Cold brew vs. iced coffee. What’s the difference?
That’s what a friend of mine, a Starbucks-lover, asked me last week. I wasn’t surprised. Cold coffee is the beauty queen of the coffee scene right now.
And almost every gas station, coffee shop, roaster, and cafe offers some cold coffee options.
When a coffee novice walks into their local coffee purveyor, do they know the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?
I asked my group of friends, and most weren’t clear on the differences.
This surprised me because the differences are bigger than you think.
This post covers the different brewing methods for cold coffee and answers questions about the differences.
I want to put to bed this question: “What’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee.”
Where Did Cold Coffee Come From?
Did you know that many countries have been drinking some form of cold coffee recipes since the early 20th century?
In Japan, it’s called aisu kōhī.
In Slovenia, they have a version of iced coffee called ledena kava.
And some of the spiciest Thai dishes are traditionally served with Thai iced coffee to offset the burn from the aromatics used in their cuisine.
Iced coffee is no newcomer. It’s been mass-marketed to Western countries as the “it” coffee drink.
And I fell for it.
I fell hard.
There’s no shame in loving iced or cold brew coffee for me. I live in Texas, where our summers are like death’s armpit, and you wish you could go outside naked.
And, since I’ve been told that it’s not appropriate to be naked in public, I drink cold coffee.
The History of Cold Coffee Drinks
The original iced coffee traces its root back to Algeria in the 1840s. The drink, mazagran, was popularized by French troops in a 17-year battle to gain Algeria’s control. They reportedly ran out of the water and decided to add sweetened milk to their coffee and drank it cold to fight the Algerian landscape’s heat.
The soldiers brought back these new drinks, which spread like a slow burn across the Western World.
They became popular in France, Italy and finally made their way across the pond to the United States around the 1920s.
Iced coffee was brought into American popularity by the Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee of the United States in 1920.
It slowly gained success and now can be found everywhere.
Iced coffee and cold brew coffee have even started a photography trend called coffee aesthetic. Log on to your Instagram account and search for coffee, and you’ll see the familiar pictures of a younger person posting pictures of their local coffee shop’s “fire” cold coffee drink.
But we’re still left with the question of what’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?
What Is Iced Coffee?
Iced coffee is probably the most popular cold coffee drink right now.
It’s easy to make, too. Here are the basic steps:
- Brew robust regular coffee (usually 2 tablespoons of regular ground coffee to 8 oz of water)
- Let cool once brewed
- Pour cooled coffee over ice
- Sweeten with sugar or simple syrup and add creamer of choice ( I suggest almond milk vanilla creamer)
- If you want to be really cool, drink out of a mason jar with a metal reusable straw
The Variations on Iced Coffee
There are, of course, several variations on this recipe. Starbucks brought the frappucino to market in 1995. The classic Starbucks frappe is an iced coffee with a smoothie consistency. I remember being in high school when every girl I knew has a frappe in their hand. I still don’t like them and probably never will.
You can brew a whole pot of the coffee mentioned above and save it in a jar to drink throughout the week. The advantage of iced coffee is that it’s refreshing, lower in acidity, and that extra strong brew delivers more caffeine than a regular hot drip coffee.
There are many different variations on this recipe. It’s a matter of finding what your palate is. Some iced coffee makers on the market now make it at home without thinking twice.
Starbucks offers their iced coffee in an instant form for the coveted beverage on the go. It’s okay.
If you’re on the go, then one could assume you could also go to a local coffee shop to buy a fresh one, but that’s just my assumption.
I used to make my own iced coffee this way, and it worked just fine, but I was never satisfied.
It just didn’t taste right.
Little did I know that I needed a couple of things in my arsenal to really step up my cold coffee game.
I’ve written about the importance of a burr coffee grinder and how this piece of coffee brewing equipment really does improve your overall home coffee brewing satisfaction.
Once I had that figured out, I knew my cold coffee was still missing something.
Enter cold brew coffee.
What Is Cold Brew Coffee?
We’re about to talk about my favorite coffee drink of all time. I’m obsessed with cold brew coffee.
“Cold brew” refers to a coffee brewing method. It’s also sometimes called flash brewed or cold compressed coffee.
Cold brew took over the coffee landscape this past summer as it’s strong, low acid, and is easy to make even if you don’t buy it already made.
The basic premise of making cold brew is there’s no heat involved. You steep the coffee at room temp or cold water for 12-24 hours until you have a cold brew concentrate for enjoyment.
I was buying premade cold brew coffee and cold brew concentrate for about a year when my former employer (a local coffee roaster) came to me about developing a cold brew line for the upcoming farmer’s market season.
We tried different roasts, grinds, brewing equipment, and water to coffee ratios.
After a lot of time and testing, we mastered an at-home brewing recipe for cold brew.
You don’t necessarily need any special equipment other than a good grinder, some strainers, and a glass jar. I use this sieve in mine, but there are a lot of options out there.
Cold Brew Coffee Recipe
Equipment:
- 64 oz wide mouth mason jar with plastic lid
- Burr coffee grinder
- Kitchen scale
- Cold brew sieve
- Whole coffee beans of choice (I prefer a dark Sumatra roast for this, and the recipe will reflect the ground weight)
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
- Grind your coffee to the coarsest grind on your burr grinder. You’re looking for 3.6 oz on final weight ground coffee. The easiest way to get this is to set a bowl on your scale and zero out the scale. Measure from there.
- Pour ground coffee into your sieve
- Place sieve into a wide mouth mason jar
- Slowly pour enough water over the ground coffee (in the sieve) to fill to the last measurement line (about 6 cups)
- Secure the plastic lid. I usually swill things around in the jar to get the water agitating the grounds.
- Set on the counter (or a dark, cool place) and let brew for 18 hours
- Once the 18 hour brew time is up, carefully remove your used grounds (great for compost, by the way) and pour over ice and add any sweetener or creamer of your choice
- Store with lid in your refrigerator for up to 10 days.
I should warn you that this is a strong cold brew recipe. You can add water to your own liking.
But you’ll notice the low acid and crispness you get from a glass of this cold brew recipe.
As you can see in this cold brew vs. iced coffee discussion, there are a lot of differences between cold brew coffee and iced coffee.
Another Cold Coffee Brew Method – Japanese Iced Coffee
There is one more way to make a cold coffee (that I’m somewhat familiar with). It’s the Japanese method known as flash brewing. You’re basically going to see this method, also called iced coffee, in some home cold brew makers.
This approach promises to fill up your carafe (usually a Chemex pour over with ice and then place the filter on top and our hot water over the medium ground coffee. Let this seep over the ice below, and you’re all set.
This method produces a for robust flavor than more traditional cold brew.
I suggest a medium roast for this approach because the medium roasts are more floral and perform best with this method.
My dad loves this type of iced coffee. When he got his Japanese iced coffee maker, he wouldn’t stop talking about it. You can read more about the different cold coffee makers here.
Every time we came over, it was “Have I told you about my new iced coffee maker? Do you want some?”
Conclusion
Cold brew vs iced coffee — I hope that you have a better understanding of the differences between iced coffee and cold brew coffee. The history is interesting, and there are so many variations to the best delivery for a cold coffee drink.
I encourage you to explore all the options and figure out what works best for you.
I stand by the old school cold brew method as my favorite cold coffee drink.
What’s your favorite cold coffee to make at home?
Have I forgotten any?
If all of this is overwhelming to you or you don’t want to mess with it, you can buy premade iced coffee or cold brew. My favorite brand is Cameleon out of Austin. They offer a cold brew concentrate and a ready to drink.
Either way, iced or cold brew, I don’t think we will see this trend fade anytime soon.