COFFEE BEANS & BEINGS / A GENERATION EMBRACES THE COLD

"...next time, Jasmine, I'd prefer a cold brew espresso..."

Here’s why millennials are obsessed with cold brew

GUEST BLOG / By Kristen Underwood, Blogger with Death Wish Coffee Co.--Every day a coffee shop runs out of cold brew is a cold day in hell for a millennial.  We know, because every time it happens, a mournful millennial job hops to Internet Broadcaster on Facebook:

“The café is out of cold brew, excuse me while I dig my grave.”

“One of the cafés on campus ran out of cold brew. I’m transferring.”

The danger of running out is real for coffee shops all over, but if you were born between 1981 and 1997, you were born with an unquenchable thirst for java, and iced coffee just isn’t up to par for you.

“I’ll have a cold brew… wait, make that two."

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Cold brew sales in the United States grew by 80 percent last year alone, according to recent data. And a lot of that is being driven by the millennial market — cold brew has attracted tons of attention from 18- to 35-year-olds.

Cold brew coffee — and its iced coffee counterpart — is the preferred coffee beverage of millennials. Why? They're looking for healthier alternatives to things like soda and energy drinks. Plus, cold brew is pretty damn delicious.

Mintel found that 53% of millennials surveyed last year said they drank iced coffee in the last three months, up from 46% two years ago.

Nowadays, the millennial palette is after a brighter, crisp and bolder taste. With cold brew being so versatile, it’s the perfect beverage for all four seasons.

In the winter:

Add chocolate to bring out rich chocolate notes.

Add spices such as cardamom and cloves to warm it up.

When warmer weather hits:

Hit it back with an added citrus effect for a refreshing jolt.

Infuse it with vanilla ice cream for a sweeter lift.

Coffee has everything millennials love: status, experience, and personalization. The hype with cold brew is part of the third wave coffee movement, which is focused on appreciating coffee as an artisan or craft beverage. Because of the process, cold brew contains the rich flavors of the more intricate drinks millennials favor. It’s no surprise that this magical elixir is on the up and up these days!