Jerry writes:

Subject: Iced coffee year around

I seem to only drink iced coffee in the summer or by it from a latte stand. Now I am going to remember that it will be just as good in the winter. And with your helpful tips I am going to start having it at home.

Ellen writes:

Subject: espresso in cold brew recipe?

I totally agree that iced coffee should be made with cold brew coffee. In fact, cold brew coffee has been around far longer than 1962, when the Toddy was invented. Coffee lovers have been making cold brew in their kitchens for generations!

I'm confused about the recipe for iced coffee. Why present the recipe for a frappuccino as the recipe for iced coffee?? And it has espresso, which is definitely a hot brewed form of coffee.

And by the way, I am one person who cannot drink a starbucks iced coffee or iced latte...much, much too bitter. I can't imagine they are using cold brewed coffee.

Chris writes:

Subject: "Starbucks recipe" is flat-out wrong

This is an older article and it's possible there's been a major overhaul since its writing, but as a Starbucks barista I can confidently offer the current iced coffee brewing method:

The coffee (Starbucks usually uses their own Terraza or Gazebo blends) is hot-brewed double strength in a drip coffee brewer (the same ones used for other drip coffees). It's immediately poured over an equal quantity of ice and refrigerated. Serving is in a cup over more ice, unadulterated except for requested sweetener/dairy/flavor syrup.

A Frappuccino is a completely separate product, made in a blender from a premixed base (which contains coffee and dairy and sweetener, to be sure, but it comes out of a box so off the top of my head I don't know what's in it), ice and recipe-specific additives (caramel syrup for a Caramel Frap, chocolate chips and mocha sauce for a Java Chip Frap, etc.).

The Frappuccino mix is never served any way but blended, and your barista will give you a funny look if you ask her to blend your iced coffee--she'll probably do it, but it's definitely not standard and will probably taste icy and bland compared to the creamy Frappuccino.

I do agree with the author that cold-brewing makes a mellower and, to my taste, nicer cup of iced coffee, but I strongly doubt "all other iced coffee" is made this way. I haven't asked at McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, etc.