Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. announced a new line-up of cold beverages that will become the foundation for a new “cold bar” of coffee and espresso products.
The new menu is exclusively focused on its portfolio of cold coffee and affirms the company’s ongoing investment in the iced beverages’ category following its nationwide launch of Cold Brew last year in all U.S. company-owned stores, the company says. In addition to bringing handcrafted vanilla flavor to its Cold Brew coffee line, Starbucks also will debut a handcrafted Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice espresso beverage and introduce Nitro Cold Brew in select cities, it adds.
“For over 40 years we have perfected the craft of roasting and brewing the finest hot coffee and while we have always offered our customers new options in cold coffee, nothing will compare to the pace of flavor, craft and brewing innovation we will see in the next few years,” Starbucks’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz said in a statement. “The opportunity to create an entirely new cold coffee experience is limitless and our customers are already telling us that they want to meet us on this journey as cold coffee is now becoming a go-to drink.”
For the fourth quarter of its 2015 fiscal year, Starbucks reported a 20 percent increase in its overall iced portfolio after the introduction of Cold Brew in its retail stores, and Nitro Cold Brew currently is the second highest selling beverage at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle, the company says. According to Chicago-based Mintel and Starbucks Consumer Insights data, iced coffee consumption in the United States has grown by 75 percent in the past decade and cold-brew sales grew 338.9 percent between 2010 and 2015.
Just in time for summer, Starbucks’ expanded core its “cold bar” menu. Available in participating stores in the United States and Canada, the following items encompass the menu:
- Cold Brew: Handcrafted to be cold from carefully selected beans and slow steeped for 20 hours, creating a balanced, smooth cold-brew coffee with hints of citrus and chocolate;
- Cold Brew with Vanilla Sweet Cream: Starbucks slow steeped its cold-brew coffee and topped it with a float of house-made vanilla sweet cream;
- Nitro Cold Brew: Nitro Cold Brew infuses the company’s existing cold-brew recipe with nitrogen to deliver a smooth and creamy sweetness. It will be available in major cities across the United States later this summer;
- Traditional Iced Coffee: Freshly brewed Starbucks Iced Coffee Blend served chilled and lightly sweetened over ice;
- Starbucks Doubleshot on Ice: Made with rich, full-bodied espresso that’s been chilled, mellowed with a touch of milk and lightly sweetened; and
- Caramel Iced Macchiato: A combination of its rich, full-bodied espresso with vanilla-flavored syrup, milk and ice, then topped off with caramel drizzle.
Recipes for cold coffee beverages are developed by Starbucks coffee and research teams.
