After previously testing cold brew coffee at participating restaurants in Massachusetts and Maine, Dunkin' Donuts is finally ready to follow in its largest competitor Starbucks' footsteps and launch its new beverage this summer.
A Dunkin' Donuts spokeswoman confirmed the launch in an e-mail to The Street, noting that participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the Metro New York and Los Angeles markets can expect the cold brew to become available as soon as June 27. The cold brew coffee will then launch nationally in the third quarter, Dunkin' Donuts CFO Paul Carbone said at an investor presentation on June 21.
Given Starbucks’s massive success with its cold brew products, it was only a matter of time before Dunkin’ Donuts manufactured its own version of the summer favorite.
According to Business Insider, cold brew coffee demands a slower steeping process, while allegedly yielding richer flavors from the coffee beans and discarding more acidic compounds. The result? A smoother, less-acidic and less-bitter tasting drink.
The coffee will be hand-crafted on location in small batches, and served in stores every day while supplies lasts.
Dunkin’ Donuts senior vice president of brand marketing, global consumer insights and product innovation explained cold brew. “Cold Brew coffee’s ultra-smooth and naturally sweet flavor profile lends itself to being enjoyed black, but is customizable based on guest preference,” Chris Fuqua said in a statement, reports Boston.com.
"We're the leader of iced coffee around the world," Fuqua told Business Insider. "We sell more iced coffee than anybody, but we also realize that we need to keep up with trends. Cold brew is one of those trends that doesn't appear to be going away.
"The really neat thing about Dunkin' Donuts is you can see a Fortune 500 CEO, a student, a construction worker, and a teacher in line all at the same time," he says. "As coffee evolves, we definitely play a role in bringing great, fairly-priced coffee beverages to the core consumer in America."
"Coffee culture in the country is getting a little bit more sophisticated by the day," Fuqua concluded. "Customers really understand what craft coffee beverages are, and understand the cold brew is something that they should expect from a coffee place."