Iced Latte vs Iced Coffee: Facts and Tips

If you enjoy coffee, you must know the difference between iced latte vs iced coffee. Even though iced coffee and iced lattes appear to be smooth, pleasant, and refreshing beverages, there are some significant distinctions between them. This will be a very interesting topic after the comparison between latte vs coffee.

These two drinks are created differently, with various ingredients and processes. But the most straightforward answer is that one uses brewed coffee and the other espresso.

In addition, the iced latte has more milk than the iced coffee.

Which of these popular cold coffee drinks should you choose? You could get these two mixed up at some time.

Continue reading to learn more about the differences between these cold caffeinated beverages. Because if you’re not a coffee drinker, you could be confused as to why these aren’t the same.

Let’s compare and contrast iced latte and iced coffee…

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. What Is an Iced Latte?
2. Difference between Iced latte vs iced coffee
3. How to prepare Iced Latte?
4. How to prepare Iced Coffee?
5. Iced Latte vs Iced Coffee Calorie difference
6. Iced Coffee vs Iced Latte Caffeine difference
7. F.A.Q.

What Is an Iced Latte?

The iced latte is a popular coffee beverage that combines espresso, poured milk, and ice. A double espresso is dispensed from an espresso machine. The quantity of milk may vary between 175 ml and 250 ml (occasionally more). When poured over ice, this makes the beverage reasonably strong.

Difference Between Iced Latte Vs Iced Coffee

While both beverages contain coffee and need ice, an iced latte includes a significant quantity of cold milk. On the other hand, iced coffee can be made using black coffee, a small amount of milk, and ice.

The crucial difference between the two is the amount of milk in each, or more precisely, the coffee to milk ratio.

Coffee to milk ratio

Furthermore, the ratio of coffee to milk in each drink is the primary difference between them. 

Iced Coffee contains:

• Ice
• Brewed Coffee
• Little to NO Milk

If you like, you can add milk to your iced coffee, but there isn’t usually enough room. 

Iced Latte contains:

• Ice
• 1 or 2 Shots of Espresso
• A large amount of Milk (1:8)

An Iced Latte is sweeter than a regular latte because it contains more Milk, creamer, or condensed milk. 

But if you prefer a sweeter Lattee, add sugar to the Espresso before it is poured over the Ice. Thus the sugar will melt much faster. 

In Starbucks, you can tell the barista when you order a drink.

Because an Iced Latte has more Milk than Coffee, it will not have a strong flavor. 

If you want a coffee drink that’s halfway between an iced coffee and an iced latte, try an iced cafe Misto (café au lait) or an iced cappuccino with cold foam. To be called a cappuccino, it must have foamed milk on top. Hot foamed milk is likely to leak directly into the chilly beverage, which is why an iced cappuccino is rarely part of the menu.

Preparation methods

Brewing coffee cold is the most acceptable way to serve it over ice. It appears to be the most delicate technique to brew coffee for a drink that will be served cold. The point here is not to lose the flavor and aroma due to the evaporation of the hot coffee.

Making coffee hot and then chilling it is that the flavor is lost, and putting it in the fridge will not help. The coffee will stay cold, but the taste will be mostly gone. It won’t lose caffeine, so you don’t have to be concerned about that. It’s only the flavor that will be different.

So, if you’re trying to make an iced coffee or iced latte, you’ll need warm water. That’ll be the same quantity of water you’ll need, but heated to roughly 32 degrees Celsius, with double the number of coffee grounds you’d need for a typical coffee. Cover the pot with a sturdy, airtight lid after the coffee has bloomed and the grounds have expanded somewhat. Finding a nice glass container with a secure cover is recommended.

After it’s finished brewing, filter it into whichever container you need it to go into. Even if you believe you’re being careful about leaving the coffee grounds in the pot, no one enjoys coffee grounds in their drink.
Because it takes so long to brew (around 8 hours), this isn’t a very usual technique to prepare coffee, even if it’s for an iced coffee or latte. An espresso or filter coffee is faster and easier for the barista when requested.

How To Prepare Iced Latte?

The iced latte is a popular espresso-based coffee drink with ice and cold milk. An espresso machine pulls a double shot of espresso, and the amount of milk can range from 175ml to 250ml. When poured over ice, the beverage becomes rather huge.

For a simple iced latte recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Ice cubes
• Espresso (double shot)
• Milk (175-250 ml, full cream or light)

To make an Iced Latte, follow these steps:

1. Using an espresso machine, make a double espresso.
2. Fill your glass with ice cubes.
3. Put the Milk in the shaker (and sugar if you like it sweet).
4. Start shaking the Milk until you have a creamy foam.
5. Pour the Milk over the Ice.
6. Pour the espresso over the Milk.

Take a sip and chill.

Tips for the best iced latte

• Don’t pour espresso straight over ice. The espresso flavor will change if it comes into touch with ice right away.
• Pour the espresso last, using just enough milk to keep the surface of the espresso slightly over the ice for a delightful visual effect. Stir to ensure a consistent taste, or leave stacked for a more rustic look.
• As with hot lattes or magic coffees, iced lattes can be made with ristretto shots.
• If you want a sweeter latte, use liquid sweeteners or syrups instead of granulated sugar because granulated sugar will not dissolve in an iced latte.

• It is not good to pour espresso directly over ice or vice versa. If espresso comes into direct contact with ice, the flavor will change.
• Pour the espresso into the glass last, with just enough milk to cover the ice for a delightful visual effect. The espresso pours down. That effect is similar to an iced macchiato. Stir to combine flavors, or leave stacked.
• Like hot lattes or magic coffees, iced lattes can be made using ristretto shots.
• Granulated sugar doesn’t dissolve in cold drinks. Instead, use liquid sweeteners or syrups to make your coffee sweeter. This is because granulated sugar won’t dissolve in an iced coffee.
• To make a homemade iced latte, you can’t make it before you need it. Oxidation will quickly ruin the quality of the espresso, even if the espresso can blend with milk.

How To Prepare Iced Coffee?

To make a drink that tastes like the Best Starbucks Iced Coffee, start by deciding which technique you want to utilize. A filter coffee machine, coffee plunger, stovetop coffee maker, pour-over coffee maker, and even instant coffee can be used to complete this brew.

Coffee is frequently made double-strength so as not to become excessively watered down when added to ice. It may be created using hot or brewed coffee that has been cooled in the refrigerator. As with hot coffee, milk, flavor, and sugar can be added.

To make iced coffee at home, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Freshly brewed coffee (200-250 ml)
• Cubes of ice
• Sugar and milk (optional)

To make that brew using hot coffee, follow these steps:

1. Use your chosen brew technique to make double-strength coffee.
2. Place ice cubes in your glass and pour the coffee over them.
3. Because the first pour of hot coffee will melt part of the ice, fill the glass with extra ice.
4. As desired, add milk, flavor, and liquid sugar.
5. Take a sip and relax!

You may also prepare regular-strength coffee and store it in the refrigerator. Keep the coffee in a sealed container or jar, and when you’re ready to drink it, just add some ice. If you frequently drink iced coffee and want to prepare it ahead of time, this is a good alternative.

Tips for the best iced coffee

• If you want a strong pot of coffee, all you need is the best water for coffee and… coffee!
• Try out a variety of coffees to discover how they taste. Tanzania, Guatemala, and Africa are some of the best places to start.
• Use simple syrup instead of regular sugar to ensure that the sweetener dissolves completely. Any artificial or sugar-alternative sweetener can also generate a simple syrup.
• Premade coffee will keep for approximately a week and taste great for 2-3 days.

Iced Latte vs Iced Coffee Calorie difference

Because coffee has nearly no calories, the milk added to each cup is the only calorie variable.

For one serving of coffee, an iced latte requires 3/4 cup (0.18 l) of milk; the number of calories in your latte will vary based on the milk you use. Based on 3/4 cup (0.18 l) of milk, the following calories are calculated:

On the other hand, iced coffee has no calories because it is prepared entirely of black coffee with no added ingredients.

If you enjoy your iced coffee with a splash of milk, though, the number of calories will rise.

When 1 oz (30 ml) of milk is used per serving of iced coffee, the following calories are calculated:

Iced coffee is the way to go if you want to lose weight. You may add as much milk or other ingredients as you like to your coffee, but the base has no calories.

Due to the amount of milk used in the iced latte, it includes much more calories.

Iced Coffee Vs Iced Latte Caffeine Difference

Before you go into the caffeine differences between iced coffee and an iced latte, you need to figure out which coffee you’ll be utilizing for the iced coffee.

Iced coffee may be made using different brewing methods, including a French press, Hario V60, or even a Chemex. The quantity of caffeine in each brewing method varies:

Caffeine quantities vary by method but are based on one cup of coffee per serving of iced coffee. On the other hand, an iced latte has 136 mg of caffeine from two espresso shots. This is calculated by multiplying the caffeine amount of one espresso shot by two (68 mg).

If you want to cut down on your caffeine intake, an iced latte is a better choice than an iced coffee because it has far less caffeine per drink. If you want to reduce your consumption even further, try a single shot of espresso instead of a double.

F.A.Q.

Is iced coffee better than an iced latte?

Iced lattes do not have more caffeine than iced coffee. While Iced Latte has around 136mg (2 Espresso shots), Iced Coffee has more. Iced Latte has a more balanced and smooth flavor due to the milk used. In contrast, Iced Coffee has a robust taste of coffee. It is a big glass filled with Ice and Cold, Brewed Coffee.

As you can see, both drinks differ.

If you are looking for a more smooth flavor, the Iced Latte is better.

If you are looking for low calories and high caffeine content, Iced Coffee will be the best choice.

How many calories are in an iced latte?

The Milk used 3/4 cup (0.18 l) will give the following calories:

• If you use 2% Milk, the calories will be around 92.
• For a Whole Milk, the calories will be about 110.
• If you use Non-fat Milk, the calories will be approximately 65.

What has more caffeine iced coffee or iced latte?

Iced coffee has more caffeine than Iced Latte.

Iced Latte can be prepared with one or two Espresso shots. The caffeine content in one Espresso Shot is 68mg.

On the other hand, Iced coffee can have different caffeine content depending on the brewing methods used. For French Press – 223mg, Hario V60 – 185mg, and Chemex – 172mg.

Final Words

Though both are cold, caffeinated drinks, there are significant variations between an iced latte and an iced coffee, as you can see. The following are the two primary distinctions between the two beverages:

• The iced latte uses espresso, but the iced coffee uses standard brewed coffee.
• The iced latte uses more milk than espresso, while the iced coffee does not (though you can add it).

Because espresso has more caffeine than ordinary coffee, the iced latte contains more caffeine than an iced coffee.
If you don’t add milk to your iced coffee, the iced latte will have more calories because milk as an ingredient. If calories are a concern for you, make your iced latte using low or non-fatty milk.

So, which is the best option? It’s nearly always going to be the iced latte, in my opinion!

However, why not order or make both and discover which one you prefer?