Starbucks first introduced cold brew coffee nationwide in the United States in 2015.
The company had tested cold brew in selected stores before expanding it across the country. Unlike iced coffee, which is brewed hot and then chilled, cold brew is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold or room-temperature water for many hours.
Starbucks’s nationwide launch helped make cold brew a mainstream café option in the United States. The drink joined the company’s growing range of chilled beverages, alongside iced coffee, Frappuccino beverages, and iced tea.
Cold brew is sometimes confused with iced coffee because both are served cold. The key distinction is the brewing method: cold brew uses time rather than hot water to extract flavor. Starbucks later introduced variations such as cold foam and flavored cold brew drinks, but 2015 marks the important nationwide launch year.