On Tuesday, September 12, Starbucks announced its latest innovation, cold-pressed espresso. The patent-pending cold extraction process will be the bedrock of a new menu of sparkling beverages.
These new beverages debuted at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Seattle on Tuesday. Three new sparkling espresso offerings will be available for a limited time at the Roastery, all made with Starbucks Reserve Microblend No. 11:
- Sparkling Cold-Pressed Americano – This modern twist on the iced classic includes ice-cold sparkling water, topped with shots of cold-pressed espresso.
- Cold-Pressed Americano Exploration Flight – This flight of Iced Americano beverages features two made with cold-pressed espresso (one sparkling and one still) alongside a traditional Iced Americano made with hot extracted espresso shots.
- Cold-Pressed Ginger Fizz – Ginger ale with a splash of whiskey barrel-aged vanilla syrup, a dash of grapefruit bitters, topped with cold-pressed espresso.
According to a Starbucks press release, “The new patent-pending technology uses cold water and intense pressure to unlock the softer, sweeter coffee experience of slow-steeped cold brew but as a concentrated shot of espresso.”
“We started with the question, ‘How do we deliver the same great flavor and taste as cold-brewed coffee we slow-steep in stores?’” says Andrew Linnemann, vice president, Global Coffee, Tea and Roastery. “During that process, our R&D team flipped traditional brewing on its head, and found another way to deliver something even more extraordinary.”
“Instead of 20 hours of slow-steeping, our process takes about an hour,” says Kieran Murphy, Technical Manager, Process Engineering, R&D. “What we produce is a highly concentrated extract compared to what a traditional cold brew gives us. The extra strength is unique, and allows us to create beverages with more flexibility to experiment in new cold beverage territories.”
