Starbucks Is Giving Away Free Cold Brew Coffee Today—No Purchase Required

The brutal weather that's been baking parts of the country since July isn't letting up anytime soon. If you're looking for a drink that will cool you down and give you the caffeine boost necessary to power through your heat exhaustion, head to Starbucks. All day today—Friday, August 2—the coffee chain is giving away free cups of its Nitro cold brew coffee to customers, Thrillist reports.

Unlike some Starbucks deals which require additional purchases or are only available at certain hours, there's no catch to this promotion. From open until closing time today, anyone can walk into a participating Starbucks store and ask for a Nitro cold brew at no cost.

The free drink is slightly smaller than a regular portion of coffee. A barista will pour you a 3.5-ounce cup of the drink from the tap behind the counter—that's slightly more than a double shot of cold brew and about half the size of a short coffee. That may not seem like a lot, but keep in mind that Nitro already has more caffeine per ounce than a regular dark roast hot coffee from Starbucks.

The coffee giveaway is a way for Starbucks to promote its Nitro cold brew, which has become a menu staple in recent years. Since it was introduced on a limited scale in 2016, it's been added to 80 percent of all company-operated Starbucks locations.

[h/t Thrillist]