The ultimate battle of iced coffee versus cold brew is quite the discussion within the coffee lover community. Is cold brew better than iced coffee? Does iced coffee taste better? Is it true that cold brew has the most caffeine? So many questions to answer and we are here to answer them for you!
First off, both iced coffee and cold brew are deliciously tasting coffee choices. You can not go wrong with either of these to start your morning. While both of these coffees are flavorful, how to make them is very different and because of that, they each have different profiles.
Iced Coffee
Starting with the easiest one to make — iced coffee is exactly what its name implies. It’s coffee that has been poured over ice. This can be any kind of coffee that you would like! A good French roast, an Ethiopian, even a flavored coffee blend if that is what you preferred. It’s as easy as one, two, three. One, brew your coffee in your coffee maker as normal. Two, allow your coffee to cool down from extreme heat. Three, pour over ice and enjoy!
Now, as easy as those steps are, there are a couple of tips we want to share with you in case you like your coffee on the stronger side. Since you are pouring your coffee over ice, it can become diluted and lose its intensity. So, if you are wanting a bolder flavor you can do one of two things (or even both). To make it stronger without any extra work, just add in some extra coffee grounds to add to the boldness in flavor. By doing this, the ice will take longer to dilute your coffee's boldness.
The second tip (which does require some forethought) is to use some of that cooled coffee and use them to make coffee ice cubes. All you have to do is to pour your coffee into an ice cube tray and let freeze until solid. Using coffee ice cubes makes it so that even if the cube melts, you aren’t diluting your coffee — you’re just adding more coffee to your glass to make it last even longer!
Cold Brew
Cold-brew has become a rising star in the coffee world, mainly because it is so versatile. You can add whatever syrups, cold foam, or milk you would like to it and you can still taste the bold flavor of your coffee without it being overwhelmed with what was added to it. The reason for that is the long-brewing process that occurs to produce cold brew.
While this process may take a few extra steps — the results are so worth it. Similar to iced coffee, you can use whatever type of coffee you would like. The only thing you need to make sure of is that it is either a medium roast or a dark roast. Light roasts won’t work as well for cold brew.
Here at Real Good Coffee Co.we know how delicious cold brew is but we wanted to make the process as simple as possible. So, to save time without losing quality, we have our easy-to-make cold brew sachets. All you have to do is place them in the correct amount of water, let them sit for the hours indicated and that’s it! Pull the sachet out and sip away on the easiest cold brew you could make.
Now normally, making cold brew is a lot more complex than that. To make cold brew you will need to have a course of ground coffee mixed with cold water to steep until it becomes cold brew. When you use coarse grinds, the water you soak it in can thoroughly steep the coffee grounds and activate that robust flavor we know and love. Once your coffee and cold water are mixed they will need to sit to steep for about 8-12hours. Afterward, the grounds are filtered out and you are left with an incredibly robust cold brew concentrate. Since this is a cold brew concentrate, we recommend cutting it with either water or milk to take away some of the bitter bite to it.
Does Cold Brew or Iced Coffee Taste Better?
This is completely up to personal preference. If you enjoy a stronger coffee that is extremely bold upfront then cold brew is your new best friend. If you like to sip on coffee and enjoy the different flavor profiles then we recommend going with iced coffee as you get to taste all of the notes.
Which One Has The Most Caffeine?
Since cold brew is left to steep for 8-12 hours, cold brew will have the highest caffeine content. Iced coffee is still very caffeinated but cold brew beats it out pretty significantly when it comes to caffeine levels.
Which Coffee Is Better To Add Syrups To?
If you love the taste of coffee and syrups equally and want to taste both, then cold brew is right for you! Since cold brew has such a bold presence it is very hard for syrups and sugars to overwhelm it. On the other hand, if you are adding a lot of syrups and milk to your iced coffee, be prepared for that to be the main thing that you taste. If you to taste syrup in your coffee then iced coffee is the way to go.
How Long Do I Need To Steep My Cold Brew?
Cold-brew is best if steeped for at least 12 hours. The minimum we would recommend is maybe 8 hours. The longer you steep the more bold, rich flavor you will achieve.
Cold-brew or iced coffee -- which is better is up to you. If you love the robust flavor of coffee and are a purist — stick with a cold brew as your cup of choice. Wanting something more subtle but still coffee? Then iced coffee is the perfect way to spruce up your morning.
