Ask any coffee lover and you’ll know that come what may and no matter what season it is, a day without coffee is boring and dull beyond imagination. Packed with caffeine and plenty of antioxidants, coffee is a powerhouse ingredient that refreshes people just as much as it increases attention and helps people stay awake. Of course, drinking hot coffee during summers seems unimaginable, which is why coffee lovers from around the world have invented many variations of cold coffee over the decades.
Whether you make it with coffee steeped in water or coffee flavoured with milk, caramel, vanilla or spices, cold coffee is definitely one of the most popular beverages people love during summer months. Chilled to perfection and usually poured over ice cubes, cold coffee is more than capable of keeping you hydrated and focused during summer. More importantly, most cold coffee varieties are very easy to make at home, which means you don’t even need to step out during a heat wave to get your dose of coffee!
A word of caution is, however, necessary here. Coffee has a lot of caffeine, so drinking too much of it can lead to stomach upset, jitters and sleep disturbance. The same applies to cold coffee, so make sure that you don’t overindulge in the beverage.
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Wondering which cold coffee varieties from around the world you can try out this summer? Here are seven amazing varieties you can whip up at home.
Cold Brew
Also known as Iced Coffee and cold pressing, Cold Brew coffee was born in Japan, where this cold coffee variety has been served for centuries. Cold Brew is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for a long period of time, usually 12 to 24 hours. The coffee is then sieved, sometimes diluted with milk or chocolate, and then poured over lots of ice before serving. In Japan, Cold Brew is also known as Kyoto-style coffee and Dutch coffee.
Frappuccino
Made by blending coffee with milk and ice, the Frappuccino is one of the most popular cold coffee variants from around the world. A combination of frappe, a thick ice cream milkshake, and cappuccino, espresso coffee blended with frothed milk, Frappuccino originated in the USA. Originally developed by George Howell’s Massachusetts coffee chain, the business and the recipe were adopted by Starbucks in 1995. Today, Frappuccino comes in many flavours including vanilla, mocha and caramel.
Iced Horchata Latte
This Latin American beverage is now popular around the world because of its sweet taste and spice-laced flavour. Originating in Spain, Horchata is made with rice milk or melon or sesame seeds milk, which makes it a naturally vegan drink to have. To make Iced Horchata Latte, espresso is mixed with Horchata, ice and cinnamon. This one is refreshing and perfect for those with lactose intolerance too.
Iced Vietnamese Coffee
This traditional Vietnamese drink is made with dark-roasted coffee, which is passed through hot water using a sieve directly into a cup of condensed milk and ice. Coffee was introduced in Vietnam by a French Catholic priest in 1857, and soon the nation started producing its own variations of the coffee pods. So, to make authentic Iced Vietnamese Coffee at home, you should ideally get Robusta coffee from Vietnam.
Affogato
This Italian-origin cold coffee is more of a dessert than a drink, but summer is definitely the best time to enjoy it. While the exact origins of Affogato are unknown, the espresso-based cold coffee variety became popular in Italy in the 1950s and gained fame in the US in the 1980s. To make Affogato, you need to drown a scoop or two of plain vanilla gelato or ice cream in a shot of hot espresso and dunk some biscotti into it.
Iced Caramel Macchiato
A small amount of milk poured over dark espresso is how everyone knows the Macchiato. But once this traditional Italian drink made its way to the US, it was inevitably turned into a version suited for summers known as Iced Caramel Macchiato. To make this cold coffee variety, you need to pour a bit of milk over ice cubes and vanilla syrup, and then pour in two shots of espresso topped with a generous drizzle of caramel.
Iced Americano
Another American-origin cold coffee variety, Iced Americano is basically a tall glass of Caffe Americano poured over loads of ice cubes. For those who don’t know, Americano is a diluted form of espresso that was apparently invented during World War II when American soldiers deployed to Italy took to mixing hot water with a double shot of espresso. Of course, Iced Americano is even more diluted, but the icy cold coffee is very refreshing.