Iced Coffee or Cold Brew?

With temperatures hitting 30 degrees plus in the UK this week, your usual hot coffee may not feel like the most desirable option. Whilst it may feel like there is an abundance of cooler coffee options, there are actually only two main methods of preparation. Firstly, the classic iced coffee and secondly, the cold brew. 

On first instinct, they feel that they can be interchangeable, but it’s worth noting their differences as the two brewing methods are very different leading to two very different coffees.

Iced Coffee 

This is the most common and probably the one that you would have had before. This is because it is essentially your usual coffee but poured over ice. This could take the form of any of your espresso based favourites over ice such as iced espresso, iced latte, or iced cappuccino. Separately, if using the pour over method to brew your coffee grounds it could also be an iced pour over/filter (also known as Japanese Iced Coffee).

You could also differentiate further by whether syrup flavours are added or whether a blender is used (both commonly added to make a frappé), but broadly they all come down to coffee being poured over ice. 

Cold Brew 

Cold Brew uses a totally different brewing method, so doesn’t use espresso or filter coffee that is brewed using hot water as the base of the drink. Instead, Cold Brew uses an immersion technique to extract the coffee over a longer period of time.

The immersion technique is simply the process of placing the coffee grounds in cold water and letting them steep between 6 and 24 hours. The grounds are then filtered out, leaving behind a smooth, refreshing tasting drink. 

As the grounds are brewed at a cold temperature rather than higher temperatures as with espresso or filter, this method doesn’t pull out as much of the acids which has a big impact on the flavour, making it less acidic and easier on the stomach. It also brings the double meaning to the name ‘Cold Brew’ which refers to both the brewing temperature and serving temperature. 

 Choosing between the two comes down to personal preference, but this Summer, as you’re enjoying the scorching days, it’s definitely worth tasting them both to find the perfect cool coffee drink that works for you. 

Here are our recipes for making your Iced Coffee and Cold Brew at home: