Starbucks Is Testing Coffee Ice

Coffee connoisseurs already know that the best way to keep iced coffee chilled without losing any of the flavor is by using coffee ice. But the problem is, when those coffee connoisseurs go out for a cup, they can't control what kind of ice a café uses. Until now, that is. Starbucks, the coffee chain more known for catering to sweet tooths than coffee snobs, is testing out coffee ice at over 100 locations.

"Customers can add ice that's been made using Starbucks coffee to any iced espresso or brewed beverage for 80 cents," a Starbucks representative told Cosmopolitan magazine.

That means that iced coffees won't get diluted when the cubes melt, which lets everyone enjoy their coffee without having to rush through it. Naturally, intrepid Starbucks fans that already have access to the souped-up ice — that'd be in Baltimore, MD, and St. Louis, MO — are using the new cubes in unexpected ways.

Instead of just using the coffee ice in standard iced beverages, several redditors report adding the new ingredient to Frappuccinos, creating custom drinks that pack a more flavorful punch. "I'm not a huge Frappuccino fan, but the coffee ice really made it better. The coffee taste was stronger and a lot smoother," redditor and Starbucks partner owlcitizen44 wrote of a white mocha Frapp blended with the coffee ice. The redditor also explained that the ice isn't made in each Starbucks location. It's actually a pre-packaged product: "The ice comes already made, in a white package," owlcitizen44 explains, "we have to run to the back every time a customer orders it, but this might change."

While it's not as splashy as the Unicorn Frappuccino or Starbucks' Pink Drinks, the addition of coffee ice — if and when it gets a nationwide rollout — is sure to make a certain set of caffeine fans very happy.