Basically, Starbucks is debuting two new fancy coffee drinks, a Barrel-Aged Cold Brew and a Barrel-Aged Con Crema. Both drinks use coffee beans that have been "aged" in oak barrels previously used to hold whiskey. Apparently, the barrels imbue the coffee with the smell and taste of whiskey. An 8-oz serving of each drink costs $10. This move is part of Starbucks' larger strategic push toward the premium end of coffee: the chain has also recently rolled out 20 "Reserve" coffee bars in the US, which serve pricier coffees ranging from pour-over to siphoned. An 8-oz package of Reserve beans sells for $50.
A few interesting things happening here:
1) Experts speculate that the reason Starbucks launched these products is to compete with perceived premium (and dare I say, hipster) brands like Blue Bottle. Remember when Starbucks was once the premium brand and your grandpa refused to pay for a latte because it was 5x the price of Folgers? No longer.
2) At least one of the drinks below (see: the one in the middle) really, really looks like a cocktail. It seems like Starbucks is borrowing a little from the recent success of the craft cocktail movement here. We've seen a move toward pricier wine and liquors as well as pricier coffee, and voila, we have the two combining.
3) Starbucks announced a couple years ago that it would begin selling wine in some of its cafes. But the jump from coffee to wine seems less radical than the jump from coffee to whiskey and cocktails. But maybe these drinks are a sign of things about to change? Do you see Starbucks selling cocktails in the future?
A general company wide adoption of cocktails in stores could be a very big jump for Starbucks, given that most of the stores are strategically placed in spots where usually people have morning breakfast, compared to an evening drink. There would then be the problem of securing licenses
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do see the opening of a few specialized Starbuck stores where coffee could be served in cocktails, following the wave of the "Reserve" bars as you mentioned, to "rejuvenate" the brand.