Are Cold Drip Coffee, Cold Brew Coffee, and Cold Coffee the Same? What Are the Differences? An Introduction to the Flavor Profiles and Preparation Methods of Three Types of Iced Coffee

May has arrived, and summer is here. In Guangzhou's scorching summer, even after rain, it remains hot and humid. Without a cool, refreshing drink, it's truly hard to survive in this furnace-like city. Recently, many friends have been visiting FrontStreet Coffee and ordering ice-cold coffee. Some specifically ask for "ice coffee," which brings up a question: should they choose ice drip coffee, cold brew coffee, or iced pour-over coffee?

Then, another question arises: what are the differences between these three types of coffee? Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share with everyone the differences between these three coffee varieties.

First, we all know that these three coffees share a common characteristic: they are all served at low temperatures. To begin with, we need to understand a basic concept: coffee making is the process of extracting certain substances from coffee beans. If these substances are not fully extracted, it's called "under-extraction." If extraction continues after completion, unwanted substances are extracted, which is called "over-extraction." As we all know, coffee extraction is closely related to temperature and time. Hot water with high temperature accelerates the movement of various components: among them, acidic components move fastest; while bitter components move slowest, but as temperature increases, the total amount of flavor increases, and more bitter components reach the surface. Conversely, the lower the temperature, the longer it takes to extract a certain amount of flavor.

Ice Drip Coffee

Ice drip coffee, as the name suggests, involves using a specific container filled with ice, allowing the ice to naturally melt into water while letting the water drip drop by drop onto the coffee grounds. Making ice drip coffee takes a very long time. The ice drip coffee at FrontStreet Coffee generally takes 6-8 hours to complete extraction. After extraction is complete, the coffee liquid needs to be refrigerated for 12 hours, allowing it to ferment during this chilling period.

FrontStreet Coffee's Ice Drip Coffee Making Method

The coffee grounds cup holds 60 grams of coffee grounds to extract 600ml of coffee liquid, with a grounds-to-liquid ratio of 1:10. For the grind size selection, because the water temperature contacting the grounds is lower than regular pour-over coffee, a slightly finer setting than pour-over coffee is chosen. If judged by a #20 sieve, the passing rate would be around 85%. The ice-to-water mixing ratio is approximately 1:1, with the flow control valve set to 7 drops per 10 seconds. A moistened filter paper is placed over the coffee bed to ensure more even extraction. The entire extraction process takes approximately 6-8 hours. After extraction is complete, the coffee liquid is bottled and refrigerated for 12 hours before consumption.

Cold Brew Coffee

Cold brew coffee is very simple and convenient. Simply put, it involves placing coffee grounds in clean water, extracting through long-term low-temperature cold steeping, then filtering the coffee grounds from the coffee liquid mixture using filter paper, and finally obtaining clean coffee liquid.

FrontStreet Coffee's Cold Brew Coffee Making Method

Using 50 grams of coffee grounds as the standard, for the grind size selection, because the water temperature contacting the coffee grounds is lower than regular pour-over coffee, a slightly finer setting is chosen, with an 85% passing rate through a #20 standard sieve. The coffee grounds are placed in a glass bottle, then 400ml of room temperature water and 200 grams of hard ice cubes (totaling 600g of ice-water mixture) are added to the bottle, resulting in a grounds-to-water ratio of 1:12. Then, a stirring stick is used to mix the coffee grounds and water evenly before sealing and placing in the refrigerator for cold storage.

After 8-24 hours in the refrigerator, filter paper is used to filter out the coffee grounds, obtaining clean coffee liquid. Then, use a clean sealed bottle to store the coffee liquid and refrigerate for another 4 hours before consumption.

Iced Pour-over Coffee

Iced pour-over coffee is also called Japanese-style iced pour-over. Simply put, it can be understood as normally brewed coffee diluted with ice cubes to lower the temperature. To avoid ice cubes diluting the coffee's flavor, iced pour-over coffee uses a lower grounds-to-water ratio during brewing, using less water to obtain a coffee liquid with higher concentration, which is then cooled with ice cubes.

FrontStreet Coffee's Iced Pour-over Coffee Making Method

Taking 15 grams of coffee grounds as an example, the grind size is finer than hot pour-over coffee. For light roast coffee, the grind size should have an 85% passing rate through a #20 sieve. The ratio of coffee grounds to water to ice is 1:10:5. The water temperature is the same as regular hot pour-over: 90-93℃ for light roast coffee and 87-89℃ for medium roast coffee. The brewing technique for iced pour-over coffee is the same as hot pour-over, using a three-stage extraction method. After brewing is complete, shake or stir the filter cup to allow ice cubes and coffee liquid to fully contact, quickly lowering the temperature while maintaining consistent concentration.

Differences Between Ice Drip Coffee, Cold Brew Coffee, and Iced Pour-over Coffee

Iced pour-over coffee essentially extracts the early to middle stage substances from coffee, then cools and dilutes it with proportional ice cubes to achieve appropriate temperature and concentration. Therefore, it tastes cleaner and more refreshing, making it easier to highlight the main flavors of the coffee.

Ice drip coffee, because it's extracted with ice water over a long period, extracts more small-molecule substances (such as floral aromas and acidity), while large-molecule substances (like the bitterness of tannic acid) are harder to extract. Additionally, after production is complete, it's bottled and fermented at low temperature for 12 hours, so it has noticeable fermented flavors and the inherent sweet aroma of coffee beans, with an icy and refreshing taste.

The liquid produced by cold brew coffee is not as clear as ice drip coffee, with a thin layer of oil floating on the surface. In terms of flavor and texture, it appears slightly richer and more balanced compared to ice drip coffee. Compared to hot extraction, sweetness and bitterness are less noticeable, but acidity is more easily perceived. Due to the low temperature, the flavors are more long-lasting.

Do Cold Brew Coffee and Ice Drip Coffee Have High Caffeine Content?

Recently, some friends asked FrontStreet Coffee about caffeine content: do cold brew coffee and ice drip coffee have high caffeine content? What about the caffeine content in espresso and instant coffee? How much coffee can I drink daily without endangering my health?

Many people believe ice drip coffee has low caffeine content because the lower the water temperature, the less easily caffeine dissolves (the minimum temperature for caffeine dissolution is above 80°C). However, the small amount of caffeine extracted by cold water accumulates significantly over long extraction times. The caffeine content varies greatly depending on the coffee beans used, water drip intervals, and total extraction time. As for the content of some pre-packaged instant coffee sold on the market, you can refer to the packaging bags. As for how much is safe to drink, one authoritative organization stated that the safe daily caffeine intake for adults should be 400 milligrams. On this basis, it also depends on the individual's sensitivity to caffeine.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473