FREE Iced Coffee Day. Yep, FREE!

Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee and warm weather go together like, well, like Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee and breakfast sandwiches—it’s a perfect match.

So, what better way to kick off the start of Iced Coffee season than with the second annual Dunkin’ Donuts “Free Iced Coffee Day”?

On Thursday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., customers can walk into any of the nearly 150 Dunkin’ Donuts shops in Maine and receive a free 16-ounce cup of Dunkin’s famous double-brewed Iced Coffee.

Dunkin’ will offer customers all nine of its flavored Iced Coffees—hazelnut, blueberry, raspberry, French vanilla, toasted almond, coconut, caramel, cinnamon and chocolate—as well original and de-caffeinated.

“We look forward to treating our loyal customers in Maine to a free cup of our delicious, freshly brewed Iced Coffee to celebrate the arrival of spring,” said Cathy Ducey, Dunkin’ spokesperson. “Last year, we helped put winter on ice with our giant Iced Coffee cup ice sculptures. This year we’re helping our customers kick off Iced Coffee season with a sandy celebration of Dunkin’s wide variety of flavors.”

10 tons of sand to be transformed into 10-foot tall Iced Coffee shrine

To help recognize the HUGE variety of Iced Coffee flavors available, Dunkin’ Donuts has hired famed Maine sand and ice sculptor Ed Jarrett and his partner, Greg Grady, to erect HUGE Iced Coffee cup sand sculptures at three locations throughout the state.

The carvings will take place at One City Center in Portland; at 800 Minot Ave. in Auburn; and at 17 Schilling Drive in Brewer.

Just like last year, when Jarrett and his team worked through the night to create giant Iced Coffee cup ice sculpture for the first-ever Free Iced Coffee Day, Grady and the rest of his team are planning to work around the clock to transform a 10-ton pile of sand into a 10-foot tall Iced Coffee shrine. Grady has plenty of experience—he has been running the Hampton Beach Masters Sand Sculpting competition for eight years.

Iced Coffee is taking Maine—and the rest of the nation—by storm

Iced Coffee is fast becoming as “hot” as the classic cup at Dunkin’ Donuts. It is the second-most frequently sold product after hot coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. According to a 2007 survey, nearly 50 percent of Mainers drink iced coffee at least once a week when the weather turns warm.

It’s not just a regional phenomenon. According to NPD CREST data, Americans drank nearly 600 million servings of iced coffee in restaurants in 2007, a 37 percent increase from 2006. Dunkin’ Donuts sold more than 190 million servings of iced coffee in 2007, and is the No. 1 retailer of iced coffee in America.

Millions of iced coffee lovers turn to Dunkin’ because they recognize the quality of its iced coffee. Dunkin’ Donuts has been at the forefront in developing an innovative process for brewing iced coffee, which has set the standard for the industry. The unique process, called double brewing, uses twice the amount of coffee when making the beverage to achieve consistent flavor and freshness that are never compromised at the expense of serving it cold. The result is a smooth, rich taste sensation—iced coffee that is never bitter or watered down.

Going that extra mile pays off: More than 50 percent of Mainers polled agreed that the right balance of ice, coffee and other ingredients is the biggest factor when choosing a good cup of iced coffee.