What Coffee Does Starbucks Use For Cold Brew? (+ How To Make At Home)

Cold Brew coffees have taken the coffee drinking world by storm and started a new trend that shows no signs of slowing down.

The smooth, full-bodied flavor of Starbucks Cold Brew coffees makes them quite different from regular iced coffees, which have higher acidity.

Like many other people, you may have wondered what coffee Starbucks uses for Cold Brew. If you’d like to find out, keep reading!

What Coffee Does Starbucks Use For Cold Brew In 2024?

Starbucks uses a proprietary blend for their Cold Brew Coffees in 2024. The exact coffee they use is not disclosed, but coffee experts guess that it’s a medium roast 100% Arabica blend of coffees from Latin America and Africa. Also, if you want to make Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee at home, you can use their Cold Brew Coffee Pitcher Packs.

If you want to know more about Starbucks Cold Brew coffees, how they’re made and what flavors are available, read on to find all the answers below!

What Kind Of Coffee Does Starbucks Use For Cold Brew?

The Starbucks Cold Brew blend is proprietary, meaning it’s exclusive and top secret. Therefore, Starbucks doesn’t actually disclose what kind of coffee is used to make their cold brew.

However, coffee experts have been trying to guess what kind of coffee Starbucks uses for their cold brew and they have a fairly good idea.

The best estimate is that the Starbucks Cold Brew blend consists of a blend of 100% Arabica coffee from Latin America and Africa in a medium roast.

As well, the Starbucks Cold Brew blend is specially designed to be served cold.

How Does Starbucks Make Cold Brew?

Starbucks Cold Brew coffee is made by steeping the cold brew coffee in filtered water for 24 hours.

Cold Brew coffee is never heated at any stage, so it has less acidity than iced coffee, which is made by adding ice to hot brewed coffee.

Cold brew coffee has a smoother and fuller flavor than iced coffee, with chocolate and light citrus notes.

What Are Starbucks Cold Brew Flavors?

Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee flavors include:

  • Irish Cream
  • Pumpkin Cream
  • Salted Caramel Cream
  • Vanilla Sweet Cream
  • Cold Brew Coffee with milk
  • Cold Brew

Starbucks also has Nitro Cold Brew coffees, which are made by adding nitrogen bubbles to cold brew coffee.

Nitro cold brews have a unique creamy taste, and you can find these flavors at Starbucks:

  • Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro
  • Honey Almond Milk Nitro
  • Nitro Cold Brew

How Many Calories Are There In A Starbucks Cold Brew?

How Many Calories Are There In A Starbucks Cold Brew?

A Starbucks Cold Brew coffee has just 5 calories in a 16 fl. oz. serving. Listed below is the complete nutritional information for a Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee:

Serving Size: 16 fl oz

  • Calories 5
  • Calories from Fat 0
  • Total Fat 0 g
  • Saturated Fat 0 g
  • Trans Fat 0 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • Sodium 15 mg
  • Total Carbohydrates 0 g
  • Dietary Fiber 0 g
  • Sugars 0 g
  • Protein 0 g
  • Caffeine 205 mg

Keep in mind that if you add any sugar, milk, cream, syrups, etc. to your cold brew coffee, the nutritional values will change.

How To Make Starbucks Cold Brew At Home

There are several different ways to make Starbucks Cold Brew at home, but the easiest way is to purchase the Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee Pitcher Packs.

Besides the pitcher packs, you’ll need a pitcher and filtered water. For two pitcher packs, add four cups of cold, filtered water.

Cover the pitcher and let the packs of ground coffee steep in the filtered water in the fridge for 24 hours.

Next, you can take the pitcher out of the fridge, throw away the pitcher packs, and add three more cups of cold filtered water.

Afterward, your cold brew will have a smooth and rich taste ready to serve, and can be used for up to one week. You can also add other ingredients like sugar, syrup, sauces, milk, or cream to get the taste you want.

Additionally, there are plenty of other methods of making cold brews that you can explore in the Coffee at Home section of the Starbucks website.

To learn more, you can also read our posts on how to order coffee at Starbucks, if Starbucks refreshers have caffeine, and the most popular Starbucks drinks.

Conclusion

Starbucks Cold Brew Coffees are made using a proprietary blend of 100% Arabica coffee beans. Coffee experts estimate that this is a medium roast blend, containing coffees from Latin America and Africa.

Cold brew is less acidic than regular coffee, and has a smooth, full-bodied flavor. Starbucks Cold Brew coffees also have chocolate and light citrusy notes. As well, you can make Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee at home with the packs sold in-store.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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