Cold-brew coffee, also known as cold press, is a type of coffee brewed without heat for a long period of time. Cold brewing, at a local, often artisan level, is paving the way for a new category within the ready-to-drink coffee beverage segment. In the past few years, it has really taken off in the U.S.
Denver-based WhiteWave Foods recently got on board with the introduction of STOK Cold-Brew Iced Coffee. The company cold brews an Arabica-based blend, using a higher ratio of coffee beans to water than typical hot brewing, and steeps the beans at a low temperature for 10 hours, as described on product labels. The 48-oz. multi-serve bottles come in two varieties: Not Too Sweet Black and Unsweet Black. The 13.7-oz. single-serve bottles come in three Not Too Sweet offerings. Black is coffee, cane sugar and natural flavor, weighing in at 80 calories and 16g of sugar. The two flavored options—mocha and vanilla—also contain reduced-fat milk and flavoring and stabilizing ingredients. Each bottle provides 130 calories, 2g of fat, 20g of sugar and 4g of protein.