Starbucks Is Testing Ice Cubes Made From Coffee

Iced coffee is a double-edged sword: It keeps java lovers caffeinated during the dog days of summer, but it can also dissolve into a weak, watery mess if you don't drink it fast enough. Seeking to solve this conundrum, Starbucks has confirmed to The Baltimore Sun that they’re now testing ice cubes made from frozen coffee in select Baltimore and St. Louis locations.

News of the company's brand-new coffee cubes began as speculation, with word first appearing on Reddit last week. As Travel +Leisure reports, user owlcitizen44—who claims to be a Starbucks employee—told forum members about the trial, explaining, “The ice comes already made, in a white package. It's our job to break it apart into 'cubes' (aka small chunks). Then the ice is stored in a big grey tub that looks like a huge version of [an] inclusion container. It came with its own plexi and ice scoop." Owlcitizen44 also says he or she used the coffee ice in place of regular ice when making a Frappuccino and that doing so greatly improved the drink. "The coffee taste was stronger and it was a lot smoother," he or she wrote.

The ice cubes will be available for the next eight weeks in about 100 stores, the Sun reports. (Participating locations haven’t been announced—sorry, locals.) Customers have to pay 80 cents extra for the upgraded cubes, which can be added to any iced espresso or coffee-based drink.

There’s no word yet on whether java-infused cubes will become a permanent Starbucks menu addition, or whether stores in other cities will launch similar test runs—but if you don’t live in St. Louis or Baltimore, you can follow instructions online to make your own non-watery iced coffee beverage at home.

[h/t Travel + Leisure]