Iced coffee is a
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
beverage served cold. It may be prepared either by brewing coffee normally (i.e. carafe, French press, etc.) and then serving it over ice or in cold milk or by
brewing the coffee cold. In hot brewing,
sweeteners
A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie () or low-calorie sweetener. Artificial sweeteners may be d ...
and flavoring may be added before cooling, as they dissolve faster. Iced coffee can also be sweetened with
pre-dissolved sugar in water.
Iced coffee is regularly available in most coffee shops. Iced coffee is generally brewed at a higher strength than normal coffee, given that it is diluted by the melting ice. In Australia, "iced coffee" is a common term for packaged coffee-flavored and sweetened milk beverage.
History
Mazagran, a cold, sweetened coffee beverage that originated in Algeria circa 1840, has been described by locals as "the original iced coffee".
It was prepared with
coffee syrup and cold water.
Frozen coffee beverages, similar to
slush
Slush, also called slush ice, is a slurry mixture of small ice crystals (e.g., snow) and liquid water.
In the natural environment, slush forms when ice or snow melts or during mixed precipitation. This often mixes with dirt and other polluta ...
, are documented in the 19th century. Similar is the Italian ''
granita
Granita (; in Italian also granita siciliana ) is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings. Originally from Sicily, it is available throughout Italy in varying forms. It is related to sorbet and Italian ice; however, i ...
al caffè''.
Coffee brewed then chilled with ice, called "iced coffee", appears in menus and recipes in the late 19th century.
Iced coffee was popularized by a marketing campaign of the Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee of the United States in 1920. Much later, it was marketed by chain outlets like
Burger King,
Dunkin' Donuts and
Starbucks.
Variations by country
Australia
In
Australia, iced coffee may include syrup, cream, cocoa powder or coffee beans. The café style is something like an unblended
milkshake, and may be made from espresso coffee or only coffee flavoring, such as that sold commercially since the late 19th century in the form of a
syrup
In cooking, a syrup (less commonly sirup; from ar, شراب; , beverage, wine and la, sirupus) is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars ...
, an example of which is
Bushells
Bushells is an Australian company that produces tea and coffee.
History
Bushell's was founded by Alfred Bushell in 1883, when he opened a tea shop in Queensland. His sons moved the enterprise to Sydney in 1899 and began selling tea commercia ...
Coffee And Chicory Essence.
The packaged beverage is a different product altogether. In
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
,
Farmers Union Iced Coffee
Farmers Union Iced Coffee is a flavoured milk drink popular in Australia, primarily the state of South Australia. It continues to be sold under the "Farmers Union" banner, originally a South Australian co-operative, subsequently the listed comp ...
has outsold
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
and is one of the state's biggest brands.
Pauls "Territory's Own" Iced Coffee is popular in the Northern Territory and
Norco Real Iced Coffee is big in Northern New South Wales and South East Queensland. Other brands are
Breaka,
Big M, Brownes Chill,
Moove, Masters,
Dare, Max, Fleurieu, Rush,
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
and
Ice Break.
Canada
In Canada, the popular
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's, or Timmie's is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service res ...
coffee chain sells
iced cappuccinos known locally as Ice Capps. The chain has also recently introduced traditional iced coffee to its Canadian menu in addition to its U.S. menu. Other fast-food and beverage chains also provide iced coffee. A June 2016 study by research firm NPD found that the popularity of iced coffee drinks had increased by about 16 percent over the same period a year earlier.
Chile
In Chile, iced coffee is called (iced coffee). It is very popular in the summertime. ' is composed of
espresso
Espresso (, ) is a coffee-brewing method of Italian origin, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water (about ) is forced under of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans a ...
, or
coffee powder.
Ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
is added to the coffee as well as sugary additives such as
vanilla
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia'').
Pollination is required to make the p ...
,
cinnamon, or
dulce de leche
''Dulce de leche'' (; pt, doce de leite), also known as caramelized milk, milk candy or milk jam in English, is a confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours. The resulting substance, w ...
. Iced coffee is enjoyed during the summer time at breakfast and at parties. Atop of Chilean iced coffee may also be whipped cream, and chopped nuts.
Germany
In
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
there are different types of ' (coffee with ice cream). The most widespread form is a flavoured
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...
drink similar to Australian iced coffee, available in German
coffeehouses and in ' (
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
parlours). It consists of filtered, hot brewed and cooled coffee with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on top. However, this type of iced coffee is rarely available in German supermarkets. The most widespread form of iced coffee in supermarkets is a canned version from a variety of brands with different flavours such as
Cappuccino
A cappuccino (; ; Italian plural: ''cappuccini'') is an espresso-based coffee drink that originated in Austria and was later popularized in Italy and is prepared with steamed milk foam ( microfoam).
Variations of the drink involve the use of ...
and
Espresso
Espresso (, ) is a coffee-brewing method of Italian origin, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water (about ) is forced under of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans a ...
. This iced coffee is very similar to the canned iced coffee in the UK and in the case of some brands (particularly
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...
) actually the same product.
Greece
In
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
, a popular iced coffee beverage is
frappé, made of instant coffee (generally
Nescafe), water, and optionally, sugar using either an electric mixer or a
shaker to create foam. Ice cubes and, optionally, milk are added. Frappés became known outside of Greece as a result of the
2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Frappés have become very popular in
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
and
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
.
The most popular iced coffee beverages in Greece are the freddo cappuccino which is topped with a cold milk foam known as ( el, αφρόγαλα) and freddo espresso which is a double shot of espresso blended with ice cubes and served over ice.
Italy
In Italy, the
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...
company introduced
Frappé coffee under its Nescafé Red Cup line, with the name
Red Cup Iced Coffee. Many Italian coffee bars serve "caffè freddo", which is straight espresso kept in a freezer and served as icy slush. In the
Salento
Salento (Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula, ...
region of
Apulia, this was perfected by brewing the espresso freshly, adding the desired amount of sugar or
almond milk
Almond milk is a plant-based milk with a watery texture and nutty flavor manufactured from almonds, although some types or brands are flavored in imitation of cow's milk. It does not contain cholesterol or lactose and is low in saturated fat. ...
and finally pouring it into a whiskey glass filled with ice cubes right before being served, known as ''Caffè in ghiaccio'', or coffee in ice.
Affogato
An affogato /ˌɑːfəˈɡɑːtəʊ/, /ˌæfəˈɡɑːtəʊ/, more traditionally known as "affogato al caffe" (Italian for "drowned in coffee"), is an Italian coffee-based dessert. It usually takes the form of a scoop of plain milk-flavored (''fi ...
(espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream) is also served, typically as a dessert.
Japan
In Japan, has been drunk since
Taishō period (around the 1920s) in
coffeehouses. It is served with
gum syrup and milk.
Cold tea was already popular, so it was natural to drink cold coffee. Cold brew coffee is also common in Japan, where it is known as , due to the historical Dutch coffee trade from Indonesia. In 1969,
UCC Ueshima Coffee released canned coffee, which made coffee available everywhere. Today,
canned liquid coffee
is a pre-brewed version of the beverage, sold ready to drink. It is particularly popular in Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere across Asia, and produced in a number of styles and by a large number of companies. Canned coffee is available in sup ...
is consumed both cold and hot.
New Zealand
In New Zealand, iced coffee is popular and served in a number of cafes. It is often served with vanilla icecream or whipped cream.
Thailand
Thai iced coffee is brewed using strong black coffee, sweetened with sugar, heavy cream (or half-and-half) and
cardamom
Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are r ...
, and quickly cooled and served over ice. Some variations are brewed using espresso. Thai iced coffee can be served with whipped cream on top for a layered effect and garnished with cinnamon, vanilla or anise. It is a common menu item at Thai restaurants.
United States
Iced coffee is prepared many different ways in the U.S., including
cold-brew coffee and chilled conventional coffee.
Iced coffee can be made from cold-brew coffee, for which coffee grounds are soaked for several hours and then strained.
The next day, the grounds would be filtered out. The result was a very strong coffee concentrate that was mixed with milk and sweetened.
Many coffee retailers simply use hot-brewed coffee in their iced coffee drinks. Starbucks specifically uses the double-strength method in which the coffee is brewed hot with twice the amount of grounds.
With this method, the melted ice does not dilute the strength and flavour of the coffee. Unlike the cold-brew process, this method does not eliminate the acidity inherent in hot-brewed coffee.
See also
*
Café liégeois
*
List of coffee drinks
Coffee drinks are made by brewing water with ground coffee beans. The brewing is either done slowly by drip, filter, French press, ''cafetière'' or percolator, or done very quickly under pressure by an espresso machine. When put under the p ...
*
Mazagran (coffee beverage)
Mazagran (also called café mazagran, formerly spelled masagran) is a cold, sweetened coffee drink that originated in Algeria. Portuguese versions may use espresso, lemon, mint and rum, and Austrian versions are served with an ice cube and inclu ...
References
{{coffee, nocat=1
Coffee drinks
Cold drinks
Coffee