Cold coffee is any coffee drink served cold: it can be brewed hot and then chilled (iced coffee) or extracted cold over several hours (cold brew).
For cold brew, the National Coffee Association (NCA) recommends 1 part coffee to 4 or 5 parts water and about 12 hours of steeping; the result is a concentrate meant to be diluted (NCA, Cold brew coffee).
Midday, real heat, and a craving for coffee. You pour your morning tinto (Colombia’s everyday black coffee) over ice and end up with a watery, lukewarm, bitter glass. It’s not your fault: hot coffee with ice on top almost never works unless you brew it with the cold in mind.
In this guide, you’ll find five iced coffee recipes to make at home: affogato, coffee granita, iced coffee, cold brew tonic, and a fruit refresher. Each one comes with ingredients, amounts, and numbered steps. We also explain how each one differs from cold brew and which coffee to choose so every glass tastes like coffee, not colored water.
What is cold coffee, and how is it different from cold brew?
Cold coffee is the big family: any coffee drink you drink cold. Cold brew is just one member of that family, the one made with cold water over several hours. Iced coffee, granita, and affogato are also cold coffee, but they start from coffee brewed hot.
The NCA puts it this way: iced coffee is coffee brewed hot with a regular method and then cooled for serving. Cold brew, on the other hand, is made with room-temperature or cold water. According to the same source, cold brew has a smoother, less bitter flavor.
This table helps you pick a recipe for the moment:
| Recipe | Coffee base | Time | Profile | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affogato | Espresso or very strong coffee | Minutes | Creamy dessert, bitter and sweet | After lunch |
| Coffee granita | Strong coffee brewed hot | A few hours in the freezer | Refreshing, like shaved ice | Hot afternoons |
| Iced coffee | Pour-over or French press, brewed hot | Minutes | Bright and aromatic | When you want it right now |
| Cold brew tonic | Cold brew concentrate | Minutes (if you already have the concentrate) | Bubbly, bitter, and citrusy | Alcohol-free aperitif |
| Fruit refresher | Cold brew concentrate | Minutes (if you already have the concentrate) | Fruity and light | Brunch or a day out |
Three of these recipes use cold brew concentrate. If you don’t know how to make it yet, our guide on what cold brew is and how to make it has the full recipe. Let’s start with the easiest one, and the most dangerous for your diet: the affogato.
How do you make an affogato?
An affogato is ice cream with strong coffee poured over it; that’s exactly how the Cambridge Dictionary defines it. It takes two minutes, needs no blender, and works as dessert or as an afternoon coffee. The key is intense coffee and ice cream that’s nice and firm.
Ingredients (1 serving):
- 1 or 2 scoops of vanilla or sweet cream ice cream.
- 1 double espresso, or 60 ml (2 oz) of very strong coffee made in a moka pot or AeroPress.
- Optional: cocoa powder, cacao nibs, or a cookie.
Directions:
- Put the glass or cup in the freezer a few minutes ahead. That way the ice cream won’t melt right away.
- Scoop the ice cream into the chilled glass.
- Brew the coffee just before serving. According to the NCA, espresso is extracted with a fine grind in about 20 to 30 seconds, so there’s no excuse to leave it sitting.
- Pour the hot coffee over the ice cream, slowly and into the center.
- Garnish if you like and eat it right away, with a spoon.
No machine or moka pot? Use undiluted cold brew concentrate. You’ll get a smoother, colder affogato, perfect for anyone who finds espresso too bitter. Dessert done, let’s move on to something more refreshing.
How do you make coffee granita?
Coffee granita is strong, lightly sweetened coffee that’s frozen and scraped with a fork until it looks like shaved ice. It’s a homestyle recipe with no machines: all you need is a metal container, room in the freezer, and a few trips back to scrape it. The result is a frosty texture that melts in your mouth.
Ingredients (2 servings):
- 300 ml (about 10 oz) of strong, freshly brewed coffee (French press, moka pot, or pour-over with more coffee than usual).
- 2 tablespoons of sugar or grated panela (unrefined cane sugar), optional, to taste.
- Optional: whipped cream for serving.
Directions:
- Dissolve the sugar in the coffee while it’s hot. Once it’s cold, it won’t dissolve well.
- Let the coffee come to room temperature.
- Pour it into a shallow, wide metal container. The thinner the layer, the faster it freezes.
- Put it in the freezer. When the edges start to set, scrape with a fork and stir toward the center.
- Repeat the scraping every so often, several times, until it’s all loose crystals.
- Serve in chilled glasses, topped with whipped cream if you like.
Quick blender version: freeze the coffee in an ice cube tray. Then blend the cubes with a splash of milk or cold coffee, pulsing so it doesn’t turn to liquid. It comes out creamier and ready in a minute.
An honest tip: try it without sugar first. Well-made coffee doesn’t need it, and the cold brings out the bean’s sweet notes. If you’d rather have something that doesn’t need the freezer, iced coffee is your recipe.
How do you make iced coffee at home?
Iced coffee is coffee brewed hot and served over ice; the secret is to brew it stronger than usual, because the melting ice adds part of the water. That’s how you avoid a watery glass. This is our house recipe with a V60 or any pour-over filter, but it also works with a French press.
Ingredients (1 large glass):
- 20 g of medium-ground coffee.
- 160 ml of hot water, just off the boil.
- 150 g of ice.
- Optional: milk, plant-based milk, or syrup.
Directions:
- Put the ice directly in the carafe or glass the coffee will drip into.
- Set the filter with the coffee on top.
- Pour in a little water to wet all the coffee and wait a few seconds for it to release its gas.
- Pour the rest of the water slowly, in circles.
- When it’s done dripping, stir so the coffee cools evenly.
- Serve in a glass with fresh ice and add milk if you like.
When it drips onto the ice, the coffee chills instantly and keeps its aromas. That’s why this iced coffee tastes brighter than a tinto that cooled down on the table. If you use a French press, brew it with more coffee than usual and then pour it over ice.
Liked it strong and aromatic? Then you’ll want to try something with bubbles.
What is a cold brew tonic or refresher?
A cold brew tonic is cold brew concentrate poured over tonic water and ice; a refresher is the same idea, but with sparkling water and fruit juice. They’re light, bubbly, alcohol-free drinks. They take advantage of the fact that the NCA describes the concentrate as a base meant to be diluted with water or served over ice.
Cold brew tonic (1 glass):
- 60 ml (2 oz) of cold brew concentrate.
- 150 ml (5 oz) of well-chilled tonic water.
- Ice and a slice of orange or lime.
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Pour the tonic first.
- Slowly pour the cold brew over the back of a spoon so it forms layers.
- Garnish with the fruit and stir just before drinking.
Tangerine refresher (1 glass):
- 60 ml (2 oz) of cold brew concentrate.
- 60 ml (2 oz) of freshly squeezed tangerine or orange juice.
- 100 ml (about 3.4 oz) of sparkling water, plus ice.
- Mix the juice and the cold brew in a glass with ice.
- Top it off with the sparkling water.
- Stir gently so you don’t lose the bubbles, and serve.
If you don’t want to make the concentrate the night before, a 700 ml cold brew concentrate lets you put these drinks together in a minute. And if you want to take them into grown-up territory, our coffee cocktail recipes include the carajillo, the espresso martini, and more. One question left, and it shapes everything: which coffee to use.
What coffee should you use for cold drinks?
Use a coffee you enjoy black: cold doesn’t hide flaws, it just shows them differently. A fresh, medium roast coffee with a clear profile works better than a very dark one. Choose the process based on the drink: washed for milk, natural for fruit and tonic.
These tips will help you choose:
- For milk drinks (iced latte, affogato): a washed coffee, clean and balanced. That understated profile goes really well with milk. Our Sonsón washed coffee is a good example.
- For tonic and fruit: a natural coffee, fruity and intense. That fruity profile pairs beautifully with citrus. Try our Caicedo natural coffee.
- For desserts: a honey coffee, sweet and creamy, is a treat whenever you find one available.
- To keep it simple: a ready-made cold brew concentrate works as the base for almost all of these recipes.
The grind changes with the recipe. Use fine for espresso, medium for pour-over, and coarse for cold brew or French press. If you buy whole bean, grind right before brewing, as the NCA recommends.
Want to understand why one coffee tastes like chocolate and another like fruit? Our guide to types of coffee explains species, varieties, and roast levels. With that, you’ll choose the beans for your next cold glass with confidence, and without needing sugar.
Broo Café Team
The coffee team at Broo Café, specialty coffee roasters in Medellín.
Content reviewed by the Broo Café Team.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of ice is best for iced coffee?
Use ice made with filtered water, because ice that tastes of chlorine shows up in the glass. Large cubes melt more slowly than crushed ice. A good trick is to freeze coffee in ice cube trays: it chills the drink without watering it down.
How do you sweeten iced coffee without clumps?
Sugar doesn’t dissolve well in cold liquids. Make a simple syrup: mix equal parts sugar and hot water, stir until it turns clear, and keep it in the fridge. You can also dissolve panela in a little hot water before adding it.
Can you make iced coffee with instant coffee?
Yes. Dissolve the instant coffee in a little hot water, top it off with cold water or milk, and serve over ice. It’s quick, although the flavor is flatter than with freshly brewed coffee. For special occasions, specialty coffee is worth it.
What milk goes best with iced coffee?
Whole milk gives more body and creaminess, and lactose-free milk works just as well. Among plant-based milks, oat milk usually blends best with coffee. Almond milk is lighter. Try a few with the same coffee and stick with your favorite.
How long does prepared iced coffee last?
Ideally, drink it the same day, especially if it already has milk or melting ice. Unmixed cold brew concentrate keeps longer in the fridge, tightly sealed. If you bought one ready-made, go by the date and instructions on its label.
Summary
- Cold coffee includes drinks brewed hot and then chilled, like iced coffee, and cold brew, which is extracted with cold water over several hours.
- Affogato, granita, iced coffee, cold brew tonic, and refresher can all be made at home without special equipment; the key is strong, well-brewed coffee.
- Use washed coffee for milk drinks and natural coffee for drinks with fruit or tonic.
Want to master the base for three of these recipes? Learn how to make it with our guide on what cold brew is and how to make it at home. And tell us in the comments which of these five recipes you tried first.
