More than 25 years after first airing, the legacy of Friends continues. The latest venture is real-life Central Perk coffee shops serving branded coffee. There’s no details yet on where the coffeehouse’s physical locations will be. But in the meantime you can order some Friends-themed coffee to enjoy at home. As long as it doesn’t taste like Rachel’s trifle, we’re definitely going to try it! The only thing that would make the experience better is if Gunther was serving it to us in one of those enormous, brightly-colored coffee mugs. While we sat on an old couch with our best friends, of course.
There are three types of coffee for sale in the Central Perk store. Joey’s flirtatious opening line, “How You Doin’?” is a medium roast. “Pivot Blend” is medium/dark, referencing maybe the funniest scene of the whole show. The dark roast “We Were on a Coffee Break” harkens back to Ross’s infamous (and incorrect) excuse. What’s not to like? Friends references—good. Delicious coffee—good. You can buy whole beans or ground, as well as compostable K-cup pods. It’ll cost you $16.99 for a 10 ounce bag or 12 pods. And in case anyone is worried about quality, Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio is part of the crossover.
There’s already a Friends ice cream, so this is not the first food tie-in for the popular TV show. It’s coffee flavored, of course. Central Perk is also immortalized in LEGO form and on ugly Christmas sweaters. And there’s a pop-up experience in various cities, recreating the coffee shop set. When I saw it in Singapore, there were also some awesome props on display. Including Rachel’s cheerleading costume, Joey’s Huggsy the penguin stuffed animal, and Phoebe’s haunted doll painting, Gladys. Could it be any better?
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
