Cold coffee isn’t just a drink made from freshly ground beans and chilled with ice in a cup. In addition to this common preparation method, there are several others known around the world — suitable not only for specialty coffee but also for regular varieties. Curious? Let’s take a closer look!
1. The Classic
First, filter coffee (or more commonly, espresso from a machine) is brewed. Then the drink is poured into a large cup with ice (usually crushed ice to quickly cool the beverage evenly). If the customer wishes, milk, sugar, toppings, or condensed milk may be added to the hot coffee before the ice (this makes stirring easier). This method is typically used to prepare iced lattes, cappuccinos, flat whites, filter coffee, or coffee-based cocktails — popular choices in cafés during hot weather.
2. Cold Brew
To make cold brew, freshly ground coffee is steeped in room-temperature water for 8 to 36 hours. Afterward, it’s filtered and stored in the fridge in a sealed container for serving. While cafés and restaurants often have specialized cold brew equipment, a simple glass jar will do the job just fine. Cold brew can be served with or without typical add-ins like milk, cream, sugar, or syrups. It’s also a great base for coffee cocktails.
Properly prepared cold brew is considered the ideal way to highlight the flavors of high-quality specialty beans.
3. Draft Coffee
Delivered to HoReCa businesses in kegs (like beer), this coffee is poured under pressure through a tap. Most commonly, it’s used with a nitro station that infuses the coffee with nitrogen bubbles to create nitro coffee. The result is a silky texture, stable foam, and — served in a tall beer glass — a look reminiscent of fine dark beer.
If not infused with nitrogen, this draft coffee can be mixed with hot milk or other add-ins, or used as a cocktail base.
4. Canned Coffee
You've likely seen canned coffee in supermarkets — it comes in many flavors and varieties. The volume typically ranges from 200 to 500 ml, similar to energy drinks.
This coffee can be used as a cocktail base, consumed as is, or mixed with energy drinks for an extra caffeine kick.
5. Concentrate
Coffee concentrate can be sold in cans or soft/carton packaging. It's usually purchased by cafés and restaurants that prepare a lot of cold coffee or coffee-based cocktails, as it's not well suited for hot drinks (the flavor profile doesn’t work well).
One liter of concentrate is equivalent to 100–150 shots of espresso and is ideal for preparing coffee cocktails and milk-based coffee drinks.
In Ukraine, this product is still relatively unknown and rarely found.
6. Cascara-Based Drinks
Like concentrates, these drinks aren't very popular globally or in Ukraine, but a few companies do produce them in canned formats.
If you haven’t tried cascara (dried coffee cherry), you can buy some online and make a drink at home. An easier alternative is to purchase a ready-made canned drink — which can include flavor additives and be marketed as a coffee, tea, or even a fruit drink.
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