Following the huge success of regular cold brew coffee, Starbucks announced Tuesday morning that it would expand its menu of cold drinks with two new ones: Nitro Cold Brew and Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew.
Cold coffee is, yes you guessed it, very hot right now. Over the past decade, overall U.S. iced coffee consumption grew by 75%. Starbucks said the introduction of cold brew in its cafes increased sales of iced beverages by 20% last summer.
In case you were wondering, Nitro Cold Brew is not regular Cold Brew.
Regular cold brew, now even available in bottles in grocery stores, has become very mainstream, and there's plenty of competition. Dunkin' Donuts is also experimenting with a cold brew.
The new Nitro Cold Brew is infused with nitrogen and comes from a tap. Anthony Carroll, a Starbucks partner, explained in a press release that it starts with “a small chilled keg of Starbucks Cold Brew coffee" that is "infused with nitrogen which unlocks the super-smooth, natural sweetness of the Cold Brew coffee."
It "cascades from the tap with a velvety texture you can see and taste.” It's like Guinness for coffee.
A tall Nitro Cold Brew will cost $3.95, Starbucks says. That's more than the $2.75 you'll pay for for a regular cold brew — but a lot cheaper than the Nitro Cold Brews at the fancy Starbucks Roastery Cafe in Seattle.
At Starbucks paradise. That's not beer. It's nitro cold brew, and if it wasn't $6.50 a glass I'd have it every day.
#starbucks nitro cold brew is seriously the best thing I've ever had! It pours like a Guinness… https://t.co/E8jrM3y8bO
Nitro Cold Brew at @Starbucks is just absolute liquid gold.
The chain said Nitro Cold Brew will be available in more than 500 company-operated stores by the end of summer, starting with Seattle and Portland, followed by New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
The new Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew is regular Cold Brew topped with a house-made vanilla sweet cream.
This is Starbucks' expanded cold menu, which includes iced coffees and iced espressos.
