Iced Cappuccino Vs Iced Latte
The basic ingredients of both drinks are milk and coffee. Where the difference comes in is all in the milk. An iced latte is made with a shot of espresso or two and cold milk. An iced cappuccino is made with one or two shots of espresso and milk foam. This is the most subtle difference between both the drinks that sets them apart. The better way to notice the difference is to have them both simultaneously, you will exactly note how they vary.
If you want to take a more deep dive, we have another bunch of words about cappuccino vs latte, which starts from scratch.
Is Iced Coffee The Same As Cold Brew
Iced coffee and cold brew are not the same. Iced coffee is made by brewing coffee and then pouring it over ice, while the cold brew is made by steeping coffee in cold water for an extended period of time. Iced coffee is a standard iced coffee drink, while cold brew can be enjoyed with or without milk and sugar.
How To Make Cold Brew
To make a cold brew, all you have to do is grind coffee coarsely, add water, let it sit, and strain.
Instructions
- Find an appropriate vessel for brewing your coffee, anything from a french press to an iced tea pitcher will work just fine!
- Grind your coffee beans on the coarsest setting. You will need a 1:8 ratio of coffee to water.
- Pour your coffee grounds directly into the bottom of your preferred brewing pot.
- Pour the pre-measured, room temperature, or colder water over the grounds.
- Cover and steep in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours, keeping in mind that the longer you let it brew the stronger the coffee will be.
- After a preferred steep time, use a coffee filter o filter out the coffee grounds.
Thats it, your cold brew is ready to be enjoyed!
Check out this video to understand how you can brew a refreshing cup of cold brew.
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Are Iced Mochas Bad For You
Making Your Own Iced Latte At Home

You can totally make your own iced latte at home. It s actually a bit easier than hot latte, because you won’t need to froth the milk.
All you need for iced latte at home is:
- a decent espresso machine
- cold milk, whichever you like
- a lot of ice cubes, as many as you like
- shaker is optional, but recommended
As long as you’ve got those items, you’re ready to go. If you’ve got an espresso machine then you’ve also got ground coffee and can pull a decent shot.
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What Are Some Other Iced Coffee Drinks
If you feel like exploring other types of coffee, you can level up your coffee experience by trying other beverages like iced macchiato, iced cappuccino, or an iced mocha.
Iced macchiato, like iced latte, uses a combination of milk, espresso, and ice, but has more espresso and less milk. It is usually served in a clear glass to show the layers of milk and espresso. Some even prefer topping the iced macchiato with a syrup to make it sweeter and to add flavor. One of the most popular is an iced caramel macchiato .
Iced cappuccino is a mixture of milk and espresso, and is topped with a milk foam. Milk foam can be created by using a simple handheld milk frother.
For those who love chocolatey drinks but also want coffee, an iced mocha is the perfect option. It is a combination of coffee, milk, and chocolate sauce. You can also top it with whipped cream for an extra treat!
How To Make Iced Coffee And Iced Latte
Alright, now that you know about hot brewed coffee, and how to cold brew your coffee, you should feel free to choose which method you’d like to use for your next iced coffee drink.
If you’re feeling very specific and would like to get the full experience, I recommend you cold brew as much coffee as you would need. If you want a quick drink, then an espresso or filter coffee will do just as well.
The difference between an espresso and a filter will be in terms of how strong you like your coffee.
For example if you’re aiming for an iced latte, the coffee would taste stronger if you used a shot of espresso rather than half a cup of filter coffee. Simply because espresso is so much stronger than filter coffee.
If you’d like to go for a lighter iced coffee, with just a bit of milk, then a whole cup of filter coffee, chilled and then poured over ice, will do just fine.
Once you’ve decided how much coffee you want and which type of iced drink you’re going to make, you will need:
- your preferred coffee, brewed whichever way you like
- milk, if you want it
- sugar, if you want it make sure to add when the coffee is warm
- a whole lot of ice
In the tall glass, add the ice. Add as much as you like. Though many places fill the glass almost all the way up with ice, this will kind of rob you of the coffee itself. It works very well if you’re using espresso which is a smaller drink.
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A Little Lesson On Lattes
Before we jump into the instructions on how to make an iced latte, lets learn a little bit about the drink itself. Having decent foundational knowledge will help you tinker with the recipe and make perfect lattes.
A latte is simply coffee and milk. Known as a cafe latte in Italy, where it was originally made, it directly translates to milk coffee. Big companies have shortened the name to simply latte. While most shops you go to will make a latte with espresso, the name suggests that you can use any type of coffee or coffee extraction. Lattes are also typically prepared with steamed milk for a couple of reasons: mouthfeel and flavor. The steamed milk adds a creamy texture to the drink when properly steamed. It also stretches the milk, releasing sugar enzymes and effectively sweetening the drink.
For an iced drink, we wont be steaming the milk because the iced latte has a feel all its own. It could also be a bit of a health risk, as theres a small risk that steamed milk could grow unhealthy bacteria when introduced to the ice.
Now that we know all this, we can see that the iced latte is a pretty simple drink. The most important part is the coffee itself, as everything else is added after the coffee is brewed. So, lets make an iced latte!
Iced Latte Vs Iced Coffee: Calorie Difference
If you’re watching your waistline, this may be the most important question.
Whats the biggest difference between your iced coffee and your iced latte? It’s the milk!
And so lattes are notoriously more calorific than your standard iced coffee.
Coffee contains virtually no calories until milk or sugar are added. Your latte will undoubtedly come with plenty of milk – and its this that can sneak its way onto your waistline.
Remember: the number of calories in your iced coffee or latte will also depend on what type of milk you use, whether you take sugar, and whether you want any extra flavorings like vanilla or caramel.
In most cases, coffee-shop syrups include extra calories, unless you ask for a sugar-free syrup. And if you want to make your coffee at home, shop around for those sugar-free syrups, which come with minimal or no extra calories .
Keep on reading to learn how to make these iced coffee recipes!
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You Can Always Tweak The Recipe
There are ways to make this recipe yours, since there is no real recipe for iced latte or iced coffee, aside from the recommended brewing method.
For example one thing that some people can find annoying is how the drink gets watered down when the ice starts to melt. You can bypass this in two ways.
First is to do what many people do, and get yourself a much stronger coffee to pour over the ice. That is the usual and traditional method.
Another way is to use coffee cubes instead if ice cubes. All this means is that when you’ve brewed your coffee, let it cool for a bit and then fill up an ice cube tray.
It might sound odd, but you’re going to surprise yourself with how good of a hack this is. If you’re in the beginning of summer, and you know you’re an iced coffee/latte fan, then it might be wise to stock up on 2-3 coffee cube trays and keep restocking them as needed.
Of course, this means the actual coffee you brew for the iced coffee and iced latte won’t have to be as strong since the coffee cubes won’t water the drink down.
Other ways of tweaking and adjusting the recipe can include sweetening your drink with a syrup, rather than just sugar. You will need to look for a very liquid syrup, so not one that is very thick or is mostly used for toppings.
A few examples can include a chocolate syrup, caramel, strawberry, anything you like in your coffee, really. I for one am a big strawberry and caramel syrup fan, so that’s what I get in my iced lattes sometimes.
What About An Iced Coffee
Iced coffees arent usually the best option for non-coffee drinkers. Though they may not be as strong as lattes, you still get the bitterness, acidity, and stronger coffee flavor youd expect from a cup of coffee. Even if you add a splash of milk, a bit of sugar, or some syrup, you wont eliminate the distinct flavor or bitterness of the strong coffee brew.
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Iced Chai Latte With Pumpkin Cold Foam
This iced chai latte with pumpkin cold foam is one of the best Starbucks fall drink recipes. Its easy to make this copycat version at home, any time of the year. Chilled, creamy chai tea with a generous topping of pumpkin flavored cold foam. Then a little extra sprinkle of pumpkin spice on top for the ultimate seasonal latte.
Starbucks lattes always taste so fancy and are addictively good, but having them every day can be pricey.
But its actually so easy to make your own at home for a fraction of the cost.
What Is The Best Roast For Iced Latte

Coffee beans will give you an indication on the bag of how strong tasting the coffee will be. The best roasts for lattes are medium and dark roasts because these have a medium to full body, slight acidity, and a few strong undertones. Light roast is not really recommended because the notes of a lightly roasted coffee bean can be a bit underwhelming for milky drinks.
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What Kind Of Milk Should You Use
You can use any kind of milk you want from whole to skim cows milk to almond, soy, or coconut milk. Or any kind of milk in between as long as you love it!
Heavy cream and half-and-half arent really recommended for lattes. Youll be adding 8 ounces of milk to your iced latte and the higher fat content in heavy cream and half-and-half doesnt make them a great option for this drink.
How Do You Make Iced Mocha At Home
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Pour Into Mug & Add Milk
Fill your 16 oz mug with ice. Pour frothed matcha green tea over ice and top with cold milk or any milk alternative.
Pro tip: Use a large spoon to hold back the foam and allow the liquid to pour in first. As the liquid runs out, release the spoon to let the foam fill the balance of the cup
Top with milk for the finishing touch.1% or 2% or whole milk, doesnt matter. In fact, why not make your green tea latte a plant-based drink by using soy, almond, oat or even coconut milk. Sometimes tea can take on a different flavour, depending on the type of milk you choose. Have fun & experiment.
The Milk Is Cold Not Frothed
One of the most important differences, aside from there being ice in the drink, is the way milk is handled.
Or rather, not handled at all.
In a regular latte the milk is steamed and frothed, which results in two things.
First, the drink is smooth and rather creamy due to microfoam and steamed milk.
Second, the overall amount of milk isn’t as much as the volume would suggest. A good portion of it is aerated milk. The barista works with the volume of milk, not the weight of milk.
In an iced latte, this is different. The milk isn’t steamed and thus there is no foam or froth or any form of aerated milk.
Meaning the milk’s volume is pretty much the same as its weight. So, this may result in a much milkier drink than the hot version.
If you’re not a fan of this, you can ask your barista to use a double shot of espresso and the ratio will be similar to the hot latte.
Another point to consider is that the cold milk tends to milk with hot espresso differently than hot milk.
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What Is The Difference Between Espresso And An Iced Latte
Which Drink Is Right For You
It all comes down to personal preference. If you prefer a strong, bitter coffee flavor, then iced coffee is the drink for you. But if you prefer a sweet, creamy coffee drink, then iced lattes are the better choice.
No matter which drinks you choose, both iced coffee and iced lattes are perfect for enjoying on a hot summer day!
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Add Sweetener If Desired
This step is optional, of course. I’m a big fan of sugar free salted caramel syrup. But you do you.
I just recommend that you use some kind of liquid sweetener . That way, the sweetener can dissolve and incorporate into the latte completely. If you use granulated sugar, since the drink is cold, you run the risk of the sugar not dissolving very well and ending up with a gritty drink.
What Is The Best Grind For Iced Latte

When you make an iced latte, one of the main ingredients is espresso. Ideally, espresso uses a fine grind setting but this can vary between medium-fine to ultra-fine depending on your equipment and which coffee beans you use. But usually, grinds for espresso have a particle size of around 0.8 mm.
Experts say the best-tasting coffee should be ground from whole beans. If you can afford it, buy a pricier burr grinder because it can grind the beans to a more uniform particle size than a blade grinder.
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Are Iced Chai Tea Lattes Healthy
Lattes made with chai tea are undeniably mouthwatering, but alas, this delightful beverage is classified as one that is not very healthy for you. The average chai tea latte has 240 calories and 45 grams of sugar in it. Thats the same as a huge coke, right there! If you want to enjoy your chai tea latte in a STRICT manner, you could consider ordering a DIRTY CHAI TEA LATTE instead.
How Do You Make A Latte
Ifyou have an espresso machine at home, then preparing a latte is rather simple.
All you need is an espresso machine, right?
Well, to make a latte with an espressomachine, you need to:
If you are more of a visual learner likemyself, here is a helpful YouTubeVideo!
Dont forget to clean out the machine onceyou are done preparing your latte!
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