Blue Bottle Coffee is drawing inspiration from a cold-brewing technique from Kyoto, Japan, for a new line of cold espresso drinks that don’t require a machine to make.
Kyoto-Style Espresso, as Blue Bottle is calling it, is made using a slow-drip method similar to a Kyoto drip tower, a tall column in which ground coffee is placed and cold water is slowly poured through it. It’s a different approach than cold brew, for which coarsely ground coffee is soaked in water for 12 hours or more.
Kyoto towers are not generally used for espresso, which typically requires heat and high pressure, but Kevin Thaxton, Blue Bottle’s director of global product development, and his team spent the past two-and-a-half years tweaking and refining the process to allow baristas at the San Francisco-based chain’s 152 locations worldwide to make it in around 90 minutes per batch, which is then stored in bottles to be used over the course of a daypart.
“We’re always looking for the best version of our coffee, and when it comes to cold espresso, the question that comes up is: Is the espresso machine the best tool to make these drinks?” Thaxton said. “The answer was no.”
He said espresso is intended to be drunk hot and quickly, and when it’s poured over ice or otherwise cools, it tends to become sharper and more bitter. He said iced espresso has long been an adaptation rather than a purpose-built process across the industry, a factor that has grown in importance as consumers shift from hot to cold drinks.
Cold drinks now make up around half of all drinks ordered at Blue Bottle locations in the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore; that’s actually low compared to some of its competitors, such as Starbucks, which reports that 75% of its beverages are cold.
Beyond the flavor benefits of the new brew, batch production also improves operational efficiency, allowing baristas to prepare drinks more quickly and focus more on customer interaction and final drink presentation.
Thaxton said it also paves the way for smaller-footprint coffeehouses specializing in cold drinks that wouldn’t need space for espresso machines.
The debut lineup, launching June 16, is:
Cold-Shaken Espresso: Kyoto-Style Espresso shaken to create a smooth crema on top and served with a side of sparkling water
Iced Caffè Latte: The new espresso with choice of cold milk, optionally sweetened with muscovado sugar
Vanilla Bean Shakerato: The new espresso with vanilla bean simple syrup poured over cold milk and ice
Espresso Tonic: The new espresso poured into tonic and sparkling water
Iced Caffè Mocha: The new espresso mixed with chocolate ganache
Sweet Blossom Latte: The new espresso with cold milk and elderflower syrup, garnished with orange zest
Sweet Blossom Shakerato: The new espresso with elderflower syrup, shaken and garnished with orange zest
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