KANSAS CITY — Restaurants are grinding out new coffee offerings ranging from traditional beverages to desserts featuring the flavor.
Brewing at Burger King is the new BK Café menu, featuring six coffee beverages that begin with 100% Arabica beans. The lineup includes iced vanilla coffee, iced mocha coffee, mocha frappe, caramel frappe, brewed Arabica bean coffee and decaf Arabica bean coffee.
Starbucks is making a new macchiato inspired by the leche merengada, or "meringue milk," a summer drink from the cafés of Spain. The new Cloud Macchiato, available in caramel and cinnamon flavors, features whipped cold milk foam made with egg whites to create a fluffy “cloud-like” texture, the company said.
"The original Spanish beverage combines cinnamon and lemon zest with a frothy texture, which inspired us to reinvent the beverage as a macchiato," said Erin Marinan, member of the Starbucks research and development team. "The texture of the cloud macchiato is luxurious, and by adding espresso and our Starbucks signature caramel cross-hatch, we're making it ours and opening up even more ways we can bring new beverage experiences to our customers."
Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. is taking coffee from the cup and bringing it to the bowl in its new offering at Baskin-Robbins: the Affogato. The Italian-inspired dessert combines both Dunkin’ Brands Group brands, as it features a scoop of Baskin-Robbins ice cream covered in a warm shot of Dunkin’ espresso.
“It’s the simple yet delicious combination of velvety ice cream and rich espresso that makes Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin’ your local affogato ambassadors,” Baskin-Robbins said. “This indulgent new menu item is a simple combination of two brand favorites: Baskin-Robbins’ ice cream topped with Dunkin’s bold, smooth espresso, resulting in a rich palate-pleaser and perfect afternoon pick-me-up.”
Johnny Rockets is also fusing the flavor of coffee with ice cream. The restaurant's new Cappuccino Crunch Shake features vanilla ice cream blended with chopped chocolate coated cappuccino crunch candy pieces, chocolate syrup and whole milk. The treat is topped with whipped cream, more cappuccino crunch candy pieces and a chocolate syrup drizzle.
Also offering a new coffee-flavored treat, Pinkberry is introducing dairy-free cold brew frozen yogurt. Made with a coconut milk base, the new flavor will be featured in a new combination with mocha sauce and chocolate chips.
"Smooth and creamy, this flavor is the perfect blend for cold brew fans," said Melissa Hubbell, director of marketing for Pinkberry. "Whether you are in search of a dairy-free option or simply a delightful pick-me-up, our new dairy-free cold brew is for you!"
Cold brew is also coming to Carl’s Jr. The chain’s new vanilla cold brew coffee is made with a light roast 100% Arabica Peruvian Guatemalan coffee blend that is cold brewed and flavored with vanilla. Customers may also order a regular cold brew.
A breakfast staple collides with caffeination in Cracker Barrel’s new beverage. The french toast latte, available hot or iced, features espresso, milk and cinnamon syrup topped with whipped cream, cinnamon crumbles and a drizzle of maple syrup.
At Gloria Jean’s Coffees, tropical tastes combine with cold brew to create the new caramel coconut macadamia nut cold brew. The beverage features a blend of cold brew coffee and caramel, coconut and macadamia nut flavors poured over ice.
“We decided on a tropical theme for our spring menu offerings to get guests excited for the warmer weather on the horizon, and no flavor does that better than our fan-favorite caramel coconut macadamia nut, which can best be described as paradise in a cup,” said Sam Ferreira, president of Gloria Jean’s Coffees – U.S.A. “Our fulltime master roaster loves to experiment with unique flavor combinations at our dedicated roasting facility and is particularly proud of our new cold brews where our flavored whole beans are the star.”
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is also serving a new cold brew beverage. The Midnight Mocha Cold Brew Latte balances cold brew coffee with a rich, dark chocolate sauce and a splash of milk and be served over ice or nitro-infused. The coffee chain is also introducing the Irish Cream Latte, a sweet, creamy beverage with vanilla and cocoa notes that is available hot, iced or blended.
Vanilla bean and custard claim the spotlight in new coffee drinks from It’s A Grind Coffee House. The chain is debuting the Vanilla Bean Dream Iced Blended, the Vanilla Bean Dream Over Ice and the Vanilla Bean Dream Latte, all made with vanilla bean and vanilla custard flavors.
“Combining the boldness of It’s A Grind espresso with luxurious vanilla and creamy custard, our new seasonal beverages that range from intense vanilla flavors to warm, floral notes are a coffee lover’s dream,” said Sam Ferreira, president of It’s A Grind Coffee House. “While we love inventing craveable concoctions in our test kitchen, we’re also passionate about sourcing high quality beans from around the world that we know will excite our guests.”