Capital Caff: Cold Coffee Beyond Iced
Don't talk to me until I've read Capital Caff: Your guide to the latest in coffee happenings around Beijing.
Whether it’s summer in the ‘Jing, you’re just looking to cool off, or a heatwave is on the way, one way to fend off the heat and keep caffeinated while you’re at it is an iced coffee. The only thing is, iced coffee kinda sucks.
Here’s the reason why -- all that ice is gonna melt and just dilute the drink. Thus if you order an iced Americano, it’ll soon be a water Americano. That iced latte? Now it’s a coffee with watery milk.
Here are a few other cold coffee drinks you can try that won’t get watered down in the heat.
This cold coffee drink doubles as
dessert. Sometimes known as affogato al caffè, this Italian drink sees
ice cream or gelato combined with hot espresso. While it does melt the
ice cream, it makes for something a little creamier than if it’s ice
diluting the coffee.
There are a number of Beijing-based cafes
that do this, ones we’d recommend are (RMB 45), which does
theirs with chocolate gelato; and (RMB 45), which sends
their espresso delivered in cool test tube-looking things.
Ok, so this one is technically watered
down, but it’s not so watered down that you’re just drinking coffee bean
powder water. This beverage, which also hails from Italy, sees freshly
brewed espresso combined with ice in a cocktail shaker. It’s then shaken
vigorously for a few seconds to give it a nice foam before being poured
into a glass.
While this one is easy to make on your own (all
you need is a cocktail shaker, ice, and freshly brewed espresso), if
you’re keen on ordering one done right, Buona Bocca has you covered once
again, with their shakerato on offer for RMB 45.
Essentially coffee that’s brewed using
cold water over an extended period of time (say eight to 12 hours or
so), cold brew is great when you’re in a rush or if you’re looking for
something chilled that locks in all the aromas and flavors of a freshly
brewed cup.
Most Beijing coffee shops sell their own bottled cold
brew, and you can even find it on the cheap in 7-11 or other convenience
stores. Personal favorites would be the cold brews from (RMB 36) and (RMB 48).
So let’s say you still want ice with
your coffee but don’t want it watered down. What about coffee ice cubes?
Better yet, what about cold brew coffee with coffee ice cubes?
delivers here with a bottle of cold brew delivered
with a container filled to the brim with big cubes of coffee ice for RMB
29. This is definitely a chilled coffee drink that can be enjoyed over
time, and they even offer up flavors like pineapple (RMB 29), as well as
their own variation on affogato (RMB 42).
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Images: Oak & Bond Coffee Co. (via Unsplash), the Beijingers, Dianping
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