Differences Between Cold Drip and Cold Brew Coffee: Cold Drip vs Americano, and Iced Coffee Varieties Introduction

As temperatures rise, the popularity of iced coffee is gradually increasing. Common types of iced coffee include ice pour over coffee, iced espresso coffee, cold brew coffee, and iced drip coffee. But what are the differences between these four types of iced coffee? How do they differ in flavor? Today, FrontStreet Coffee will share information about these four types of iced coffee and how FrontStreet Coffee's baristas prepare each one.

Ice Pour Over Coffee

Pour over coffee became popular with the third wave of specialty coffee and has now become an important offering in many independent coffee shops, including FrontStreet Coffee. The characteristic of pour over coffee is that it uses a dripper to filter coffee grounds and extract coffee liquid, while the extraction process of pouring water while filtering is also visually appealing.

When preparing ice pour over coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas choose 15 grams of coffee beans. Different from hot brewing, the ratio for ice pour over coffee is 1:10, meaning 150 grams of hot water is eventually poured to extract approximately 120 grams of coffee liquid. This ratio is chosen because 100 grams of ice will be added later for dilution. When ice comes into contact with the freshly extracted coffee liquid, it begins to melt. Choosing a lower powder-to-water ratio helps avoid excessive dilution by the ice.

FrontStreet Coffee's baristas use a two-stage pouring method. In the first stage, 30 grams of water is poured for blooming. The purpose of blooming is to properly release carbon dioxide. Freshly roasted coffee beans contain a large amount of carbon dioxide, and excessive carbon dioxide can hinder water from contacting the coffee grounds during the brewing process. Therefore, the first stage of pour over coffee brewing involves pouring a small amount of water to release carbon dioxide.

In the second stage, water is poured directly to reach the total amount of 150 grams. The pouring method is gentle circular pouring, aiming to extract sufficient flavor. The entire brewing temperature is 90 degrees Celsius, and the grind size is slightly finer than for hot brewing, with approximately 85% pass-through rate on a 0.85mm standard sieve. The total extraction time is about 1 minute and 30 seconds.

The freshly brewed coffee liquid is poured into 100 grams of ice. The barista shakes to thoroughly mix the coffee liquid, which both fully combines the front, middle, and back segments of the coffee liquid and allows the ice to dilute the coffee liquid, bringing the temperature down sufficiently low.

Iced Americano Coffee

The preparation concept for iced Americano coffee is actually quite similar to ice pour over coffee - both involve extracting coffee liquid with higher concentration and diluting it with ice. The difference, however, is that iced Americano coffee uses espresso extracted from a coffee machine. Espresso was originally a coffee beverage for Italians to quickly consume caffeine. It's simple and fast to prepare, and its 1 to 2 ounce capacity allows people to finish a cup in just two or three sips. Americano coffee, on the other hand, is based on espresso diluted with a large amount of water, making the coffee more approachable.

FrontStreet Coffee's baristas use an espresso machine when preparing iced Americano coffee. The preparation method for Americano coffee is relatively simple, with only three ingredients: espresso, water, and ice. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas adjust the espresso extraction parameters daily based on the condition of the beans. The espresso extraction parameters are 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of about 26 seconds.

Then, 300 grams of ice water mixture is added, with a ratio of ice water to espresso of 7.5 to 1.

Cold Brew Coffee

Cold brew coffee and iced drip coffee, however, are completely different from iced Americano and ice pour over coffee. They are extracted entirely with ice water or in low-temperature environments for extended periods. The low-temperature, gentle extraction conditions reduce the evaporation of flavors and aromas.

Although FrontStreet Coffee does not currently offer cold brew coffee in its stores, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas are very fond of cold brew coffee. When we make cold brew coffee, we choose 50 grams of coffee grounds mixed with 500 grams of ice water, a ratio of 1:10. We use a relatively coarse grind size, with about 75% pass-through rate on a 0.85mm standard sieve.

When making cold brew coffee, you need to prepare a container with sufficient capacity. For example, when making 500 grams of cold brew coffee, you need to prepare a container or bottle of 600 milliliters or more.

Place the ground coffee and water into the container, mix thoroughly, and then place it in the refrigerator to rest. The recommended low-temperature extraction time is 24 hours. Low-temperature, long-time immersion extraction is the characteristic of cold brew coffee, which can extract relatively full-bodied iced coffee, and the low temperature can gently extract the flavors while reducing the evaporation of aromas.

Iced Drip Coffee

Iced drip coffee is similar to cold brew coffee, also involving low-temperature, long-time extraction. Its high-level complexity and full-bodied texture have made iced drip coffee very popular in the domestic market.

Unlike cold brew coffee, making iced drip coffee requires a special iced drip coffee maker that can produce water droplets. The extraction of iced drip coffee is achieved through the dripping of ice water, and to achieve this dripping effect, making iced drip coffee requires a specialized iced drip coffee maker. Common iced drip coffee makers on the market include the following structures: an upper pot for holding ice water mixture, a valve to control flow rate, a powder cup for holding coffee grounds, and a lower pot for collecting coffee liquid. For example, FrontStreet Coffee currently uses the Tiamo HG2713 in its stores, which includes all the above structures plus an annular coil.

When making iced drip coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas choose 60 grams of coffee beans to extract approximately 600 milliliters of iced drip coffee, meaning a powder-to-liquid ratio of 1:10. The grind size is slightly finer than for pour over coffee, with about 85% pass-through rate on a 0.85mm standard sieve. The finer grind and lower powder-to-water ratio result in rich and full-bodied iced drip coffee. This is done because ice will be added for dilution when serving.

The ratio of ice water mixture is 1:1, with the valve controlling the flow rate at 7 drops every 10 seconds. The entire extraction process takes about 6-8 hours. The completed iced drip coffee is bottled and chilled for 12 hours before consumption.

The extraction time for iced drip coffee is very long. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas must start preparing iced drip coffee in the morning and cannot complete it until the afternoon. The long extraction time for iced drip coffee is due to two factors: on one hand, the slow dripping speed of ice water means it takes a very long time to extract enough coffee liquid; on the other hand, the low-temperature extraction efficiency of ice water is extremely low, requiring extended extraction time similar to cold brew coffee to enhance the coffee's flavor.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473