Would you pay $5 for a cup of cold-brew coffee?

With summer winding down it's time to crown The Drink of the Summer.

Sorry, ros wine, but you mighthave to cede the top spotto cold-brew coffee this year.

Not exactly sure what cold brew is? Don't worry you're not alone.

If you're a big city-dwelling hipster partial to plaid who rides a bicycle everywhere then chances are you've been shelling out $4, $5, or sometimes more, for a cup of cold brew for years.

The trend has recentlyfiltered down from exclusive indie cafs to Starbucks.

The price may give you a jolt

The world's largest coffeehousechain tested out cold brew in 130 storesin Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, in late March. The test went so well, the chain started selling itnationally at all its cafs in early July, including in blue-collar places like Windsor, Ont.

A grande(16ounces) cup of the stuff will run you $3.45.

That's a relative bargain, compared to what you'll shell out indie cafsalsoselling the trendy drink.Salute Espresso Bar in Olde Walkervillecharges$5 for a 16 oz. portion, either in a bottle to go, or poured into a cup to stay.Anchor Coffee House in the west-end sells a 16 oz. bottle for $5 and a 12 oz. cup for $5. March 21 Bean N' Leaf downtowncharges $6 for a 12 oz. bottle and $4.50 for a 12 oz. cup.

Meanwhile, a regular old iced coffee in a plastic cupwill currently only cost you a single loonie down at the local Timmies or Mickey D's these days.

Premium product, premium price

But, and this is important, while iced coffee and cold brew look the same to the naked eye they are not the same.
Iced coffee is actuallyregular brewed hot coffee poured over ice, which shocks it and leads to an acidic and bitter flavour, explainedKyle Bondy, the co-owner of Anchor Coffee House.

Cold-brew coffee, on the other hand, is steeped in small batchesin room-temperature or cold water for several hours.

The result is a potentdrink that drinkers say goes down smooth.

"It's all the rage here," said Bondy in a phone interview at his cafwith CBC News. "Honestly, I've never seen anyone balk at the price."

Not just for hipsters anymore

Dane Charles, the owner of Salute, agrees, saying once Windsorites understand that cold brew is not iced coffee they have no issue shelling out a bit more cash.

He started selling cold brew back in early 2013. Atthat time it was a fairly new concept for a working-class city like Windsor and it did take some convincing to get people to try it, Charles said.

Now thatStarbucksisselling cold brewto parentsin mini-vans swinging through the drive-thru, the understanding and popularity of the beverage is really percolating.

Adam Setusta didn't get around to trying cold brew until he stoppedbySalute looking for a cold hit of caffeine on a muggy mid-August afternoon.

The 24-year-old graphic designer had no qualms about paying $5 for The Drink of the Summer.

After he took his first sips he told CBC News:

"It's very flavourful. It's very refreshing," said Setusta."There's definitely value in it. It's very tasty."

While two toonies plusone loonie may seem like an exorbitant amount to pay for a cup of cold coffeemore and more Canadiancoffee-lovers, like Setusta, seemmore than willing to pay the price.