Hot summer days always require something refreshing. Iced coffee is one of the options – it refreshes you instantly, and you can choose from many different types.
We interviewed Eva Jeřábková, a coffee expert from Costa Coffe, about iced coffee, its forms, and ways of preparation.
What makes iced coffee unique and in what way can we have it?
Iced coffee can be made in a shaker with ice or mixed with ice or water or milk to create a smooth, creamy consistency. This form is better known as frapé and originates in Greece. However, iced coffee can also be prepared by slowly infusing freshly ground coffee in cold water. The resulting drink is already commonly known as Cold Brew.
Recently, especially in large cities, Cold brew has been a very popular drink among young people. How is it precisely made?
You need to start with the cold ingredients: no coffee maker, no hot water. As with any coffee beverage, an excellent coffee blend is essential too. The barista pours a certain proportion of cold water over the ground coffee and lets it infuse at room temperature for 20 hours. Subsequently, a coffee filter separates the coffee grounds. This time-consuming preparation will give the iced coffee a soft and refreshing taste.
Why is the beverage extracted so long? Can’t it be shorter?
Because cold water releases the coffee benefits more slowly and it’s gentler than hot water. As a result, Cold Brew has lower acidity and higher sweetness, and you can also feel fruit or chocolate in it. The result is a strong and delicious tasting coffee that is served with ice. Nowadays it is possible to order various flavored variants, for example with strawberry or exotic fruit flavor. At the same time, these drinks can be enhanced with attractive ingredients.
What are the differences in drinking iced coffee in our country and in the world?
In our country, iced coffee is prepared simply – from strong fresh espresso poured over a few cubes of ice. But so many countries, so many customs. In this case, this is undoubtedly true. In Portugal, for example, iced coffee is topped up with lemon juice, while in Austria it is flavored with rum or liqueur. In our country, there is a different tradition, and people are about to start experimenting. The baristas prepare iced coffees by briefly shaking espresso with milk and ice. Shaking is better for coffee than blending. For the iced version, we offer such coffee as Americano or Cappuccino and Caffe Latte, which can also be accompanied by a selected flavor. The lovers of denser, sweeter beverages usually seek more iced coffee with ice cream or whipped cream. This form of iced coffee has many fans in Slovakia too.
Is it possible to prepare excellent iced coffee at home?
Yes, it is possible, and this type of coffee can enrich your summer meetings with family and friends. The preparation itself is simple, and therefore, everyone can do it. Just prepare a small amount of warm coffee, shake it together with the ice and then pour the liquid into the glass with the prepared ice and water or milk. If you like flavored coffee, then you can enrich the coffee by some fruits or just plain sugar. However, this must be dissolved in espresso as it will not dissolve completely in the cold beverage.
Text: Daniel Košťál, in cooperation with Costa Coffe, photo: Costa Coffe archive
