How Do Ice Drip and Cold Brew Coffee Differ in Method and Flavor?

Ice drip coffee and cold brew are both cold-brewed, but they separate on history, equipment, and time. Ice drip comes from an Indonesian brewing method, was refined by Kyoto's Hanabusa Coffee in Japan, and spread worldwide. It drips layer by layer through an ice drip pot over 6 to 8 hours, while cold brew steeps in a container at low temperature for 12 to 24 hours.

The article records the ice drip steps with a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio and compares blends against cold brew made with Huakui beans. It also covers the caffeine debate around ice drip. After ice drip reached Europe and America, the name Kyoto coffee stuck, since many there did not know the drink's earlier history.

Cold brew coffee and iced drip coffee both belong to the cold-brewed coffee category, but the two differ notably in historical background, extraction equipment, operational process, and final flavor. Iced drip coffee originated from a local Indonesian brewing method, was improved by Kyoto's Hanabusa Coffee in Japan, and then spread to the world. It uses an iced drip pot for layer-by-layer dripping, taking 6 to 8 hours; cold brew coffee, on the other hand, is made by steeping in a container and letting it sit at low temperature for 12 to 24 hours. In this article, Front Street Coffee records the iced drip production steps in detail, with a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10, and shares several blend bean options, while also comparing the flavor differences between iced drip and cold brew made with Huakui beans. The article also discusses the controversy over the caffeine content of iced drip coffee, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the respective characteristics of the two types of cold-brewed coffee.

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Iced drip coffee and cold brew coffee are both common categories of cold-brewed coffee on the market, and their icy, clear taste fascinates many coffee lovers. So, what exactly is the difference between the two in flavor presentation? Front Street will make a comparison for everyone next.

The invention of iced drip coffee

Although iced drip coffee has the name Dutch coffee, in fact its connection with the Netherlands is not that deep, and its true origin is actually in Japan, so it is also called Kyoto coffee. When the owner of Kyoto Hanabusa Coffee was reading coffee books back then, he learned about the way local people in Indonesia, a Dutch colony, brewed coffee, and immediately became deeply interested. Later, following the descriptions in the book, with the assistance of chemistry students from Kyoto University and a medical device company, he developed iced drip equipment in an attempt to reproduce the Indonesian method, and iced drip coffee was thus born. After that, this coffee became popular in Europe and America, and because Europeans and Americans did not understand this history, they directly called it Kyoto coffee.

Differences in production methods

First, the production cycle of both methods is quite long. Iced drip coffee is usually made with an iced drip pot, which consists of three parts: the upper pot (holding ice water), the middle pot (holding coffee grounds), and the lower pot (collecting the coffee liquid). The ice water in the upper pot drips drop by drop into the coffee grounds in the middle pot, and the slowly extracted coffee liquid then flows into the lower pot. The whole process generally takes 6 to 8 hours.

For cold brew coffee, take a container, pour the ground coffee powder into it, add cold water or ice water according to the corresponding ratio, stir in a circular motion until even, then seal it and place it in a low-temperature environment such as a refrigerator to steep for 12 to 24 hours for low-temperature extraction. After that, use filter paper to filter out the coffee grounds, and the resulting liquid is cold brew coffee.

Now let's start making iced drip coffee~

1. The coffee-to-water ratio used by FrontStreet Coffee for iced drip is 1:10, that is, 60 grams of coffee powder to extract 600 milliliters of coffee liquid.

2. Place a round filter paper at the bottom of the powder cup, wet it with water so it adheres to the cup wall, pour in 60g of ground coffee powder (particle size close to coarse granulated sugar), then shake it flat. You can also use the weight of the tamper itself to gently compact the powder layer so that the surface remains level.

3. Remember to place another piece of filter paper on the surface of the coffee powder. The tension of the filter paper allows water to spread more evenly. If this layer of filter paper is missing, long-term dripping will create a pit in the coffee bed.

4. Use ice water for "pre-infusion." This step is similar to blooming in pour-over and helps improve extraction and consistency of the final product. If you start iced drip directly, the powder layer may become unevenly wet, causing some coffee powder to be over-extracted while another part does not participate in extraction at all.

5. Add a 1:1 ice-water mixture to the water container, and adjust the regulating valve to a speed of about 7 drops of water every 10 seconds.

6. After production is complete, pour the coffee liquid into a sealed glass bottle, then put it in the refrigerator to ferment overnight, allowing the coffee flavor to fully blend for a better taste and easier drinking.

How much caffeine does iced drip coffee contain?

Many people think that iced drip coffee has a low caffeine content, reasoning that the lower the water temperature, the harder it is for caffeine to dissolve (the minimum temperature for caffeine dissolution is above 80 degrees Celsius). However, the small amount of caffeine extracted by cold water continuously accumulates during the long extraction process, and the total amount cannot be underestimated, so some people also believe that iced drip coffee actually has a higher caffeine content, and many experimental results support this view. The caffeine content of iced drip coffee varies greatly depending on the coffee beans selected by each cafe, the interval between water drops, and the total extraction time. Therefore, for people sensitive to caffeine, choosing decaf coffee is more reliable than drinking iced drip coffee.

How do we choose coffee beans for making iced drip coffee?

Seeing this subheading, many people's first reaction is: just pick any bean and drip it, and that's it~ Indeed, that is completely fine. But if you use only a single bean to make iced drip, it may be difficult to fully experience that bean's aroma, sweetness, or smoothness. Therefore, when making iced drip coffee, it is usually recommended to use a blend of two coffee beans, with the aim of making the final product highlight a certain flavor characteristic more strongly. Below are 2 blending ideas for your reference.

30 grams [Honduras Sherry] + 30 grams [Costa Rica Beethoven]

Wine-barrel-processed Sherry paired with washed-processed Beethoven, with obvious fermented wine aroma, rich fruity acidity, and honey sweetness. Washed-processed Beethoven has clear citrus acidity, accompanied by a full berry-juice-like body.

Whiskey-barrel-fermented Sherry has a prominent whiskey aroma, with a smooth vanilla-cream-like texture. After being made into iced drip, you can feel the rich whiskey aroma, with clear citrus acidity on the palate, the fullness of berry juice, and the smoothness of vanilla cream.

20 grams [Honduras Litchi Orchid] + 40 [Yirgacheffe Gutingding]

Wine-barrel-processed Litchi Orchid paired with washed-processed Yirgacheffe Gutingding, with a delicate brandy aroma, plum-like acidity combined with maple syrup sweetness. Brandy-barrel-processed Litchi Orchid has a rich brandy aroma, with a chocolate finish and honey aftertaste.

Washed-processed Yirgacheffe Gutingding has the fruity acidity of plum and citrus, accompanied by the sweet aftertaste of oolong tea and a tea-like smooth mouthfeel. After being made into iced drip, you will feel a light brandy aroma, and the rich fruity acidity leads to honey-like sweetness and a creamy smooth mouthfeel.

30 grams [Sidamo Huakui] + 30 grams [Panama Hartmann]

Sun-dried-processed Huakui paired with red-wine-processed Hartmann, with a strong fermented wine aroma and a slight touch of fruity acidity, more suitable for people with heavier taste preferences.

Sun-dried-processed Huakui has higher sweetness, smells like strawberry berry notes, and tastes of passion fruit, fermented wine aroma, strawberry, and jackfruit.

Red-wine-processed Hartmann carries a fermented red wine aroma, is smooth on the palate, and presents flavors of tropical fruit, nuts, and yellow sugar. After being made into iced drip, the fermented note is stronger, the sweetness is higher, and the body is also fuller.

Cold brew coffee production plan

Front Street's cold brew plan is to use 50 grams of coffee powder, restoring the coffee-to-liquid ratio to 1:10, so add 400 milliliters of cold water and 200 grams of hard ice (total ice-water mixture 600 grams, and the water absorption rate of the coffee powder is twice its own weight). After stirring evenly, seal it and place it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then take it out, filter out the coffee grounds with filter paper, and then seal the coffee liquid in a clean sealed bottle and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours before drinking.

Front Street uses Huakui coffee beans to make iced drip coffee and cold brew coffee respectively for comparison. Pour the iced drip coffee and cold brew coffee into glass cups respectively for observation. The iced drip coffee is clear and translucent, while the cold brew appears hazy, with oil attached to the surface.

Iced drip flavor: refreshing, clean mouthfeel, rich fermented aroma, with some vinous notes. A slight berry-like sweet-and-sour taste. Cold brew flavor: fuller mouthfeel, relatively uniform flavor, very obvious fruit sweetness. The fermented note is not very strong.

Comparing the flavors of these two cold-brewed coffees, the difference can actually be felt very clearly, especially in the clean and refreshing mouthfeel, which is very easy to identify.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.