Shanghai's best cheap iced coffees

Here at Time Out we're mostly fuelled by our enthusiasm for iced coffee – especially in this heat. In fact, if you took a blood sample from the very worst of the java fiends in the office, you'd probably find more caffeine than haemoglobin present. 

However, when you're sustaining this level of addiction, the quality of the fix tends to take a backseat to that most banal of considerations: price. We're vaguely okay with drinking all kinds of slop, as long as we can afford it with the crumpled one-kuai notes shoved about our persons.

Iced latte, Lawsons

8RMB

While it might look like a cup of off-coloured milk, it does taste like an actual latte. Plus, it's 8RMB and available 24 hours of the day.

Americano, Wheely's

15RMB

Thanks to a double-shot policy, the Wheely's Americano will have you bouncing off the walls for hours. Seriously good value.

Americano, McDonald's

17RMB

McCafé's finest is a reasonably priced, well-sized 'robust roast' and it gets bonus points because you can buy in the same place as a portion of sneaky lunchtime fries.

Creme brulee iced latte, 7-Eleven

14RMB

Basically the same sort of flavoured latte you'll find at Starbucks, but for less than half the price. For those who avoid hefty slugs of saccharine in their coffee, 7-Coffee's iced Americano is also good and only 10RMB. 7-Coffee stays open around the clock.

Coffee Chocolate Frappe, Family Mart

14RMB

While we can't testify to the actual coffee content of Family Mart's Coffee Chocolate Frappe, it tastes great and it's icy blend is ideal for summer.

Americano, Coco's

8RMB

Okay, so there's not much positive that we can say about the taste of this Coco offering without being sued for dishonesty; it's sour and a little burnt, with an aftertaste that seems best summarised by the description 'like an ashtray'. However, it is 8RMB for a cup and with a splash of milk you'll hardly notice.

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