What's the difference between cold brew versus iced coffee? Which cold coffee drink is easier to make? Does one taste better than the other? Find answers below.

What is cold brew coffee?

Cold brew coffee is made without hot water. Instead, coarse ground coffee steeps in cold or lukewarm water—but beyond using a much lower water temperature, there are a few different brewing methods.

Cold brew coffee brewing method

Cold brew coffee usually calls for combining tepid or cold water with coarsely ground coffee beans, letting it soak for up to 24 hours, then straining out the coffee grounds. This can give you a smooth brew to drink with ice cubes or mix with milk. Or you can use more coffee and less water to create cold brew concentrate, which will need to be watered down before drinking.

Other cold brewing methods include:

● Nitro cold brew coffee – After steeping coarsely ground coffee beans in cold water for up to 24 hours, the coffee grounds are strained out, and the coffee is poured into a nitro keg, which infuses it with nitrogen gas. When dispensed through the keg tap, it has a frothy texture.

● Japanese-style flash brew – Hot, concentrated pour-over coffee is brewed over a carafe filled with ice. The ice melts to cool down the coffee while also watering down the concentrated brew.

Cold brew coffee taste and caffeine content

People often find cold brew coffee less acidic than regular coffee, particularly traditional and nitro cold brew. Since cold flash-brew coffee is technically hot pour-over coffee, chilled, it might have a brighter acidity than other types of cold brew.

The steeping time and water temperature can affect taste and strength as well. Soaking for longer with room-temperature water rather than cold water will often result in a more concentrated coffee with a stronger flavour, possibly with a higher caffeine level than ready-to-drink cold brew.,

What is iced coffee?

Iced coffee is hot coffee that's been chilled, either with ice or refrigeration. Traditional iced coffee can be made with any brewing method that uses hot water.

How iced coffee is made

Iced coffee can be made with an automatic filter coffee maker, a pour-over system, an espresso machine, a French press, or a Nespresso pod coffee machine.

For instance, you could brew a pot of drip coffee, place it in the refrigerator until it's cold, then serve it with ice and milk for an iced latte. Or you could make one or two espresso shots and pour them into a cup filled with ice cubes for a tasty, cold coffee drink.

Iced coffee flavour and texture

The taste and texture of iced coffee depend on how it's brewed and what type of coffee beans are used. Filter coffee will generally be smooth, whereas espresso is more concentrated with a more powerful flavour and a frothy layer of crema on top.

Cold brew vs. iced coffee: key differences  

Iced coffee and cold brew are both chilled coffee drinks served with ice or cold milk, often in a larger cup or glass rather than a mug. But there are key differences between the two.

Brewing time and method

Cold brew coffee takes much longer to make than iced coffee. The steeping process is typically at least four hours and up to 24 hours. But, as mentioned, Japanese-style flash brew can be made quickly with a pour-over system.

Iced coffee can be made in minutes, such as by pouring an espresso shot over ice cubes, or in a couple of hours (the time it takes to chill hot coffee in the refrigerator).

Flavour profile

Regular coffee (including iced coffee made from hot coffee) tends to have a more bitter and sometimes floral flavour profile. Cold brew tends to be a bit sweeter and smoother with a milder taste.

Strength and acidity

Steeping ground coffee for several hours in cold water can allow it time to neutralise, meaning the acidity is reduced. The longer cold brew extraction time can result in a more concentrated, stronger brew, but the taste of cold brew may be sweeter with less acidity than traditional coffee.

What's more, certain chemical compounds in coffee beans might only be released when brewed with hot water. This could be why cold brew coffee often has a higher pH (meaning it's less acidic) than iced coffee.,

Cold brew vs. iced coffee: Which one should you choose?

You might hear cold brew and iced coffee used interchangeably. While both are types of chilled coffee, they're not the same. Cold brew and iced coffee are made using different brewing methods, which results in a unique flavour profile, taste, texture, strength, and acidity.

According to a 2023 survey, coffee drinkers in the UK tend to prefer the flavour of cold brew over regular iced coffee on account of the smooth taste and lower acidity.

The right choice for you, however, depends on how much time you have to make coffee, whether you like to brew it at home or order from a café, and your personal flavour preferences. Many people enjoy drinking both cold brew and iced coffee—so you can choose one or the other, depending on the day and your mood.

Shop coffee grinders, drip filter coffee makers, espresso machines with cold brew extraction, and coffee accessories from Sage to brew delicious coffee at home.

Sources: 

1. Barista Magazine. Move Over Cold Brew: Iced Coffee Wants its Spotlight Back. https://www.baristamagazine.com/move-over-cold-brew-iced-coffee-wants-its-spotlight-back/

2. Statista. Hot or iced coffee consumption preference in the United Kingdom in 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1407102/hot-or-iced-coffee-consumption-preference-uk/

3. Innova Market Insights. Iced Coffee Trends in the UK. https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/iced-coffee-trends-in-the-uk/

4. Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). Cold vs. Iced: Using Sensory Analysis to Test the Claim that Cold Brew is Sweeter and Less Acidic. https://sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-19/cold-vs-iced-using-sensory-analysis-to-test-the-claim-that-cold-brew-is-sweeter-and-less-acidic

5. The Arbutus Review. Can Cold Brew Coffee Be Convenient? A Pilot Study For Caffeine Content in Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323191961_Can_Cold_Brew_Coffee_Be_Convenient_A_Pilot_Study_For_Caffeine_Content_in_Cold_Brew_Coffee_Concentrate_Using_High_Performance_Liquid_Chromatography

6. Scientific Reports. The Effect of Time, Roasting Temperature, and Grind Size on Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid Concentrations in Cold Brew Coffee. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5740146/

7. Barista Magazine. Make Nitro Cold Brew, One Cup at a Time. https://www.baristamagazine.com/make-nitro-cold-brew-one-cup-time/

8. Perfect Daily Grind. What is flash brew coffee?. https://perfectdailygrind.com/2022/03/what-is-flash-brew-coffee/

9. Nature. (2018). Acidity and Antioxidant Activity of Cold Brew Coffee. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34392-w

10. Perfect Daily Grind. Why does cold brew taste different to other coffee brewing methods?. https://perfectdailygrind.com/2023/04/why-does-cold-brew-taste-different/

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12. Foods. Physiochemical Characteristics of Hot and Cold Brew Coffee Chemistry: The Effects of Roast Level and Brewing Temperature on Compound Extraction. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/7/902

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