Ready-to-drink Coffee
What ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee is: coffee sold chilled in bottles, cans and cartons. The bottled Frappuccino, Starbucks and PepsiCo, and RTD vs cold brew.
Contents
What is ready-to-drink coffee?
Ready-to-drink, or RTD, coffee is coffee sold already made, in bottles, cans or cartons, usually chilled and often with milk and sugar. You just open it and drink. In the US, the category took off with the bottled Frappuccino from the North American Coffee Partnership, a Starbucks and PepsiCo joint venture formed in 1994, whose first RTD drink arrived in 1996.
At a glance
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Origin
- Global & Modern
Method
Chill it
Keep the bottle or can in the fridge, as most RTD coffee is meant to be drunk cold.
Shake
Shake it if the label says, especially milky drinks that can settle.
Open and drink
Open it and drink it straight, or pour it over ice.
Finish it
Once opened, keep it in the fridge and finish it within the time the label gives.
Ready-to-drink, or RTD, coffee is coffee you buy already made: in a bottle, can or carton, usually chilled, and often with milk and sugar. There’s nothing to brew, grind or mix: you open it and drink. In Japan, canned coffee has been sold since 1969; in the US, the category took off with the bottled Frappuccino from Starbucks and PepsiCo. Here’s what it is and how it grew.
The short version
- Coffee already made, in bottles, cans or cartons.
- Usually chilled, often with milk and sugar.
- Open and drink, or pour over ice.
- In the US, the bottled Frappuccino led the way, from 1996.
- Check the label for sugar and caffeine.
How is RTD coffee made?
RTD coffee is made in a factory: coffee is brewed or made from coffee extract, mixed with any milk, sugar or flavourings, and sealed in bottles, cans or cartons. Some are cold brew; some are brewed hot and chilled, like snap-chilled coffee; some are nitro. The details vary by brand and aren’t usually published. For you, the “method” is choosing, chilling and drinking.
How do you drink it?
- Chill it in the fridge.
- Shake it if the label says, especially milky drinks.
- Open and drink, or pour over ice.
- Once opened, keep it in the fridge and finish it within the time on the label.
A short history of RTD coffee in the US
- 1994: Starbucks buys George Howell’s Coffee Connection, which had created the Frappuccino, and forms the North American Coffee Partnership with PepsiCo to sell Starbucks drinks through Pepsi’s distribution network.
- 1995: Starbucks test-markets Mazagran, “a lightly carbonated, chilled coffee drink” that came out of the Pepsi partnership, in two Santa Monica cafés, The Seattle Times reported. It didn’t last.
- 1996: the partnership’s first ready-to-drink coffee product, the bottled Frappuccino, goes on sale in 9.5 fl oz (280 ml) bottles.
- 2002: the partnership adds Starbucks DoubleShot, aimed at a morning cold coffee.
- 2003: Beverage Marketing Corp. puts the US category’s wholesale value at $308 million, with the bottled Frappuccino at 81.2% of it and DoubleShot at 7.6%.
- 2015: The Motley Fool says the partnership holds more than 97% of the US ready-to-drink coffee market.
RTD coffee vs other cold coffee
| RTD coffee | Cold brew | Japanese canned coffee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | A factory | You, or a café | A factory |
| Served | Chilled | Over ice | Hot or cold |
| Contains | Often milk and sugar | Coffee and water | Often milk and sugar |
| Prep | None | 12 to 24 hours | None |
General guidance only. Many RTD coffees contain sugar and a fair amount of caffeine, so check the label, and keep opened bottles in the fridge.
RTD coffee vs other methods
- Japanese canned coffee: the original ready-to-drink coffee, hot or cold.
- Cold brew: make your own smooth cold coffee.
- Nitro cold brew: cold brew on tap, and in some cans.
- 3-in-1 coffee sticks: instant coffee, creamer and sugar in one stick.
Explore every industrial method in the instant and industrial chapter.
Words in this guide
- Extraction
- Extraction is the process of water dissolving flavour compounds out of ground coffee.
- Nitro coffee
- Nitro coffee is cold brew infused with nitrogen gas and poured from a tap, much like a stout beer.
Questions & answers
What does RTD coffee mean?
Ready to drink: coffee sold already made, in bottles, cans or cartons, so there's nothing to brew or mix.
Who started bottled coffee drinks?
In the US, the North American Coffee Partnership, a joint venture between Starbucks and PepsiCo formed in 1994, made the bottled Frappuccino its first product; sources date its first ready-to-drink coffee to 1996. In Japan, UCC's canned coffee dates from 1969.
Is RTD coffee the same as cold brew?
Not necessarily. Cold brew is a way of brewing; some RTD coffees are cold brew, but many are brewed hot and chilled, or made from coffee extract, then bottled.
How big is the RTD coffee market?
In the US in 2003 it was still small: Beverage Marketing Corp. put the category's wholesale value at $308 million, with the bottled Frappuccino holding over 80% of it. By 2015 The Motley Fool said the Starbucks and PepsiCo partnership had more than 97% of the US ready-to-drink coffee market.
Does RTD coffee contain sugar?
Many do, especially milky drinks. Check the label for sugar and caffeine.
Sources
- Frappuccino. Wikipedia
- Drinks companies target coffee bar set. FoodNavigator
- Starbucks taps PepsiCo for international growth. The Motley Fool
- Bottled coffee and US consumers. Prepared Foods
- The Starbucks challenge: specialty-coffee maker hopes new products won’t dilute its high-class reputation. The Seattle Times
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.