What’s The Difference Between Iced Coffee And Cold-Brew Coffee?

RyanJLane via Getty Images Summer is here, which means that it’s iced coffee season. “Our recipe for cold brew calls for about twice as much coffee per measure of water as our hot-brewed coffee,” Jim Munson, founder and president of Brooklyn Roasting Company, told HuffPost. “The resulting brew is very soft and sweet compared to traditional iced coffees, which tend to have sharper, more bitter notes.” He attributed the popularity of cold brew in specialty coffee shops in the United States to the “softer, cleaner, more balanced character” of the resulting drink. “Any kind of coffee beans can be used to make iced coffee and cold brew, depending on the flavor you’re going for,” Giuliano said. “For example, I like to use bright, citrusy coffees to make a refreshing iced coffee on a hot day, or I might like to use a chocolatey, nutty coffee for a cold brew to serve with milk.” However you decide to make or order your coffee, the final flavor is a delicate balance of the many variables that go into the brewing process: the roast of the beans, the grind, the water temperature and the brew time.