what the parts of the cup look like separately, shown are the lid, the agitator for mixing the powder better, and the cup base.
When I opened this, I was met with a strong scent of vanilla ice cream. It's very sweet-smelling and genuinely doesn't smell like coffee at all; instead, it smells like vanilla ice cream mixed with a hint of hot cocoa powder. It's a powder similar to instant cappuccino mixes or more exotic hot chocolate flavors. You can see the different ingredients if you look closely, with the darker brown flecks being the coffee. The instructions tell you to mix it with 13 ounces of ice-cold water and then shake it up. So, I did just that!
It produces a very light brown, foamy, "coffee beverage"-style drink, so if you're looking for bold, rich, espresso flavours, this probably won't be for you.
It's sweet; the first ingredient is sugar after all. At first it doesn't taste exactly like an ice cream sandwich, but there are some notes on the aftertaste that remind you of eating an ice cream sandwich. It's very vanilla-forward, and the chocolate flavour came across as very cocoa-buttery, leaning into almost artificial territory (though this does not contain any artificial ingredients).
I added some ice to the cup, shook it up again, and allowed it to sit for a few minutes. Once I did that, I liked the flavour a lot more, and it felt like the flavours had some time to develop and integrate, despite my earlier vigorous shaking with just the ice-cold water. The vanilla and cocoa flavours work well, and there's not a strong coffee flavour. If you've ever had instant cappuccino, it's incredibly similar but cold.
A word of caution: this contains 191 milligrams of caffeine. Your standard cup of coffee contains about 95. In addition to the caffeine, each serving is 180 calories. The package contains 8 servings. It does contain milk, so if you are sensitive to milk or lactose, this is something to consider.
When you open the box, you're immediately met with two of the three rare item codes on top flap. They're pasted onto the top of the box, and your first two prizes are clearly shown. The "Mug Meepit Handheld" and "Jub Chug Drinking Buddy" are both shown with their respective item codes. (The actual item names on Neopets.com are slightly different.)
They are admittedly, pretty cute, especially if you collect JubJubs or Meepits. Grundo Warehouse is linked via QR code, which feels like a modern touch. It also includes a quick blurb about what to do if you receive an error when you're redeeming your prizes! The blurb states:
Note: If you receive an error, refresh the page and attempt the code again. If it says the code is redeemed, check your inventory for the newest addition."
While that's not exactly a fix for the code redemption issue, it is nice seeing it mentioned and a workaround mentioned in an official manner.
The coffee mix itself is where you will find your last rare item code. That means this code is not exclusive to the Collector's Box, as the coffee can be purchase separately. It's displayed prominently on the lid, along with the prize details. There is not a QR code this time, however, there is a link and the same instructions regarding redemption errors.
Upon using the code, you'll receive a Madrinas Goodie Bag. The labeling promises one of the below items or a "mystery food item" within the goodie bag:
All in all, I give it four out of five stars. The art really stands out as a selling point for this package, and while the coffee won't replace my usual "enough espresso to send an Eyrie to the NeoHospital" order, it's not bad. It is set to retail for $34.99 before tax and shipping. If you're looking for a cute, Neopets-themed way to get some caffeine into your system quickly (or to take on the go), this might be right up your alley!
View Colllector's Box on Merch DB » View Coffee on Merch DB »
This review was written by Steph and Kenny and was last updated on November 7, 2025.
