Peet’s Coffee & Tea Celebrates 50th Anniversary With A Lineup Of Espresso Classics


Peet’s Coffee & Tea is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new lineup of winter beverages. To celebrate the New Year, Peet’s is introducing three espresso classics: The Undertow, Americano con Crema, and Café BomBón.

“As we enter a New Year, we are proud to showcase the core of what makes Peet’s Coffee great by delivering these sophisticated espresso favorites,” Dave Burwick, CEO, Peet’s Coffee said in a company press release.

“The 2017 winter lineup featuring our proprietary Espresso Forte stands as a testament to the best of the best from our coffee experts and harnesses the handcrafted approach we have spent 50 years perfecting.”

The 2017 Winter Lineup:

  • The Undertow ($2.25 – $4.15): described as a “fan favorite for barista and coffee connoisseurs alike,” The Undertow leads the winter lineup with an enticing play on hot and cold with Espresso Forte floated over natural Madagascar vanilla syrup and half and half.
  • Americano con Crema ($3.35 – $4.35): twists the traditional Italian Americano with a hint of chicory and foamed milk to “deliciously accent both the frothy crema of a perfectly drawn espresso shot and the inherent flavor of a premium blend.”
  • Café BomBón ($3.20 – $4.00): gives a nod to a Spanish standard with a double shot of “robust Espresso Forte poured over rich sweetened condensed milk that delights all the senses.”

“One of Alfred Peet’s early maxims included ensuring that all beverages were pulled by hand, not by machine, and we’ve stayed true to that throughout the history of the company” Patrick Main, Senior R&D Manager, Peet’s Coffee said.

“Our simple, coffee forward beverages for winter truly spotlight how a handcrafted philosophy permeates the entire company.”

Peet’s Coffee Introduces “Slow Bar”

In December, Peet’s Coffee hopped on the third-wave coffee train with its new “Slow Bar” location in Washington, D.C.

“I think the reason we did this is because people are experimenting with different brewing methods and we wanted to showcase those methods,” Burwick told Eater.

The 2,000-square-foot, four-seat Slow Bar features various brewing methods, including pour-over, press pot, and siphon coffee drinks.

“The Georgetown store evolves our design,” Paul Clayton, Peet’s president of retail, told Nation’s Restaurant News.

“It does a better job of telling the Peet’s story, how we are unique and how we are different from many of our competitors.”

Customers are greeted with a display of coffee beans on the first floor of the Georgetown location; traditional coffee service is offered in the middle of the store, with the Slow Bar in the back.

“That allows [customers] to linger and learn more about the coffee,” Clayton said.

“Upstairs is the seating area. We’re trying to make the stores comfortable for the guests to stay a while and enjoy their coffee.”

According to Nation’s Restaurant News, this type of store allows Peet’s to serve a wider variety of coffee.

“We have 20 to 30 kinds of beans in most of our stores, and not all of them get brewed,” Clayton said.

“When we have the ability to serve single cups and with brewing methodologies to support that, we can serve more variety of beans.”

In addition to being able to experiment with different brewing methods, Clayton claims that the specific demographics of the Georgetown neighborhood are also beneficial for Peet’s growth.

“We like to think of Peet’s as relevant for everybody who drinks coffee,” Clayton said,

“But we, in particular, like to focus in on the coffee connoisseur, and we think being in the vibrant, young neighborhood [of Georgetown] will help build our brand equity.”

Peet’s also announced its plans to invest $58 million in a new 175,000-square-foot roastery in Suffolk, VA. According to Eater, the roastery will open by the end of 2018.

“D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia remain an important market for the company,” Burwick said, adding that Peet’s aims to have 30 units in the region by 2020.

[Featured Image by David McNew/Getty Images]

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