Central Perk Coffee Is Coming In Honor Of ‘Friends’ 25th Anniversary
Here’s a perk for Friends fans just in time for the show’s 25th anniversary in September. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf chain has announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to release a special collection of coffee, tea, and drinkware inspired by Central Perk, the coffee shop hangout regularly featured on the iconic NBC sitcom, Entertainment Weekly reports.
For a limited time, fans of the beloved comedy series will be able to purchase Central Perk Medium Roast, Central Perk Dark Roast, or a black Central Perk Tea. Coffee Bean locations will also serve limited-edition specialty drinks through Aug. 27. The drinks will be named after the Friends characters made famous by Courteney Cox (Monica), David Schwimmer (Ross), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Matthew Perry (Chandler), and Jennifer Aniston (Rachel).
EW notes that “The Joey” will be a Mango Cold Brew Tea, while the chocolatey Monica will be a Midnight Mocha Cold Brew. The Rachel (Matcha Latte) will honor Aniston’s Rachel Green—a former Central Perk employee— and The Ross is described as a Classic Flat White. And finally, Friends fans with a sweet tooth will enjoy The Chandler Caramel Coconut Latte and The Phoebe, a Cookies and Cream Ice Blended drink.
This is not the first time the Friends gang’s Central Perk hangout has been honored. In 2014, the 20th anniversary of Friends prompted Eight O’Clock coffee to create a drinkable tribute to the New York coffee shop made famous on the Emmy-winning NBC sitcom. According to Adweek, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, and Eight O’Clock Coffee previously partnered to create a Central Perk pop-up in New York City, complete with a special Central Perk blend that fans could purchase in-store and online.
Friends, which debuted on Sept. 22, 1994, and ran for 10 seasons until 2004, is still popular in syndication. The highly anticipated 25th anniversary of the show is spawning several product tie-ins.
In addition to the new Central Perk coffees, Entertainment Weekly reports that Pottery Barn is releasing a new collection of furniture and accessory pieces inspired by the fan-favorite show. Fans will be able to purchase items that include a Central Perk mug, a logo throw pillow and a version of the mass-produced apothecary table that Rachel convinced a Pottery Barn-hating Phoebe was a one-of-a-kind antique in the product placement-filled 2000 episode “The One With the Apothecary Table.” The Friends-inspired Pottery Barn collection will be available in stores and online in late July.