Coffee culture

What Coffee Beans Are Best for Ice Pour-Over Coffee? The Flavor Differences Between Hot and Cold Pour-Over Coffee

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Pour-over coffee beautifully showcases the flavor profile of coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee typically recommends hot pour-over coffee, but hot summer days lead customers to prefer ice pour-over coffee instead. Many customers ask, "What's the difference between ice pour-over and hot pour-over coffee?" FrontStreet Coffee is here to answer this question today.

Introduction

Pour-over coffee is excellent at expressing the flavor characteristics of coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee typically recommends hot pour-over coffee, but the scorching summer heat makes customers prefer iced pour-over coffee instead. Many customers ask, what's the difference between iced and hot pour-over coffee? FrontStreet Coffee is here to explain today.

Iced and hot pour-over coffee comparison

What are the differences in brewing between iced and hot pour-over?

Iced pour-over is actually an improvement upon hot pour-over, designed to produce an iced coffee with flavor characteristics comparable to hot pour-over. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's brewing approach as an example.

When FrontStreet Coffee brews hot pour-over (light roast coffee beans), they use 15g of coffee grounds ground to a particle size with 80% passing through a #20 standard sieve. Water temperature is maintained at 90-92°C, with a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15, meaning total water injection of 225ml. The brewing technique uses a three-stage pour: first stage injects 30ml for a 30-second bloom, second stage injects 100ml, and third stage injects 95ml.

Hot pour-over brewing demonstration

FrontStreet Coffee's iced pour-over approach also uses 15g of coffee grounds, with water temperature still at 90-92°C. However, the grind is finer than for hot pour-over, with 85% passing through a #20 standard sieve. The coffee-to-water ratio is 1:10, meaning total water injection of 150ml, then diluted with 100g of ice for cooling. The brewing technique uses a three-stage pour: first stage injects 30ml for a 30-second bloom, second stage injects 60ml, and third stage injects another 60ml. The coffee is then poured into a cup containing 100g of ice and shaken thoroughly.

Iced pour-over brewing demonstration

In comparing brewing methods, iced pour-over uses finer coffee grounds and less water for brewing to create a concentrated hot coffee liquid, which is then cooled and diluted with ice to form iced coffee.

What are the differences in taste?

To comprehensively compare the flavor and mouthfeel differences between iced and hot pour-over coffee, FrontStreet Coffee conducted comparisons using FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Guji (light roast), FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon (medium roast), and FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia Golden Mandheling (dark roast).

FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Guji

Hot pour-over: Emits berry aromas, with citrus and berry-like acidity in taste, and excellent sweetness. Rich flavor layers with a smooth mouthfeel.

Iced pour-over: Weaker aroma with subtle floral notes. Citrus acidity is present but gentle and comfortable, with hints of tea fragrance. Overall refreshing and clean. Mouthfeel is icy and somewhat thin.

Ethiopia Guji pour-over comparison

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate

Hot pour-over: Nutty aroma, with rich creamy peanut flavor in taste. Sucrose sweetness is very prominent. Full-bodied mouthfeel.

Iced pour-over: Inconspicuous aroma with subtle fruit acidity. Sucrose-like sweetness with chocolate aftertaste. Overall high clarity, but thinner mouthfeel compared to hot.

FrontStreet Coffee's Golden Mandheling

Hot pour-over: Caramel and chocolate aroma, with rich, full-bodied taste. Chocolate and spice flavors, with prominent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste.

Iced pour-over: Roasted nut aroma. Overall flavor profile is chocolate, herbal, and nutty. Clean but with monodimensional flavors. Mandheling's signature full body doesn't come through in iced pour-over.

Golden Mandheling pour-over comparison

Overall, hot pour-over coffee offers richer and more comprehensive flavor expression. This is why FrontStreet Coffee typically recommends customers enjoy hot single-origin coffee. Although iced pour-over coffee generally has lighter flavors than hot pour-over with more pronounced acidity, some coffee beans make excellent iced pour-over, especially during scorching summer days when a good iced pour-over is often preferred.

However, not all coffee beans produce good iced pour-over. For example, full-bodied coffees like FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling are excellent when served hot, but their flavor diminishes significantly when made as iced pour-over.

Of course, some coffee beans make excellent iced coffee, such as last year's FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia TOH Washed Champion, whose flavor profile in iced pour-over resembled honey pomelo tea. FrontStreet Coffee also recommends using some distinctive specialty processed coffee beans for iced coffee, such as FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry and FrontStreet Coffee's Colombia Rose Valley... These coffee beans maintain excellent flavor when prepared using iced pour-over, and are refreshingly cool and crisp, perfect for consumption during hot summer days.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473

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