Would you pay $5 for a cup of cold-brew coffee?
With summer winding down it's time to crown The Drink of the Summer.
Sorry, rosé wine, but you might have to cede the top spot to cold-brew coffee this year.
Not exactly sure what cold brew is? Don't worry you're not alone.
If you're a big city-dwelling hipster partial to plaid who rides a bicycle everywhere then chances are you've been shelling out $4, $5, or sometimes more, for a cup of cold brew for years.
The trend has recently filtered down from exclusive indie cafés to Starbucks.
The price may give you a jolt
The world's largest coffeehouse chain tested out cold brew in 130 stores in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, in late March. The test went so well, the chain started selling it nationally at all its cafés in early July, including in blue-collar places like Windsor, Ont.
A grande (16 ounces) cup of the stuff will run you $3.45.
That's a relative bargain, compared to what you'll shell out indie cafés also selling the trendy drink. Salute Espresso Bar in Olde Walkerville charges $5 for a 16 oz. portion, either in a bottle to go, or poured into a cup to stay. Anchor Coffee House in the west-end sells a 16 oz. bottle for $5 and a 12 oz. cup for $5. March 21 Bean N' Leaf downtown charges $6 for a 12 oz. bottle and $4.50 for a 12 oz. cup.
Meanwhile, a regular old iced coffee in a plastic cup will currently only cost you a single loonie down at the local Timmies or Mickey D's these days.
Premium product, premium price
But, and this is important, while iced coffee and cold brew look the same to the naked eye they are not the same.
Iced coffee is actually regular brewed hot coffee poured over ice, which shocks it and leads to an acidic and bitter flavour, explained Kyle Bondy, the co-owner of Anchor Coffee House.
Cold-brew coffee, on the other hand, is steeped in small batches in room-temperature or cold water for several hours.
The result is a potent drink that drinkers say goes down smooth.
"It's all the rage here," said Bondy in a phone interview at his café with CBC News. "Honestly, I've never seen anyone balk at the price."
Not just for hipsters anymore
Dane Charles, the owner of Salute, agrees, saying once Windsorites understand that cold brew is not iced coffee they have no issue shelling out a bit more cash.
He started selling cold brew back in early 2013. At that time it was a fairly new concept for a working-class city like Windsor and it did take some convincing to get people to try it, Charles said.
Now that Starbucks is selling cold brew to parents in mini-vans swinging through the drive-thru, the understanding and popularity of the beverage is really percolating.
Adam Setusta didn't get around to trying cold brew until he stopped by Salute looking for a cold hit of caffeine on a muggy mid-August afternoon.
The 24-year-old graphic designer had no qualms about paying $5 for The Drink of the Summer.
After he took his first sips he told CBC News:
"It's very flavourful. It's very refreshing," said Setusta. "There's definitely value in it. It's very tasty."
While two toonies plus one loonie may seem like an exorbitant amount to pay for a cup of cold coffee more and more Canadian coffee-lovers, like Setusta, seem more than willing to pay the price.