Around the middle of summer, when the weather reaches a peak of sultry, coffee lovers think about whether to switch to the cold version of the drink to cheer up, or to follow the habit and drink it hot. If you have never tried ice coffee before, take it as close to your taste as a traditional cold drink.
Historical data
Once invented in a trendy coffee shop by an adventurous barista, iced coffee has become popular throughout the year. Famous chains like Starbucks and Dunkin Donats have included the drink in their main menu. And many manufacturers of soft drinks, including Rise, La Colombe, High Brew, supply coffee in banks to large retail chains.
Rich Nieto (Rich Nieto), founder of Sweetpoint Coffee Roasters in Greenpoint (USA), claims that the cold drink has become so popular in recent years that it breaks sales records compared to sales of iced coffee in popular coffee houses. Nevertheless, even the most devoted fans of this drink still have questions about its composition - is there really less acid in the cold version? If you drink it in the afternoon, will it affect night sleep? Is it worth buying ready-made coffee or is it better to make it at home? We have answers to all these questions.
What is the difference between iced coffee and iced coffee?
Both drinks are made from the same ingredients, just mix them at different water temperatures. For iced coffee, the water is brought to a boil (approximate temperature 93 ° C). After which it is cooled and ice is added. Cold coffee is prepared in a slightly different way. Ground grains are poured with water at room temperature and insisted for 12-24 hours. The finished drink retains the most sought-after qualities of coffee - aroma and taste without bitterness, which is often present in hot drinks.
Are there really less acids in cold coffee?
The doctor of medical sciences, gastroenterologist Rabia A. De Latour, notes that people who have a high sensitivity to caffeinated foods or to acidic foods, and those who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), will only benefit if the habit of drinking is eliminated coffee in the morning. “I recommend to my patients to completely abandon this drink,” says Dr. De Latour. “For everyone else, the difference between iced or iced coffee is not significant.”
“I often had to see these statistics,” the expert replies to the statement that there are 70% less acids in a cold drink than in ordinary iced coffee. “But I have never met any scientific evidence for this statement, which forced me to conduct my own research. It showed that the pH level for samples of coffee prepared in a cold and hot way ranges from 4.85 to 5.13. For comparison: the normal pH level of the stomach is from 1.5 to 3.5.
Coffee shop: does cold coffee have more caffeine?
Mastering the world of iced coffee can be a long road of trial and error. Thanks to the numerous methods of coffee making and bean varieties, the difference in caffeine content among cold types of drinks is more difficult to predict than the amount of acid. Prepared for 20 hours, Starbucks cold coffee in 500 ml of the drink contains 200 mg of caffeine, which is approximately 0.4 mg per milliliter. This is about 20% more than the caffeine content of an ice drink. To be more precise, in 500 ml - 165 mg of the substance, which is about 0.3 mg per milliliter. Hot coffee - the leader in caffeine content - 310 mg, which is 0.62 mg per milliliter. Dunkin coffee makers report the same performance — 0.6 mg of caffeine in every milliliter of cold drink.
What about store coffee?
If you buy grain coffee in specialized stores, especially with regard to the packaged product, the caffeine content in it is unpredictable. The Rise and High Brew brands have a similar product packaging design, but the wrong choice can be fraught with health. The fact is that the traditional Rise product in a 200 g jar contains 180 mg of caffeine, which is about 0.9 mg per gram. And this is 50 mg more than a can of 230 g from High Brew.
The Stamptown Brazier, Portland, Oregon, sells 310 ml bottled cold drink. Each bottle contains a huge dose of caffeine - about 1 mg per 1 ml. Even for coffee lovers, that sounds impressive.
Doctor's opinion on the usefulness of coffee
“Most people will not drink a drink with such a high caffeine content,” says Dr. De Latour. “People who suffer from GERD feel worse after drinking even a small amount of coffee. Moreover, drinking affects the sphincter muscles.”
It is worth adding that regular consumption of drinks with a high content of caffeine can cause diseases such as impaired intestinal motility, trembling, constipation, diarrhea, increased anxiety and stress. Caffeine should be taken solely as a stimulator of emotional arousal. People who drink more than four cups of coffee a day become irritable and hyperactive.
From all of the above, it is useful to conclude that it is better to drink cold coffee and prepare it at home. This will allow you to better control the acidity of the drink and caffeine level. The most common cold coffee recipe is prepared in a minimum of 12 hours.
Chocolate Coffee Recipe with Mint and Ice
This is a very original drink, it is quite possible to offer friends on gatherings.
To prepare a drink, you should take the following ingredients:
- fat ice cream - 100 g;
- ice cubes - 4 pcs.;
- mint liquor - 4 tbsp. l .;
- dark chocolate - 40 g;
- freshly brewed strong coffee - 350 ml;
- mint leaves - 3-4 pcs.
Cooking method:
- Dissolve chocolate in a hot drink.
- Then add liquor, half ice cubes and half the volume of ice cream, mix the composition with a blender.
- Pour the mass into a cup, add the rest of the ice cream, the remaining ice, sprinkle with grated chocolate, garnish with mint leaves.
It should be remembered that due to the presence of ice in hot weather, the drink should be consumed with caution.
Cold Coffee Tea Recipe
The drink perfectly quenches thirst in the summer heat, has an original taste.
To make a drink you will need these components:
- black tea of 2-3 grades - half a teaspoon each;
- black coffee - 1 tsp;
- chilled cream or milk - 200 ml;
- sugar.
Step by step cooking:
- Brew all the tea in 500 ml of water, leave for 5 minutes.
- Brew coffee in 100 ml of water.
- Strain tea, mix with milk or cream, add sugar.
- Pour 6 parts of tea with milk into a glass, then 3 parts of coffee.
- The drink is ready.
This recipe is good because the amount of water, milk or tea already brewed can be used to control the strength of the drink and, therefore, the caffeine content. This is perfect for people who like coffee, but their health does not allow them to drink it too strong.
Classic Cold Coffee Recipe
For lovers of this drink, we offer a very simple, but very interesting recipe. It will be quite possible to offer it in the company of coffee connoisseurs.
For cooking, you need to purchase paper filters for brewing.
For six servings:
- Powder from ground grains in the amount of six tablespoons is poured into the filter, the bag is fixed with a thread.
- Pour six cups of cold purified water into the container, drop the bags of coffee there.
- Insist in darkness and coolness from twelve to twenty-four hours.
- The drink is ready to drink. You can add milk or water to it to lower the concentration of coffee.
This recipe produces aromatic and tasty coffee, but you need to take into account the fact that it contains a lot of caffeine in its composition, which can adversely affect the health of a certain number of people. In general, it is a perfectly refreshing and invigorating drink.