Cold coffee drinks – from iced coffee to cold brew

Cold coffee drinks have moved beyond simply being a summer cooler, to becoming one of the most popular caffeinated drinks on the market. With the development of cold brew, and on-the-go options, the trend doesn’t look set to slow down.

A new generation sets the standards

The popularity of coffee is undisputed, but we are currently witnessing a shift in the industry where new and innovative ways of serving the caffeinated drink are needed to keep up with consumer demands. With Millennials now being the largest living generation, they are setting the standards. Their fast-paced lifestyles mean they look for options on the move, and favour experiences over price-consciousness.

Get your fix on the go

The millennial mind set has created a shift away from the coffee shop and into the chiller cabinets of grocery stores – ready-to-drink options that can be consumed on the go, or kept at home for convenience. These pre-packaged drinks come in the form of cold, milky coffee drinks, or the new, trendy cold brew option.

Cold brew – start cold stay cold

Unlike iced or cold coffee (which is hot coffee cooled down), cold brew is made by steeping coarse ground coffee in room-temperature water for several hours, and then filtering out the grounds. To the coffee connoisseur, this gives a cleaner, sharper taste – closer to the experience of hot coffee in flavour. This special brew is served on-tap in cafés, but is growing in popularity as a pre-packaged, store-bought option. In keeping with consumers’ interest in the innovative, the packaging aesthetic is often closer to that of craft beer than, for example, traditional carbonated drinks.