Favorite iced coffee?

I love coffee-flavored things (e.g. coffee ice cream!) but never drank coffee itself...however, two weeks ago I was persuaded into trying iced coffee while shopping at an Asian mall in Toronto, Canada. I really enjoyed it! I'm guessing it was sweetened and contained milk. Where do you like to get iced coffee? I tried Starbucks' iced coffee, sweetened + milk, last night. It was good, but I like the ones in Toronto more. Do you believe iced coffee from the coffee shops in Chicago taste incredibly better than our everyday chains like McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, etc? Maybe I'll go on an iced coffee tour this summer...oh gosh, that's begging for stained teeth...

Thai Iced Coffee and a lot of Asian iced coffee is heavily sweetened (often w/condensed milk) and creamed...when I've asked a few Thai restaurants in the past they often told me they use instant coffee, which doesn't really matter once you've put that much sweetener in it - but instant tends to have a leathery, cardboard kind of flavor. I work for Intelligentsia (my unofficial LTH self-outting!) and we love cold brewing coffee for iced purposes; you put coarsely ground coffee sit in cold water for 12 hour, filter out the grounds, and you've got yourself a very buttery cup that doesn't have the angular (acidic) bite of traditionally brewed coffee that has been allowed to cool. If you're ordering unsweetened iced coffee, look for a place that has simple syrup for sweetening, granulated sugar is not going to work well enough to make it sweet like a Thai Iced Coffee. Cheers!

If you are looking for a chocolatey version, my favorite iced mocha is at the Italian Coffee Bar in Evanston on (I believe) Grove and Sherman. They use chocolate Torani syrup, milk and espresso and don't over-do any of it, it's a balanced-towards-slightly bitter summery drink.

There is a thread on cold-brewed coffee here: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=14159

I just made a batch according to the method I posted about in that thread. Interestingly, I wrote in that thread that folks at Intelligentsia recommended to me a 24 hour soak. Maybe next time I'll try a 12 hour soak and see if I notice a difference.

I cold-brew my own concentrate when I think of it but mostly I stick with McDonald's. It's a very good iced coffee (better than Starbucks, cheaper than - and as good as - Intelligentsia). The difficulty in ordering is making sure they understand that I DON'T WANT FLAVORING OR SWEETENER ADDED. You'd think less work would make them happier, but it just confuses them.

Both Italian Coffee Bars in Evanston unfortunately have closed down. At one point there was also one in Highland Park (also closed). Not sure if the one on the Gold Coast is still open. It is too bad- they had some excellent coffee for awhile there

Darren72 wrote:...Interestingly, I wrote in that thread that folks at Intelligentsia recommended to me a 24 hour soak. Maybe next time I'll try a 12 hour soak and see if I notice a difference.

Hmmm, we use the large, 5 gallon Filtron brand cold-brewers and as far as I know we've always served from a 12 hour soak...
24 hours would likely give you more body and depth, but may result in some bitterness and over extraction. If it works for you though...

I really enjoy Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. If you go during their Happy Hours (3-6) you can get any size for $.99. I always get mine with nonfat milk and then add a little sugar-free Hazelnut syrup when I get home

My favorite "iced coffee" is really two shots of espresso with 1/2 and 1/2 and sugar added. Favorite version is at the Unicorn Cafe in Evanston though many others are acceptable. Just as long as the shots aren't too long. Short shorts make a pitiful looking (that's it?) but awesome tasting drink.


eric2

I'm not really a fan of iced coffee but when I was in Dunkin donuts several ladies were in there just raving about how good it is. I did ask them about it and they said that Dunkin donuts makes it just right..right cream and sweetness and it was really good. Me, I am an ice tea drinker. Unsweetened with a wedge of lemon.

If you said you were shopping in an Asian mall in Canada, chances are you got Vietnamese ice coffee. They use a very slow drip of a French coffee with chicory and sweetened condensed milk. The product is strong, sweet but not overpowering. You can find this in almost any Vietnamese bakery or restaurant. Pho 88 under the Argyle Red Line has my favorite.

Has anyone ever tried iced coffee from a Clover machine? Maybe a bit sacrilegious to ice a Clover coffee, but it is seriously the best iced coffee you will ever have. There's a place in Hyde Park that uses Metropolis beans in their clover, and the iced coffee is spectacular. The hot brew the coffee straight into a cup of ice. Dark, strong, and perfectly brewed.

McDonald's iced coffee is still the best! Try the hazelnut, you won't be disappointed.

When I make iced coffee at home, I actually simmer it with spices -- primarily cardamom and cinnamon. Then you don't need as much sweetener. I mix the coffee/spice base about 50/50 with milk -- and pour it over ice. It's a big hit with anyone I've served it to. And now that we've been talking about iced coffee, I feel the sudden need to go make some.

Vietnamese iced coffee-cafe su dah is really good at DonKey located on Broadway just south of Argyle in the strip mall with the dry cleaners and the old block buster.