Which has more caffeine and is more refreshing, iced coffee or hot coffee? Many people would answer that hot coffee is more refreshing. But in fact, whether coffee is refreshing has little to do with whether it's cold or hot; it depends more on the caffeine content of the coffee variety and the amount of caffeine extracted during brewing.

If the same coffee beans are used, the longer the extraction time, the more caffeine the coffee will contain. So if you are very sleepy, you can choose cold brew coffee, which requires soaking in cold water for more than ten hours; if you cannot drink iced beverages, Front Street Coffee suggests you choose hand-brewed drip coffee. If you are in a hurry, Americano is also a good choice.

Why are fewer and fewer people drinking hot Americano?

There is no doubt that Americano is the most popular coffee drink right now. Among them, iced Americano has the most drinkers. Basically, out of every 10 cups of Americano, 8 are iced Americano, the remaining 2 are hot Americano, and occasionally 1 cup of room-temperature Americano is included. Why does everyone choose to drink iced Americano? Is it because iced Americano tastes better?

We all know that Americano is very simple to make: espresso plus an appropriate proportion of water (solid or liquid). Whether it tastes good mainly depends on the coffee beans, the quality of the espresso, and the water ratio. As for which of the three states—hot, room temperature, and iced—tastes better, that is a question of how the flavor of Americano changes at different temperatures.

So Front Street used Warm Sun blend coffee beans to make three cups of Americano—hot, room temperature, and iced—for comparison.

In terms of aroma, hot Americano is the best, giving off vanilla cream and sherry aromas. The aromas of room-temperature Americano and iced Americano are very weak.

In terms of taste, hot Americano has very full caramel, sherry, and chocolate notes, and you can feel the lingering vanilla cream finish. Room-temperature Americano appears more balanced, with all flavors weaker than hot Americano. The flavor of iced Americano is not as rich as hot Americano; overall it shifts toward acidity and is less bitter. Its main flavors are the sherry and chocolate in the middle and finish.

In terms of mouthfeel, hot Americano leans fuller and richer among the three; iced Americano leans refreshing and smooth; while room-temperature Americano sits between the two, remaining moderate.

If judged by flavor indicators, hot Americano is deservedly first. But the premise is that the quality of the coffee beans and espresso must both be good. For example, SOE Americano or Americano made with flavor-focused blend beans will definitely be more aromatic and flavorful when made hot than iced. For example, Americano made with Front Street Huakui SOE coffee beans has elegant aromas of strawberry, citrus, and caramel.

Although espresso coffee has also begun to emphasize flavor, it is undeniable that traditional espresso beans with nutty chocolate notes as the main flavor still dominate the market. Because these coffee beans are roasted relatively dark, the hot Americano made from them has rich caramel and nutty aromas, but also a slight bitterness. When made into iced Americano, although some flavor/aroma is lost, what is gained is a less bitter taste and a cleaner, more refreshing mouthfeel, which is also why some people choose iced Americano even in winter.

To make iced Americano, Front Street specialty blend coffee beans are recommended: Colombian washed coffee beans + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans. Whether made into Americano or latte, they show flavors of nuts, dark chocolate, and caramel.

Of course, there is also a main reason: iced Americano is undoubtedly the cheapest caffeinated iced drink, and it can satisfy both the need for caffeine and the need to cool down at the lowest price. Compared with ice drip, cold brew, and iced hand brew, iced Americano has the advantages of fast production, no stock shortages, and low price. Some friends who like to explore coffee shops will also use iced Americano as the first step in judging a “landmine.” In their words: “If a shop can’t even make Americano well, there’s no need to try anything else!”

Why can coffee refresh you?

People feel sleepy because the brain secretes a substance called adenosine, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. When adenosine combines with another specific recognition signaling substance in the brain—the receptor—it makes people feel sleepy. The more adenosine binds to receptors, the sleepier people become.

Caffeine in coffee, as a substance that can stimulate the central nervous system, can effectively block the binding of adenosine and receptors and give the body a period of excitement.

If you overly rely on caffeine every day to stay awake, adenosine will begin to “protest”/get used to it! Each time caffeine arrives, a large number of adenosine receptors will emerge and bind, so even if caffeine rushes to the scene immediately, it is of no help.

Therefore, the recommended daily coffee intake is 1-2 cups (200ml/cup). Excessive intake can easily lead to accelerated heartbeat caused by low blood sugar, and it is easy to develop “immunity” to caffeine.

You can now purchase Front Street Coffee single-origin coffee beans and espresso blend coffee beans at the Tmall “Front Street Flagship Store.” 60 kinds of coffee beans from around the world, freshly roasted, shipped within 24H.

Tmall link: https://qianjieshipin.tmall.com

Or you can search “Front Street Flagship Store” directly on Taobao.

FollowWECHATthe official account to read more specialty coffee bean knowledge.

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