The ultimate summer companion no longer pertains to beach balls and cocktails but can better be found in the electric, cooling buzz of an iced coffee: a beverage that contains both the kick of caffeine and the delicious refreshment of an iced cold quench. When the temperature is sweltering and your energy dips, the summer staple of iced coffee steps in to provide all the rich, robust flavours of your familiar brew with an essential cooling twist. Summer has never tasted better. Whether you’re beaching with friends, running errands, cafe perusing, post-gym chilling or working on your dream tan, iced coffee can serve as the perfect cool-down to fuel your vibe.

What Makes Iced Coffee the Ultimate Summer Drink 

Iced coffee is the drink of the summer, every summer, for good reasons. For starters, it maintains the optimal blend of refreshing and energising qualities- ideal for lifting you up whilst cooling you down. This provides all the same caffeinated joys that your standard cup of coffee offers whilst adding the crisp and crucial layer of refreshment, ensuring that you ‘chill out’ in all the right ways. Of course, adding in milk and ice as desired also increases hydration, ensuring that you’re in top-notch form for all the fun that summer has to offer. In addition, Ice coffee is versatile: from iced lattes, cappuccinos and Americanos to cold brews, frappes, vegan varieties and expansive flavour options- there is an Iced coffee opportunity for every summer moment.

Iced coffee also owns its aesthetic appeal with its swirls, layers and immaculate ice cube style there’s no doubt iced coffee remains instagrams most beloved beverage. When you’re not taking pictures with your suave cup of icy buzz on idyllic beaches, you can pretty much count on iced coffee’s company for all summer adventures: sunrise runs, sweltering hikes, yoga and strolls through parks are all environments which iced coffee can handle- portable and convenient, there’s no part of summer that your favourite iced coffee can’t join you on.

Why Cold Brew vs Hot Brew Matters for Iced Coffee 

Whilst cold brew and hot brew are both supreme summertime options, knowing the difference between them helps elevate your iced coffee experience according to your personal preferences. 

Cold Brew: Cultivated by the Patient, Savoured by the Wise

Cold brew keeps things consistently cool by using no heat in its process. Cold brew coffee grounds are steeped in cold or room-temperature water for 12–24 hours, an essential process which later ensures the cultivation of cold brew’s iconically smooth and naturally sweet characteristics. This slow extraction process also provides a smooth and less acidic and bitter taste than hot brew, offering a soft, silky and mellow experience. With the beans having hefty time to do their thing, in gentle temperature conditions, a higher caffeine content is also cultivated- gifting cold brews a kick to add to their reputation of being the ultimate smooth operator in the coffee world.

Hot brew: Being Bold Never Goes out of Style

Hot brew, by its bold nature, spares no time in its journey. Coffee grounds are brewed in hot water at around 90–96°C for 2-5 minutes and methods like drip coffee machines, pour-over and espresso are employed to harness heat for its extraction. The result? Potent, vibrant and robust flavour profiles that pack in a distinct, fragrant punch to the experience, offering sippers a traditional cup of bold brilliance. Alongside this, hot brew is also revered for its convenience. Its quick preparation time enables hot brewed iced coffee to be made and savoured in a matter of minutes, making it the perfect quick on-the-go pick me up. 

Cold Brew, the Perfect Moments: 

• Summer Lazin’: long afternoons in the sunshine, where every sip is savoured 
• Pre-meeting Zen: where sustained energy is appreciated and a kick of productivity is appreciated
• Road Trippin’: where a cold companion is needed to cool things down and keep the flavours concentrated 
• Weekend brunch energy: nothing pairs better with avocado toast, pancakes and eggs Benedict than a grande cold brew
• Minimalist Mood: Just coffee and maybe a splash of oat milk—cold brew shines in its simplicity

Hot Brew, the Perfect Moments: 

• Busy Morning Bestie: brewed fast and quick to chill—it’s iced coffee for when you’re short on time but high on cravings
• Coffee Cocktail Extraordinaire: a sublime base for handling iced coffee syrups, cream or even shots of something stronger, handling flavours like a pro
• DIY Barista Moment: great for experimenting and adding your own creative twists: caramel dreams, cold foam creations and the magic of mocha! 
• The Running Late Companion: you’ve overslept, but you still need your coffee fix. Brew it hot, chuck it over ice, and head out the door! 
• An ode to old ways: sitting at quaint cafes on cobblestone streets or hanging out with coffee connoisseurs- hot brew is reminiscent of tradition embedded in the world of coffee

Tips for Crafting the Perfect Iced Coffee at Home 

Bringing all the joy of iced coffee back home is essential for enthusiasts and enjoyers alike. This way, all the same flavour thrills found in cafes can be cultivated in the confines of your very own kitchen, ensuring the ultimate convenience and a deeper dive into your iced coffee journey. However knowing the right approach of making iced coffee at home makes all the difference to your refreshing adventure. Here are some tips to perfect your iced coffee recipe. 

Brewing Basics: 

• Choose fresh, top quality coffee beans for flavour optimisation 
• Store your beans in an airtight container to preserve freshness
• Know your grind consistency! Medium-course grinds are best for cold brews and for hot brew methods like drip or pour-over, use a medium grind 

• Ensure the right coffee-to-water ratio: cold brew calls for a 1:4 whilst hot brew is more like 1:15
• Use good quality water for brewing
• Keep things cool: chill your coffee in the fridge or use an ice bath before serving and avoid pouring hot coffee directly over ice unless you’ve brewed it extra strong

Making it your own: 

• Experiment with sweeteners: you can go classic routes like sugar and honey or spruce things up with flavoured sweeteners: caramel and hazelnut 
• Get creative with your milk options: oat, coconut, macadamia- to froth or not to froth?
• Experiment with the ice in ice coffee: ice cubes? Freeze milk? Crushed ice? Whatever your mood calls for!
• If you need an extra caffeine kick, add a shot of espresso! 
• Get crazy: combine your iced coffee with sparking water for a refreshing coffee tonic

The Easiest Way to Make Iced Coffee at Home: 

Step One: Brew your coffee in whichever way suits you best! For easiest and quickest, a hot brew iced coffee should shine on the menu: use your regular drip coffee maker, French press, or pour-over. Simply add extra coffee grounds.

Step Two: Let your iced coffee chill out! You can put it in the fridge or freezer for extra quick results.

Step Three: Ice it up, add ice to the glass to keep things summer-cool. You can even use coffee ice cubes for extra boldness.

Step Four: Creative customisation is key! Add the milk of your choice, the iced coffee syrup of your dreams and whatever herbs, spices and extras to elevate your experience.

Step Five: Sip and savour, grab a reusable straw, take a sip, and relish in the refreshing, flavour-filled chill of your iced coffee creation. 

Customising Your Iced Coffee: Syrups, Milk, and More 

The summertime world of ice coffee is brimming with endless energising options. If you’re not down for a classic cold brew on ice, there are plenty of ways for you to add a unique flair to your ice coffee experience. 

Syrups, Sweeteners & Spices 

Putting a sweet spin on things is a great way to cultivate your iced coffee in all the ways that suit you best. From classic vanilla iced coffee syrups and creamy caramel additions to the more daring varieties: fragrant lavender, golden maple, fruity raspberry, classy rose and seasonal gingerbread and pumpkin. Spicing things up with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and cloves to add depth and a unique twist transforms a classic into an iced coffee extravaganza, unique to your experimental preferences.

Citrus Zest & Herbs 

Take the art of customising to a whole new level by adding elegant hints of orange and lemon zest, giving your iced coffee an extra refreshing edge to be savoured. Tossing in some fresh rosemary or mint leaves can also add a whole unique layer to the ice coffee experience, combining fragrance and refreshment to create a balanced cool that will leave you wanting more. 

Tantalising Trends to Try

Iced coffee graces the stages of the Internet as much as it does the beaches of summer and some of the best ice coffee trends provide innovative ideas on quirky ice coffee customisations. The Dalgona coffee: viral whipped cream sensation, Ice coffee Tonic: espresso and tonic water make a bubbly and bittersweet twist, Lavender Honey Ice Latte: a fragrant floral twist on a classic ice coffee and coconut ice coffee: creamy coconut milk and coconut syrup making for a tropical twist on an already summer classic. 

Top Flavour Additions to Elevate Your Iced Coffee 

The endless and intricate options of ice coffee customisations can lead to some top-tier flavour additions to add to your next cup of refreshing brew. Here are our top suggestions of fantastic flavour additions to consider for your next creation or bold cafe order: 

• Hot Brew iced coffee with ginger and honey: After cooling down your hot brew add a spoonful of honey and a few slices of fresh ginger for a warm-spiced, slightly sweet kick to your refreshing cup of buzz. This will add a curious flavour combo of zing and sweetness, perfectly complementing the natural flavours of coffee. 
• Cold brew with orange zest and dark chocolate: Use a fine grater or zester to extract fresh orange zest, then gently muddle the zest in the bottom of your glass to release its citrus oils. Add 1-2 teaspoons of dark chocolate syrup. This flavour combination will give your brew a fresh, tangy zest that meets the  rich, velvety depth with subtle bitterness of the dark chocolate, perfectly echoing the coffee’s natural flavours. 
• Cold brew with coconut milk and honey: Blend cold brew with creamy coconut milk and a drizzle of honey for a tropical-inspired, lightly sweet coffee that’s smooth and refreshing, oozing with natural flavours 
• Cold Brew with cinnamon and sugar: Add a dash of cinnamon and a drizzle of brown sugar to create a gently aromatic, comforting blend that holds the spice and warmth that creatively matches the refreshing cool of the iced coffee.

Using Kayrin Coffee Beans for the Best Iced Coffee

The foundation of any great iced coffee lies in the quality of the coffee beans. Therefore, knowing your beans is the key to crafting the ultimate iced coffee summer. High-quality beans found at Kayrin Coffee ensure a richer, smoother and more balanced flavour. The variety of beans from around the globe available at Kayrin Coffee also ensures that there are beans for everyone.

Looking for a particularly bold, rich and vibrant taste experience, the Ethiopia beans are what will give your iced coffee the soul-strong kick needed. Seeking a fruiter journey with notes of red berries and pomegranate? Kayrin’s beans from Kenya are your perfect match. Craving opulent and jam-sweet? Kayrin’s Colombia selection will scratch that itch. Wanting something big and full-bodied with spice carrying notes of mild fruit and spices? Well, Kayrin offers beans from India, ready to give your iced coffee a punchy twist worthy of bottomless cold brews.

The Kayrin Coffee Difference

When it comes to the perfect iced coffee summer, quality is a non-negotiable. That’s why choosing a reliable source for your beans is a decision that has the power to elevate your iced coffee summer to the ultimate level. With Kayrin Coffee, the difference is that you never have to worry about the quality of your beans. Every unique choice from the Ethiopian varieties to the Colombian is grounded in meticulous craftsmanship which sets out to secure only the finest arabica beans which produce the rich flavours and enticing aromas that sets your iced coffee creations apart from the rest, securing you the summer of your dreams with Kayrin Coffee. 

Browse our premium beans at Karyrin Coffee to start cultivating the ultimate iced coffee summer today.