Which is better: iced coffee or Japanese-style iced coffee

When the temperatures soar, sipping an iced coffee is a great way to cool off while taking in the caffeine. It’s easy to make chilled joe at home, but you’ll need to decide which method to use.

Two options have garnered a large following: Cold brew, which is steeped in cold water overnight, and Japanese-style iced coffee, made by simply pouring hot coffee over ice cubes.

Cold brew

Despite its name, this drink can be brewed at room temperature or refrigerated. It is usually made in concentrated form. This means that its taste will not be diluted by additional ingredients such as ice, milk and chilled water.

The process requires an approximate 1:4 ratio of coffee grounds to water. Commonly used brewing vessels include jars, a French press, or a special cold brew coffee machine. Brewing is complete after the coffee grounds have steeped for 12 to 24 hours. The final step is to filter the drink from the solid sediment.

The result is a super strong liquid that is sweet, silky smooth and without a hint of bitterness or acidity. If the thought makes you crave, check out our complete guide to how to make your own cold drink.

Japanese style iced coffee

This style of cold brew coffee sounds simple, but it’s pretty ingenious: you brew the coffee in a coffee pot or carafe filled with ice.
you can add less, increase the coffee to water ratio to about 1:11. This is more powerful than the typical 1:16 ratio for drip coffee.
Besides not requiring hours of steeping like cold brew, you’ll want to increase the ratio by a third—or to roughly 1:11.
Helps to increase potency. compared to standard drip coffee which is usually a

I like to use 70 grams (one-third cup) of ground coffee to 851 grams (3 1/2 cups) of water, a ratio of about 1:12.
The beauty here is that the ice in my one liter carafe makes up for the heavier drip. In the end, you are left with a well-balanced, aromatic and chilled drink.

Speed

Brewing cold coffee takes much longer. A 12- to 24-hour brew time requires advance planning, which isn’t for everyone.

In contrast, Japanese-style iced coffee brews in the same amount of time as regular drip coffee (5 to 8 minutes). This alone makes it the best choice for busy morning coffee drinkers.

Winner: Japanese Style Iced Coffee

Aroma

It comes down to personal preference. Many seek out a cold drink for its unique sweetness and lack of acidity. The brewing method also produces deep chocolate notes, especially from dark roasted beans.

If you’re a fan of light to medium roast coffee, then cold brew probably isn’t ideal. Coffee roasted this way often requires the brightness of the acid to reveal its full flavor profile. And this can only happen during hot brewing.

Winner: Tie

Difficulty

Cold brew sounds easy to make. You simply add coffee grounds to cold water and wait. No heat or special brewhouse required. However, separating the brewed liquid from the solid coffee grounds can be difficult. Unless you invest in a stand-alone cold brew gadget, straining the soil and cleaning it up is often messy.

However, hot pour-over iced coffee is almost as convenient as making regular drip coffee. Just pour hot water over your ground in a filter and you’re in business. You can even use an automatic coffee maker for the task. You’ll need to have plenty of ice on hand, but if you already own a competent ice maker, that’s not as much of a problem.

Winner: Japanese Style Iced Coffee

The verdict

I am certainly a big fan of cold brew coffee. I love it for its strength, sweetness and caffeine. Relying on a cold drink as my daily summer morning shake isn’t practical, though.

It’s hard to beat the instant gratification of Japanese-style iced coffee. I can make a cold carafe in minutes. And to taste the full flavor of hot coffee in a chilled drink is the icing on the cake. I just hope my ice machine can handle it.