Have you ever heard of Panera before? If not, can you take a quick guess what brand it could be? A coffee brand or a clothing brand, or a supermarket? If you have guessed all the options mentioned, you are not correct. Panera stands for Panera Bread Company and is a series of bakery cafes that fit in the fast-casual restaurant industry. It was founded in 1987 in St.Louis, the United States, with more than 100 locations back then and now has expanded to more than 2000 locations all around the US and Canada.
As of 2022, it has generated total revenue of nearly 5.8 billion US dollars, making it one of the world’s biggest and most successful cafe-bakery brands. It has acquired and merged other small bakeries throughout its operations and strives to offer its customers a wide range of menus. For instance, you can order a wide range of bread and beverages such as croissants, bagels, cookies, muffins, brownies, lattes, smoothies, espresso drinks, hot and iced drinks, and more. You can also dine in and take out regular meals as it has pasta, pizzas, salads, soups, sandwiches, and many more.
As mentioned, Panera has a variety of foods and drinks. This article will give you a quick summary of what is on the menu of Panera and answer whether iced decaf coffee is on the menu.
What is Decaf Coffee?
Before diving into the menu of Panera, we shall understand what decaf coffee is. Decaf coffee stands for decaffeinated coffee, which basically is coffee, but the amount of caffeine from the original coffee beans has been removed by up to 97%. The process of extracting the caffeine content differs, but the most popular ones are water solvent extraction and carbon dioxide. The coffee beans, after extraction, will then be used to roast or ground to make decaf coffee beans or powders.
Just because the caffeine content has mainly been removed, it does not mean that decaf coffee does not contain caffeine. It contains a small amount of caffeine; for instance, a cup of coffee would have 3 mg.
Beverages Menu
To see whether Panera sells iced decaf coffee, let’s skim through the list of its beverages.
Charged Lemonade
If you are on Tik-Tok, you may be familiar with the trend around Panera-charged lemonade being high in caffeine content. The charged lemonade is available in 3 flavors. Make sure to grab these drinks to freshen up your day with a strong boost of energy and caffeine content, just like coffee. It is well known for being a plant-based drink but has equal amounts of caffeine to dark roast coffee.
Soft and Bottled Drinks
If you are looking for something convenient, Panera got your back with their soft and bottled drinks such as Pepsi, both regular and diet, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, Bubbly lime, bottled water, and bottled passion fruit green tea.
Coffee
Not only is it famous for its bread, but it is also famous for its coffee and tea. One of the most famous drinks is iced dark roast coffee. This dark roast coffee is made entirely from Colombian Arabica coffee beans, which have a bold and lively flavor due to the dark chocolate notes. It is dark-roasted with no dairy products and is free from gluten, suitable for vegetarians. What to notice is that the coffee is available in both iced and hot forms.
The second beverage on the list is hazelnut coffee. This drink will ensure you a smooth and sweet flavor with a perfect combination of dark roasted coffee and butter-like roasted hazelnuts. It is made of 100% Arabica coffee beans with no dairy and is gluten-free. It is available only in hot hazelnut coffee and hazelnut coffee tote.
Decaf Coffee
The third coffee beverage, and certainly the most important one for this article, is no other than decaf coffee. Panera decaf coffee has a medium body with a sweet texture from the caramel and citrus notes. Moreover, it has a smooth and well-balanced flavor and blends as it is made from Colombian coffee, ensuring a fresh and clean finish taste. It has 20 calories, no fat, 10 mg of sodium, 3 mg of carbohydrates, and 2 g of protein.
Unfortunately, it is served only as hot decaf coffee and available in a decaf coffee tote. Panera does not offer iced decaf coffee yet as of now. However, if you want iced decaf coffee, you can purchase a cup of hot decaf coffee and a cup of ice, then mix them together. The taste and flavor would not majorly differ from a barista-made iced decaf coffee.
Now that you know that iced decaf is not available at Panera, won’t you like to look at the delicious bread that is famous in over 2000 locations?
Bagels
Bagel is undoubtedly one of the most famous bakery products worldwide, and Panera’s bagels are no exception. Bagels are one of the most convenient and consumable meals or snacks, as they can be eaten for breakfast or as a quick snack after lunch. Additionally, it can be eaten with salmon, bacon, eggs, and many more. Baked and made in the shape of rings, bagels are known for their various flavors and textures, and Panera is undoubtedly exceptional in bringing those elements to life.
Panera offers many bagels; we will mention the three best and standout bagel flavors in this article. The first bagel that sticks out the most is the Cinnamon crunch bagel. Despite missing the main element of a bagel which is the ring shape, it is still one of the best because of its extraordinary flavor. The texture is soft, like a pillow, meaning it is not overly dense and not too weak, which is chewy. On the other hand, the taste is plain, which fits best with honey or cream cheese and goes exceptionally well with the cinnamon crack on top. This cinnamon crunch bagel is in the lead compared to other bagels in all taste, texture, and chew elements.
Another amazing bagel from Panera is Everything. Yes, the bagel’s name is called Everything, and as the name implies, it has everything in check, from texture to taste. It is topped with six main elements, including garlic, toasted onion, sesame seeds, salt, and poppy seeds, which is an extraordinary combination. It also has a plain taste that is dairy free, and no sweeteners are added. It is perfect for a smoked salmon toast with the Everything bagel. Moreover, the third most delicious bagel from Panera is the chocolate chip bagel. Filled with loads of chocolate chips, every mouthful would be soft, chewy, and sweet with the chocolate flavors, which is a good start for a fresh morning.
Cookies and Brownies
Apart from bagels, cookies and brownies are also famous in Panera. You can choose various options from the menu. For instance, they have a wide range of chocolate chip cookies. It is a traditional favorite baked with medium sweet chocolate chunks, milky chocolate flakes, flour, sugar, egg, and many more. It is relatively sweet with total calories of 390, fat, and carbohydrate. Another famous cookie is the kitchen sink cookie which will give you a salty and sweet taste from the chocolate and caramel. Moreover, it is big enough to share with two people. It is semi-sweet and topped with a bit of flake salt to add another layer of flavor. Moreover, Brownie is also famous among sweet tooth people. It is rich, sweet, and soft and is made from brown sugar, eggs, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and more, satisfying your sweet cravings.
Soups Menu
When we talk about Panera, we absolutely cannot miss out on its popular soups. Despite being a bakery, it has created various soup recipes that are well-known by the locals and even available in supermarkets. One of the most delicious soups you should try is the Bistro French onion soup. It is famous for its well-cooked vegetable, which is the sweet onion, the rich flavor of the stock or bone broth, and the delicious gastrique. Other ingredients, especially soy sauce, add flavor to the soup. Another soup you need to try is Thai chicken soup. It has a rich flavor from the coconut milk and excellent color from the yellow curry paste. Other ingredients such as ginger, fish sauce, and lemongrass add a traditional touch of Thai into the soup, which makes you feel like you have traveled to Thailand.
Conclusion
In conclusion, to answer the heading question, unfortunately, no, Panera does not offer iced decaf coffee. However, it provides hot decaf coffee and tote, which can be made and mixed into a cup of ice later on and still taste the same. Apart from decaf coffee, it sells a wide range of menu items such as bagels, cookies, brownies, and delicious soups. Additionally, other menus such as pizzas, frozen drinks, coffee lattes, and more are also available at Panera which can be checked through their official website or visit their local stores available in more than 2000 places.