Confused by Iced Coffee? Understanding the Differences Between Cold Drip, Cold Brew, Cold Extract, and Iced Coffee

Ice Drip Coffee

The key to making ice drip coffee lies in "cold" and "slow." Ice water from the container at the top of the equipment, controlled by a valve, drips drop by drop to saturate the coffee grounds. The coffee liquid passes through a single filter and gradually collects in the pot at the bottom. The entire extraction process takes about half a day.

Advantages: Cold water ice dripping, where coffee grounds are first saturated with cold water before dripping, results in coffee that is not sour or astringent. After refrigerating for one to three days, the slightly fermented taste makes the coffee more sweet and smooth, with a richness akin to whiskey, while the flavor layers are distinct and as rich and varied as pour-over coffee. Recommended coffee beans are FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling and FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe.

Water Speed: Adjust the dripping speed to a slow rate of 1 drop every 2 seconds. Before dripping, the coffee grounds must be completely saturated to avoid channeling, which prevents water droplets from passing evenly through all coffee grounds. If the water flow is too fast, extraction will be insufficient, resulting in weak, aroma-less coffee. Conversely, if the flow is too slow, the coffee will ferment, producing sour or alcoholic flavors.

Ice Drip Extraction Secrets

Water-to-Coffee Ratio: The ratio of coffee grounds to ice is approximately 1:6~8 (100 grams of coffee grounds extract 600-800cc of ice drip coffee), adjustable to personal preference.

Grinding: It is recommended to finely grind the coffee grounds to increase the contact area between coffee and water.

Bean Selection: Recommend balanced-tasting dark roast FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling and FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya, or medium-light roast fruity FrontStreet Coffee's Sun-dried Red Cherry and FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Honey Process.

Medium-light roast beans primarily express the brightness of fruit acidity and floral aromas. Representative beans are from Ethiopia. Beans with floral aromas should be enjoyed immediately after ice dripping and are not suitable for waiting for fermentation, as after fermentation there might be alcoholic aroma but the fresh floral fragrance will be gone.

Cold Brew Coffee

The concept of cold brew coffee is similar to cold brew tea and has become the most popular beverage in recent years. Directly steep coffee grounds in ice water for a long time, extracting coffee for about 18 hours. After steeping and refrigeration, filter and bottle, also known as cold brewed coffee.

Advantages: Cold brewing amplifies coffee flavor and aroma while reducing acidity. The colder, the better tasting. Without hot water brewing, low-temperature ice water does not extract large molecule impurities and bitterness from coffee beans, resulting in a clean, pure, refreshing, slightly sweet, and smooth taste.

Disadvantages: Due to the long contact time between water and coffee grounds, it has the strongest caffeine content, making it very suitable for drinking when you need to stay highly alert.

Iced Coffee

Iced coffee uses hot water to quickly extract coffee grounds, then adds ice cubes or rapidly cools it down into a cold beverage. The preparation takes about 2-3 minutes, such as Japanese-style iced pour-over and iced Americano.

Convenient and fast, but the flavor easily becomes diluted due to ice melting.

Flavor Comparison: Ice Drip, Cold Brew, and Iced Coffee

Ice drip coffee and cold brew coffee are both extracted with cold water, thus collectively called "cold brew coffee." Compared to hot water extraction, they better preserve coffee flavor and aroma, reduce volatilization, while softening acidity and bitterness. Because coffee brewed with cold water is less prone to oxidation, it can suppress the appearance of sour and astringent tastes, as acidic fats in coffee are not easily dissolved by cold water.

Iced coffee is simply hot coffee cooled down, and in terms of taste, it is far less distinctive than cold brew and ice drip.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473