Starbucks Takes Cold Brew to the Next Level — With Nitrogen

Last year, Starbucks upped its cold-coffee game when it introduced cold brew to the menu, but this Summer, it's upping the ante even more, with two new cold brew options.

The first option, which is sure to become my new go-to, is the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew. The drink starts as Starbucks's standard handcrafted cold brew, which Starbucks brews in small batches at each location daily. A handcrafted (read: also made in small batches at each location every day) vanilla sweet cream is poured over the top, which creates the prettiest swirl of colors as it cascades down through the coffee. The finished drink has the full-bodied richness of the cold brew with the added sweetness from the cream. The vanilla flavor is very subtle, but it adds just that little bit of extra flavor to the top.

The second option, which will only be available in some metro locations across the US, is the supermodern Nitro Cold Brew. The drink comes out cold from a tap, where it's also infused with nitrogen. The tiny nitrogen bubbles in the drink create such a creamy texture that you don't even realize there's no milk. Seriously, when the cold brew came out of the tap, it was so light in color that I was convinced there was something else in it, but no, it's just cold brew and nitrogen. The drink is rich and velvety from the nitrogen, and you don't have to worry about ice melting and watering it down, because it isn't served over ice at all. The drink is completely simple and so, so cool. I mean, who wouldn't want to try something called Nitro Cold Brew?

The Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew is available as of today. The Nitro Cold Brew is already available in some locations in Seattle and will be rolled out in more stores there, as well as in Portland, OR. Following those, the drink will be available in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. By the end of the Summer, Starbucks expects the drink to be available in 500 stores.