Are you a dedicated lover of coffee, just like me? Then you will know the struggle of choosing one between iced latte vs. iced coffee.
For someone who doesn’t drink much coffee, it might seem trivial. But for a person who loves to drink coffee, the difference matters a lot.
It’s a constant struggle for me to choose one when I go to a café. Now, the struggle gets easier when you learn the differences between both of them. They are hard to pick up, so stay focused as I take you through them.
What Is An Iced Latte?
Before we get into the differences let’s learn their individuality first. So, what is an iced latte?
A latte is the type of coffee that uses an espresso coffee shot with some steamed milk and a topping of foam.
Now, if you prefer to have flavor then you can add some vanilla or mocha in there.
When you add some ice into the usual latte you get an iced latte. That’s pretty much it.
- Ingredients Amount
In a typical latte, you will find around 175ml to 240ml steamed milk for every espresso shot.
This means if you are using two shots of espresso you have to double the milk amount. W
whether you choose the lower number or higher number depends on your taste.
A usual cup of latte would have two espresso shots in them. That’s how they go in the coffee shops. Just remember espresso shot is the main ingredient for any coffee you make.
And the specialty of latte is the steamed milk and foam toppings.
- How Is The Taste?
Taking a sip of iced latte coffee is unlike anything else. The espresso shot in the latte will give a caffeine kick.
The steamed milk brings out the sweet and creamy texture of the coffee. And the foam on the topping just binds both the tastes together and takes it to another level.
What Is An Iced Coffee?
To put it simply, an iced coffee is just coffee made with water and some added ice. Keep in mind that the coffee here is normal brewed coffee. There is no specialized coffee for this purpose. 
- Ingredients Amount
What makes a good iced coffee? The first thing to make sure is you are brewing a strong coffee.
You will need to brew something stronger than a regular cup of coffee for your iced coffee.
Because apart from the water there is added ice which eventually adds up more water in the coffee.
- How Does It Taste?
The reason you are going for an iced coffee rather than a regular coffee is the coldness of ice. When you take a sip, it might come as a surprise but iced coffee tends to be stronger than regular coffee.
While you might not notice that instantly, it’s something that will surely catch you off guard when you drink both regularly.
Differences Between Iced Coffee And Iced Latte
There are a lot of differences between an iced coffee and an iced latte. You will need different ingredients, different tastes, a different method of making.
I will start with how you can make iced coffee and iced latte. This way you can try them out and learn the differences in yourself. Let’s get going then.
- How To Make An Iced Latte?
I don’t know if there is any universal way of making a latte. I will be sharing my recipe and the way I learned it.
I have tried enough latte from different cafes and the taste is pretty similar to that. So, you can rest assured of this recipe.
- I start off making an iced latte with some ice on the glass. This way it doesn’t get messy while making the coffee. You can add them later if you want.
- Then, you have to take two shots of espresso. Now, keep in mind that this is for a general serving of a coffee mug. Also, I like to drink strong coffee. You can try it out with a single shot of espresso. But make sure it’s espresso and not any other coffee.
- After that take some milk and pour them into the glass. Use the amount I described earlier in this article. Also, add some sugar according to your taste. This is optional. If you don’t want sugar you can avoid it.
- If you have a shaker to shake the coffee then use it. It blends all the ingredients properly and gives it an enriched taste. Once you get that out of the shaker you will see a foamy topping in your coffee. That’s when you know your iced latte is ready.
- Now, pour the coffee in a glass and serve it to yourself.
Following this procedure properly will give you a perfect cup of latte. What does it taste like? With perfection, you can get a bit of caramel-like taste from your iced latte. Watch this video to learn how to make it.
- How To Make An Iced Coffee?
The typical coffee recipe is pouring the ingredients into a cup and mix them. However, that doesn’t help you in any way, right? So, just follow along with my way of making the tastiest iced coffee.
- The core ingredient of iced coffee is strongly brewed coffee. You have to brew a stronger coffee than your regular coffee for a perfect iced coffee.
- Now for the brew, you can either go for a regular brew or cold brew. That’s up to you. If you want a strong caffeine kick from your coffee then cold brew is the way to go.
- After brewing the coffee, you can add some water or some milk if you want. You can also add cream to your liking. These are required for the taste and form of the coffee.
- Finally, end things up with some ice cubes on the glass.
Now, watch this short video to see how to prepare it.
This whole coffee can become an energizing drink for you. As you get a kick of the caffeine with some added punch from the ice. It’s refreshing and energizing in the summer.
Now, aside from the different methods, there is some difference you can notice in them.
- The Ingredients
One of the core differences is the ingredients you use in both these coffees. For a perfect latte, you have to use espresso shots.
Otherwise, you can’t even call it a latte. Whereas for an iced coffee you just need to use regular brewed coffee. This works for both regular brew and cold brew.
Coming to the other ingredients, you will need to have some steamed milk in a latte. That is another component that makes latte the coffee it is.
So, there is no ignoring that. On the other hand, steamed milk isn’t compulsory in an iced coffee. You can use any liquid like water or cream or any form of milk.
Another aspect of the latte is the foam. You can’t call it a complete latte if there is no foamy texture on it. The combination of an espresso shot, steamed milk, and foam is what latte is about.
Whereas, for an iced coffee, you don’t need to have any of that. Just regular coffee brew made with ice can be an iced coffee.
- Ease Of Preparation
It might be hard to digest but making a latte is much easier than making iced coffee. The reason is you don’t have to do any brewing for a latte.
You can take some espresso shots, add milk, sugar, and ice that’s it you have made a perfect iced latte.
On the other hand, you have to brew your coffee beans for a perfect iced coffee. It will take some time away from your day.
Especially, if you are someone lazy like I am, you would probably prefer a cup of iced latte over an iced coffee.
- Taste And Effect
Here, it’s mostly about the caffeine effect for each coffee. On paper, espresso shots have more caffeine than regular brewed coffee. And if you are making the same amount then a latte might be stronger.
However, that depends on what kind of coffee beans you are using. Depending on that the strongness of your coffee will change. Sometimes a latte can feel strong and sometimes an iced coffee will feel more caffeinated.
- Required Time To Make
It might seem like none of them needs too much time to prepare. But that’s only true for the latte. If you want to enjoy a perfect glass of iced coffee you will need to put 7 to 8 hours into them. Shocking, right?
Well, I was shocked too when I found this out.
So, the reason for this is that it can take up to 8 hours for a regular coffee to blend in properly. Only then you can get the true taste of coffee. Whereas for the true latte experience you can spend some minutes on it.
Final Words
Well, now you know the differences between iced latte vs. iced coffee. As you can tell by them if you are a coffee freak you would love to try both.
For a stronger taste, you can go for a latte but that comes with some added fat too. And for a less caffeine experience, you can brew some coffee and make an iced coffee for yourself.
It works either way. At the end of the day, it comes down to what you enjoy personally.
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