Forget hot coffee - Gen Z like their drinks ice cold and fruity - BBC News

Young consumers are choosing cold, customisable drinks and coffee chains are racing to catch up.

Image source, Elaine LingImage caption, Elaine Ling

Elaine Ling splits her time between New York and California, but wherever she is and needs a coffee, she doesn't visit a Starbucks.

She only goes there for her cold drinks. Her "real coffee" comes from local cafes.

"I don't really like to go to Starbucks for coffee. I think their coffee is like too sweet," Ling, 21, told the BBC. "I'm more of a refresher girl when it comes to going to Starbucks."

Though founded as a coffee shop more than five decades ago, Starbucks says that three out of every four drinks it now sells are cold. Think iced fruity drinks, protein shakes and so-called dirty sodas - a concoction of foam, syrups and juices.