McDonald's to test 2 cold brew coffees starting April 27

McDonald's will test two cold brew options in 600 of its Southern California locations starting April 27th.

The two new coffee options are the straightforward Cold Brew, a black coffee poured over ice, and the Marble Cold Brew, which adds cream, chocolate, and caramel syrup before it's served over ice.

The iced coffee products will be priced at around $4.69 for a medium, in the Southern California market. The coffee can also be prepared using existing equipment, which is good for operators' bottom line and the potential for widespread adoption.

The addition of these two cold brew options could help fill out the McCafé product line, a coffeehouse-styled blend of gourmet and specialty coffees. McCafé helped put the fast-food chain on the specialty coffee map when it launched in the U.S. in 2001.

The new offering is McDonald's effort to keep up with big chain competitors, like Starbucks and Dunkin', that offer more specialized drinks,.