Iced coffee is an alluring drink in summer that keeps you well hydrated. The beverage is appropriate for most coffee drinkers because of its smoothness and less acidic features.
Due to taste and health benefits, iced coffee is becoming popular globally. But, the only pain point of iced coffee lovers is the price. It is costlier than the regular hot coffee. Have you ever thought about why iced coffee is more expensive?
Several things make iced coffee costlier. Along with the high skill of a barista, it also requires added materials, costly brewing methods, and multiple machines to prepare.
In this post, we will reveal why iced coffee is highly-priced, and how they are made. Let’s explore.
Why Is Iced Coffee Costlier?
The price of iced coffee belongs to many things. We are covering some of them to clarify the reasons behind it.
Subsidiary materials
Hot coffee is cheaper than iced coffee because it requires less material to serve. After brewing, you can serve it immediately by mixing sweetener and milk. However, iced coffee needs several things to dish up.
You need ice cubes, food-grade plastic cups, and straws to serve it with the regular ingredients.
Ice cubes sound cheaper, but the making process costs a lot. You need a commercial ice machine to turn water into ice cubes fast. It consumes additional electricity too.
Hot coffee is usually served in a reusable ceramic cup. But, iced coffee is provided in food-grade plastic cups designed for single use only. Besides, iced coffee like cold brew requires more ground coffee to make.
The making process also needs multiple accessories, including a particular jar and filter. Thus, the price increases due to added things.
Specialized Brewing Method
Making hot coffee is easier and takes a few times. However, the brewing method of iced coffee is entirely different and complex. A barista needs to undergo a complicated brewing process while making iced coffee to ensure its taste and flavor.
Besides, he/she has to be careful so that melting ice doesn’t ruin the taste. Coffee like cold brew takes up to 24 hours to be brewed perfectly. So, the price is high because of the time-consuming process and complexity.
Read: Why are Coffee Machines so Expensive?
Usage of Machines
You need a single coffee maker or an espresso machine to make hot coffee. It is possible to make iced coffee at home using a regular coffee maker. However, a coffee shop sells dozens of cups of iced coffee per day. They have very little time to prepare essential ingredients.
So, they need to use several machines. Making a cup of commercial-grade iced coffee requires at least two machines, including a coffee maker and an ice maker. More machines require more electricity consumption. This is another reason behind the higher cost.
Brewing Skill
Iced coffee is so popular due to its fantastic taste. However, making iced coffee needs higher skill. Unless it is made accurately, the taste will be watery instead of creamy and chocolaty.
If you want the perfect taste and flavor, you must know how to filter the ground to avoid sludge. Otherwise, you will experience iced coffee with a muddy taste.
Read: Why are Coffee Grinders so Expensive?
How Are Iced Coffees Made?
Iced coffee has some variants. Some of them are made by brewing in heat. Another method of making iced coffee is cold brewing. We are going to discuss the basics of making each type.
Traditional Iced Coffee
In the case of traditional iced coffee, the ground coffee is brewed like regular hot coffee. After brewing the ground in boiling water, the mixture is cooled down quickly. Finally, the brewed coffee is mixed with vanilla syrup and milk and served with ice. Iced coffee is usually sold in single-serving plastic coffee cups.
The taste of traditional coffee is similar to cooled-down coffee. However, the density of the coffee will be thinner gradually because of the melting ice.
Cold-brew Coffee
Unlike iced coffee, the ground needs no heat to be brewed to make cold brew coffee. So, the preparation requires a longer time. Here, the coffee ground is mixed with room-temperature water and kept for 12 hours at least. When the brewing ends, the coffee is mixed with milk and ice for serving.
Cold-brew coffee is smoother and less bitter than traditional iced coffee. It also provides a more chocolaty flavor. However, cold brew coffee is more expensive because of the complex brewing and lengthy process.
Final Thought
The article should clarify why iced coffee is expensive than hot coffee. Though it is costlier, the popularity of the drink is increasing worldwide. According to a survey in 2010, 20% of American adults regularly drink iced coffee instead of hot coffee.
The number is still growing because people are well aware of the health benefits of iced coffee. It helps boost your metabolism, removing drowsiness and reducing heart diseases.
Besides, it is a tolerable beverage for our stomach. So if you are afraid of drinking hot coffee in summer, iced coffee doesn’t deprive you of having an amazing tasteful beverage.
ELI5:Why is iced coffee usually more expensive than hot coffee?
by in explainlikeimfive
