This summer, Blank Street Coffee has launched a range of innovative cold brew drinks.
BY VASILEIA FANARIOTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Photos courtesy of Blank Street Coffee
Emerging from the heart of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 2020, Blank Street Coffee aimed to initiate a revolution in the coffee industry’s conventions. Relying on automation, they were able to reduce the cost of their coffee while focusing on customer service and providing top-shelf coffees from around the world.
Three years later, they had opened 40 stores in New York City and expanded their operations to London, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Today, the distinctive storefronts of Blank Street Coffee, characterized by their green and white hues, have a new addition to the menu. Customers can now choose from an extensive cold-brew selection crafted to combine the two popular coffee worlds into one delightful beverage.
The secret behind this experience lies in Blank Street’s Cold Brew Shot, a highly concentrated, 1.5-ounce version of cold brew that mimics an espresso shot and provides patrons with an ultra-smooth flavor and extra caffeine kick. We reached out to Jai Lott, vice president of product and customer experience at Blank Street, for a more in-depth look at their new cold-brew menu.
Exploring the Menu
When it comes to product development, Jai and his team focus on the customer experience for Blank Street Coffee. “Our product-development process is very intentional to ensure that each new product we introduce complements the rest of our offerings, is well received by our customers, and gets people excited about our drinks,“ Jai says. Once Blank Street discovered how to make the Cold Brew Shot, they began to create new drinks based on it. Jai explains that the drinks were designed to meet the various rituals of loyal Blank Street customers and reimagine some favorite items.
First on the list of Blank Street’s cold-brew offerings is their Original Cold Brew. This classic beverage combines rich notes of milk chocolate and caramel with a hint of sweetness for a smooth and refreshing result.
The Cortado Cold Brew is perfect for those of us who want a little something extra in their cold brew, but don’t want to lose the classic flavor. It’s made with a Cold Brew Shot, balanced with a dash of milk, and served over ice.
Shaken Brown Sugar Cold Brew takes things up a notch with its combination of dark brown sugar, milk, and the Cold Brew Shot. It’s finished with a pinch of cinnamon for an extra touch of flavor.
If you’re looking for something more adventurous, the Shaken Chai Cold Brew is your go-to choice. Made with small batch Masala chai shaken with milk and a Cold Brew Shot, it offers a delightful blend of sweet and spicy flavors.
Finally, the Grapefruit Cold Brew Spritz is a refreshing take on cold brew, with grapefruit, club soda, and Blank Street’s Cold Brew Shot, finished with a touch of vanilla bean for added sweetness.
Blank Street Coffee’s Product Development
The menu launched in June 2023 after six months of research, development, and testing. “Over the last six months, our team has been working to perfect the new drinks,“ Jai explains. “The cold-brew base is a smooth medium-roast Ethiopian and Kenyan blend with rich hazelnut and milk chocolate tones, balanced with delicate vanilla and sweet melon top notes. Each new cold-brew drink experiments with a variety of ingredients to balance these flavor profiles.”
As for customer feedback, Blank Street Coffee has been receiving praise for the new menu from customers in all locations, especially in the United Kingdom, says Jai. “They’ve quickly become our most popular drinks, and we are now selling 38 times as many cold brews than before in the U.K.!” Jai says.
The success of the new cold-brew menu has shown that café customers gravitate toward innovation, and with the addition of special taps in their stores, Blank Street Coffee is showing just how serious they are about delivering quality and consistency to those customers.
The cold-brew menu has been a great success, and it looks like Blank Street Coffee will continue to surprise us with new drinks and flavors, as Jai has hinted. “We’ll definitely be expanding our offerings and have some new menu items launching through the end of the year that we’re thrilled to share with our customers. Stay tuned!” he says.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vasileia Fanarioti (she/her) is a senior online correspondent for Barista Magazine and a freelance copywriter and editor with a primary focus on the coffee niche. She has also been a volunteer copywriter for the I’M NOT A BARISTA NPO, providing content to help educate people about baristas and their work. You can follow her adventures at thewanderingbean.net.
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