Your local grocery is probably already overflowing with options for pre-made iced coffee, and now that shelf is about to get a little more crowded with a new offering from a familiar face: Café Bustelo. The brand has been around since the first Bustelo Coffee Roasters was opened by a Spanish immigrant in 1928, making it much older than some of its iced coffee competitors like Starbucks and La Columbe.
Unlike so many American coffee brands, which first chased common drip or pour-over styles before moving on to offer store-bought iced coffee options, Café Bustelo has primarily served Latin American communities, specializing in the stronger espresso style coffee that’s popular in Spanish-speaking countries like Cuba and Puerto Rico. And that unique style and heritage is reflected in its new ready-to-drink offerings. Café Bustelo will be bringing three flavors of its espresso style iced coffees to stores this summer, according to a press release sent to Look.
Eduardo S. Merino, the Senior Brand Manager of Café Bustelo, says that the new bottled coffee “combines our nearly century-long mastery of coffee with a cold and refreshing taste for an iced coffee that is brand new.” The Café Bustelo Espresso Style Iced Coffee will be launching in June 2024 at retailers like Target, Kroger, and Walmart. It will be available in 40-ounce bottles, and can also be found at retailers by using the company’s product locator. It’s the brand’s first-ever attempt to create a specifically cold product.
Café Bustelo’s Espresso Style Iced Coffee is inspired by its history
The three flavors of Café Bustelo Espresso Style Iced Coffee will be the very straightforward offerings of Unsweetened, Sweetened, and Vanilla. The company says that all three flavors will be based on the robust taste of Café Bustelo’s classic dark roast with its popular Latin espresso flavors. The sweetened flavor is infused with real sugar, while the vanilla version boasts notes of its namesake and cherries. However, while the first two flavors will be available everywhere the iced coffees are sold, the vanilla flavor will be a Target exclusive. Even the bottles’ packaging is inspired by the brand’s heritage, being shaped to resemble a greca brewer, which some also know as the moka pot used to make at-home espresso.
Café Bustelo fans who prefer iced coffee are certainly going to be happy, but the news of a more espresso-oriented blend is also nice for people who enjoy not just a stronger coffee, but beverages like iced lattes, too. Although some brands do sell pre-made iced espresso, most offerings are just straight up iced coffee, which, even though it’s good on its own, is usually not strong enough to mix into something like a caramel macchiato. If Café Bustelo’s Espresso Style Iced Coffee has staying power, it could end up being a nice expanding option for iced coffee lovers of all kinds.
