FoodInsight: Specialty Sips

While pumpkin spice pioneered the way when it comes to dessert-infused coffee, the category has evolved as operators now take inspiration from nostalgic flavors to global desserts.

Coffee is the perfect vessel for innovation, and there is no shortage of dessert-inspired specialty beverages, like cookie infusions. Oreo cookies have led the way when it comes to blended iced coffee. Some operators have taken inspiration from trending, over-the-top milkshakes like “freakshakes,” which has opened Pandora’s Box of possibilities around crafting the perfect buzzworthy drink.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s limited-edition Tiramisu Ice Blended Drink took an Italian coffee-based dessert, blended it with cream cheese, dark chocolate and sweet vanilla, and then topped it with Speculoos cookie crumbs. According to Datassential’s International Concepts report, 76 percent of U.S. consumers say they are interested in seeing more concepts from global coffee and tea chains on U.S. menus.

There is no shortage of new ideas when it comes to international coffee concepts, from a ruby chocolate chai latte, to a hojicha red bean frappe, or a brown sugar bubble milk.