Is Taco Bell Coming For Starbucks With Its New Live Mas Cafes?

When McDonald's announced the launch of a new specialty coffee brand, CosMc's, it kinda made sense. The brand's coffee has a cult following, and frappes are a successful, long-standing menu staple. But now, a new fast food chain is joining the trend — and it's not one you'd expect.

According to a press release, Taco Bell is planning to expand into specialty drinks. The chain launched its new Live Más Café concept in select locations last year. Apparently, the cafés were a success. Customers in Texas and Southern California will start to see Live Más Café locations popping up in existing Taco Bell stores by fall.

The chain also plans to launch a new line of drinks nationwide. The fruity drinks, called Refrescas, are at least theoretically inspired by the classic Mexican beverage aguas frescas. The move comes as customers increasingly turn away from fast food but embrace specialty drinks. "We're seeing today that people, especially younger consumers, are reaching for refreshing drinks as part of their lifestyle," explained Liz Matthews, Taco Bell's Global Chief Food Innovation Officer.

Live Más Cafés will feature over 30 specialty drinks, including handcrafted coffees and limited-edition favorites that have already popped up on Taco Bell menus, like Churro Chillers. The rest of the country will have to wait for the wider menu. but the chain hopes that the new Refrescas line will hold us over for the meantime.

Taco Bell has already tested the Agua Refrescas in select locations; now, they'll be permanent menu items. The drinks, which are available in Strawberry Passionfruit, Dragonfruit Berry, and Mango Peach flavors, include freeze-dried fruit and green tea for "a subtle boost of caffeine." You can expect to pay $3.99 for a 20-ounce serving. The drinks are a far cry from Taco Bell's most famous drink, the Baja Blast, and underscore how preferences have changed over the past 21 years: Now, elevated drinks with a healthy-ish vibe have displaced electric blue sodas.

Limited-edition drinks include the Rockstar Energy® Refrescas and the icy Refresca Freeze, $4.49 energy drinks with a 200-milligram caffeine punch. They come in Pineapple Lime or Tropical Punch, while the blended Refresca Freeze, which comes in Strawberry Lime, will feature chunks of freeze-dried fruit.

"This is just the beginning of a multi-year beverage transformation," Taco Bell explained in its press release. "Taco Bell is making one thing clear: Bold refreshment is officially on the menu." But will customers buy it? We'll have to wait and see.