Hearth & Bean

Comparison

Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee: What's the Difference?

One is brewed cold for hours, the other is brewed hot and chilled. Here is how they differ in taste, time and effort, and which to make at home.

A glass jar of dark cold brew with a mesh filter, two small glasses of coffee and a coffee scoop on a wooden board.

Both are cold drinks, but they are made in different ways. Cold brew is steeped in cold water for many hours. Iced coffee is brewed hot, then cooled or poured over ice.

How cold brew and iced coffee are madeCold brew: coarse grounds and cold water, steep 12 to 18 hours in the fridge, strain, then dilute and serve. Iced coffee: medium grounds and hot water, brew about 3 to 4 minutes, then pour over ice. Cold brewHours, mostly waiting Coarse groundsand cold waterSteep 12 to 18 hin the fridgeStrainor pressDilute, serveover ice or milk Iced coffeeMinutes Medium groundsand hot waterBrew 3 to 4 minhotOver iceor chill first Cold brew takes longer to make, but waits patiently in the fridge.
Step lengths are not to scale.

Side by side

Cold brew Iced coffee
How it's made Coarse grounds steep in cold water Hot-brewed coffee, then chilled or poured over ice
Time 12 to 18 hours, mostly waiting Minutes
Taste Smooth, mellow, often described as less acidic Brighter, more like hot coffee
Strength Usually made as a concentrate, then diluted Same as the hot brew you started with
Planning Make it the day before Make it right now

Which should you make?

A common mistake with iced coffee

Pouring regular hot coffee over a full glass of ice dilutes it. Brew it stronger, or make the coffee with less water and let the ice make up the rest, as in the iced pour-over recipe.

Storing cold brew

Keep cold brew concentrate in a sealed jar in the fridge. Use it within about a week, and smell it first if it has been there a while.

Try it at home

French Press Cold Brew Concentrate Iced Latte at Home Iced Pour-Over

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