The 7 Best Iced Coffees in America
Use this nationwide primer to cool off and get wired with a tall glass of icy caffeine.
1. Pure Black at La Colombe Torrefaction
Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Seoul
This iced coffee resembles a beer but it’s actually a sweet, cocoa-laced cold-pressed brew from roasters Jean Philippe Iberti and Todd Carmichael, the host of the crazy coffee bean Travel Channel adventure show, Dangerous Grounds.
2. New Orleans Iced Coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee
San Francisco and New York City
Cold-brewed for 18 hours with roasted chicory and organic cane sugar, Blue Bottle’s iced coffee is rich, potent and addictive. You could easily sip it black, but organic creamy whole milk cuts the bitterness a bit for a perfect morning or afternoon treat.
3. Coffee Julep at Houndstooth Coffee
Austin, Texas
To make this delicious coffee cocktail, Houndstooth uses one chilled espresso with the crema skimmed off, some simple syrup, San Pelligrino, and muddled mint leaves. There’s no bourbon in this, but you’ll still get a delightful buzz, derby-style.
4. Iced Sea Salt Coffee at 85C
Irvine, California
Ice, coffee, sugar, salt, and cream make up this delightfully strange drink made in a milk tea shop in California. It all sounds simple enough, but the result is magical. It’s definitely worth a try next time you’re in the area…
5. Rocketfuel at Sweetleaf
Queens and Brooklyn, New York
Sweetleaf has a 12-18 hour brewing/filtering process with a coffee-water-chicory mixture that they add Grade B maple syrup to for quite the bittersweet experience. Poured over ice and topped with milk, this is how every NYC borough dweller should start their day.
6. Rook Cold Brew
Monmouth County, New Jersey
The co-founders of this quirky coffee business left corporate jobs in NYC to make delicious, complex coffee with beans from Ethiopia, Bali, Guatemala, Honduras, and more. Rook offers a Traditional cold brew concentrate (fresh medium roasted coffee with filtered water) as well as the New Orleans Style (a chicory blend). Both are smooth and best with ice and milk poured over to cut the acidity.
7. Iced Mocha at Barista Parlor
Nashville, Tennessee
Served in a mason jar (because of course it is), this iced treat is perfect for the chocolate lover. (And not the Hershey’s syrup type of chocolate lover… more like the cacao enthusiast who likes their sweets strong and savory.) Barista Parlor adds a shot of espresso from their Slayer to local Hatcher Family Dairy milk, and a ganache made from Brooklyn-based Mast Brothers Chocolates (either the Crown Maple bar or Vanilla and Smoke), and pours it all over ice.
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