Cold coffee on hot days

It’s hot, but a day without coffee is a day unlived. Here are five ways to drink your coffee cold.

Cold brew coffee

The cold brew method requires patience. To get the best flavor from your coffee beans, it’s best to grind them yourself (coarsely!), then leave them to steep in cold water overnight and slowly drip them through a filter.

Since it’s so hot, you shouldn’t worry too much, and the barista in this video from Peacefull Cuisine has understood that well. Accompanied by relaxing music, he explains how to make the most delicious cold brew coffee.

Iced latte

The big difference between cold brew coffee and iced coffee is that cold brew is mixed with water while cold, whereas iced coffee is brewed hot and then poured over ice to cool it down. Since the ice melts into the coffee, you need to brew the coffee a little stronger.

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There’s still no definitive answer to the question of whether the order should be ice, milk, espresso or ice, espresso, milk. Many people get goosebumps at the thought of pouring hot espresso straight onto the ice (the coffee becomes not only bitter due to the ‘shock’, but also watery because the ice melts immediately), while others always add the ice to their glass at the very end to prevent it from melting. The fact is that professionals prefer to pour their espresso shot into a cold shot glass before adding it to the milk (and/or the ice). This cools the espresso without making it watery.

You can add all kinds of milk, but to make it a silky smooth whole—and that’s what you want—you need to froth the milk. Whether you do this in a shaker or with a milk frother doesn’t matter, as long as air gets incorporated. A pro tip is to first mix a small layer of milk with the espresso, so the two consistencies can already ‘get used’ to each other before you add the rest of the milk.

Vietnamese iced coffee (Ca phe sua da)

This looks suspiciously similar to an iced coffee as described above, but hold on, be careful. The Vietnamese would be furious if you called it ‘just a type of iced coffee’. It must contain condensed milk (no substitutes allowed), and coarsely ground, medium-strength coffee must be used. In Vietnam, ‘Cafe Du Monde French Roast Chicory’ is popular.

In Vietnamese iced coffee, you can still clearly see the layers of milk and coffee. To achieve this, first pour in a small layer of condensed milk, then let the coffee drip onto it very slowly. Preferably using a Vietnamese coffee filter, of course.

Affogato

Iced coffee 2.0. For a real Italian affogato (affogato means ‘drowned’) al caffè, use a double espresso per scoop of vanilla ice cream. Not too hot, because you don’t want to serve soup.

Coffee milkshake

If you’re more in the mood for something sweet with coffee rather than coffee with something sweet, this milkshake is your to go drink for today. By mixing vanilla and coconut milk (light) and freezing them, you get a delicious sweet version of ice cubes. Put this frozen coconut cream in a blender together with espresso and voilá, you have a refreshing coffee milkshake.