How do the four main iced coffees differ in method?

Iced pour-over and iced americano both brew a concentrated coffee and dilute it over ice, but the first uses a dripper and the second uses espresso as its base. Cold brew and ice drip both extract cold and slow for a full body; cold brew steeps the grounds, while ice drip lets water droplets fall through them.

What is soe in coffee matters here because a single-origin espresso base changes how an iced americano tastes. What are the ingredients of coffee also shapes each cup: the same beans, water, and ice, but different ratios and contact times. Iced pour-over typically uses 15 grams of beans at a 1:10 ratio, poured hot over ice.

As the weather warms up, iced coffee gradually becomes the top choice for coffee lovers. Iced pour-over, iced americano, cold brew, and iced drip are four common types of iced coffee. Although they all carry the word "iced," they each have their own strengths in extraction principles, brewing methods, and flavor expression. Iced pour-over and iced americano both adopt the approach of extracting a high-concentration brew and then diluting it with ice, but the former relies on a dripper for pour-over, while the latter uses espresso as its base. Cold brew and iced drip both belong to low-temperature, long-duration extraction, offering a full-bodied mouthfeel and rich layers. The difference lies in that cold brew uses an immersion method, while iced drip relies on water droplets continuously penetrating the coffee grounds. In this article, Front Street Coffee will break down the brewing parameters and flavor characteristics of these four iced coffees one by one, helping you find the cup that best suits your taste.

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As temperatures gradually climb, interest in iced coffee rises accordingly. Common types of iced coffee on the market include iced pour-over, iced espresso, cold brew, and iced drip, and iced espresso can be further divided into iced americano, iced latte, and other varieties.

So what exactly are the differences among these four types of iced coffee? How do their flavors each perform? Today Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will talk about these four iced coffees, as well as how Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s baristas each make them.

Iced Pour-Over Coffee

Pour-over coffee rose alongside the third wave of specialty coffee and is now one of the core offerings at many independent cafés, and Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) is no exception. The notable feature of pour-over coffee is the use of a dripper to filter out the coffee grounds, obtaining only the coffee liquid. The extraction process, in which pouring and filtering happen simultaneously, is also quite visually appealing.

When Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s baristas make iced pour-over, they weigh out 15 grams of coffee beans. Unlike hot pour-over, the coffee-to-water ratio for iced pour-over is set at 1:10, meaning 150 grams of hot water is ultimately poured in to extract about 120 grams of coffee liquid. The reason for using this ratio is that 100 grams of ice cubes will later be added for dilution—the ice cubes gradually melt upon contact with the freshly extracted hot coffee liquid, and setting a lower coffee-to-water ratio is precisely to prevent the coffee from becoming overly diluted after the ice melts.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s baristas divide the brewing into two stages: in the first stage, 30 grams of water is poured for blooming, with the aim of allowing the coffee grounds to properly release carbon dioxide. Freshly roasted coffee beans often contain a large amount of carbon dioxide, and too much gas hinders contact between the water flow and the coffee grounds. Therefore, in the first stage of pour-over, a small amount of water is used first to release the gas.

In the second stage, water is poured directly until reaching a total of 150 grams. The pouring technique is a gentle circular motion, aimed at extracting sufficient flavor compounds. Throughout the brewing process, the water temperature is maintained at 90 degrees Celsius, the grind size is slightly finer than for hot pour-over, with a passing rate of about 85% through a 0.85mm standard sieve, and the total extraction time is controlled at around 1 minute and 30 seconds.

The brewed coffee liquid is poured over 100 grams of ice cubes, and the barista shakes it to mix the coffee thoroughly—on one hand, to evenly blend the coffee liquid from the beginning, middle, and end stages of extraction, and on the other hand, to dilute and cool it with the ice, bringing the drink down to a sufficiently low temperature.

Iced Americano

The logic behind making iced americano is quite similar to iced pour-over: both involve first extracting a high-concentration coffee liquid and then diluting it with ice. The difference is that iced americano uses espresso extracted by a coffee machine. Espresso was originally a way for Italians to quickly consume caffeine—quick to make, and with a volume of 1 to 2 ounces, it can be finished in two or three sips. Americano is espresso with a large amount of water added to make it easier to drink.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s baristas use an espresso machine when producing iced americano. Making americano is relatively simple, with only espresso, water, and ice as ingredients. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s baristas adjust the espresso extraction parameters daily based on the condition of the beans, usually extracting 40 grams of coffee liquid from 20 grams of coffee grounds, 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. Front Street Coffee would like to emphasize that the flavor of an iced americano depends on the coffee beans chosen. If you prefer fruity notes, we recommend Front Street Colombia Sidra Coffee, which can be ordered through Front Street's Taobao store or Front Street's Tmall flagship store. This coffee comes from Finca La Divisa in the Huila producing region, grown at an altitude of 1,700 meters, and processed with a double anaerobic natural method. It features intense grape, passion fruit, and citrus flavors. Made into an SOE Sidra americano, it presents a crisp and clear grape juice character, refreshing and delightful.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)—Colombia Sidra Coffee Beans

Producing Region: Colombia, Finca La Divisa

Altitude: 1,700 meters

Variety: Sidra

Processing Method: Double Anaerobic Natural

Although Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s stores have not yet launched cold brew coffee, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s baristas are equally fond of cold brew. When making cold brew, we weigh out 50 grams of coffee grounds and add 500 grams of ice water, for a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:10, with a coarser grind size and a passing rate of 75% through a 0.85mm standard sieve.

Making cold brew coffee requires a container with sufficient capacity. For example, to make 500 grams of cold brew coffee, you need to choose a bottle or jar of 600 milliliters or more.

Put the ground coffee and water into the container, stir thoroughly to mix, and then place it in the refrigerator to rest. For low-temperature extraction, it is recommended to let it sit for 24 hours. Immersion-style low-temperature, long-duration extraction is the core characteristic of cold brew coffee. This method can extract a relatively full-bodied iced coffee, while the low-temperature environment gently extracts flavor compounds and reduces the loss of aromatics.

Iced Drip Coffee

Iced drip coffee has similarities to cold brew coffee, also using low-temperature, long-duration extraction, and its rich layering and full-bodied mouthfeel are quite popular in the domestic market.

Unlike cold brew, making iced drip coffee requires an iced drip tower that can produce water droplets. Iced drip coffee relies on ice water falling drop by drop to complete extraction, so specialized iced drip equipment is needed to achieve the dripping effect. Common iced drip towers on the market usually include the following structure: an upper pot holding the ice-water mixture, a valve to adjust the flow rate, a powder cup for holding the coffee grounds, and a lower pot for collecting the coffee liquid. The Tiamo HG2713 currently used in Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s stores has the above structure and is additionally equipped with a spiral coil.

When Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s baristas make iced drip coffee, they weigh out 60 grams of coffee beans and extract about 600 milliliters of iced drip coffee, that is, a coffee-to-liquid ratio of 1:10. The grind size is chosen slightly finer than for pour-over, with a passing rate of about 85% through a 0.85mm standard sieve. A slightly finer grind combined with a lower coffee-to-water ratio extracts an iced drip coffee that is rich and full-bodied. The reason for doing this is that ice will also be added for dilution when serving.

The ice-water mixture is prepared at a 1:1 ratio, and the valve is set to control the flow rate at 7 drops every 10 seconds. The entire extraction process lasts about 6 to 8 hours. The extracted iced drip coffee needs to be bottled and chilled for 12 hours before it can be drunk.

The extraction of iced drip coffee takes an extremely long time. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s baristas have to start preparing early every morning and cannot finish until the afternoon. The long extraction time of iced drip coffee is due, on one hand, to the slow dripping speed of the ice water, so collecting enough coffee liquid takes a great deal of time; on the other hand, extraction efficiency is extremely low in the low-temperature environment of ice water, and like cold brew coffee, the extraction time needs to be extended to increase the coffee's flavor concentration.

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