When the temperature rises, espresso becomes too intense and hot filter coffee — too much. Summer doesn't mean giving up specialty coffee. It means changing your method. Here are 5 ways to make cold coffee, each with a distinct aromatic profile.
1. Cold Brew — the sweetest, least acidic
Coarsely ground coffee in cold water, 12-18 hours in the fridge. Result: chocolatey profile, natural sweetness, 60% less acidity than hot coffee. Ideal for very hot days, when you want something easy on the stomach.
Quick recipe: 80g coarse coffee + 1L cold water, fridge for 18h, strain through a paper filter. Full recipe here →
Best origins: Brazil Yellow Bourbon, Honduras Natural, Indonesia Sumatra. Sweet-chocolatey profiles bring out the best in cold brew.
2. Iced V60 (Japanese Iced) — cold coffee in 4 minutes
For when you want cold coffee today, not tomorrow. Brew a normal V60, but with ice in the bottom carafe. Hot water extracts the flavors, ice cools instantly. Result: cold coffee but with the clear profile of a hot pour-over.
Recipe: 15g coffee, 150g ice in the bottom carafe, 100ml hot water 92°C in 3 pours (50g, 25g, 25g, total 100g). The ice melts, leaving you with 250ml of balanced cold coffee.
Best origins: Tanzania, Honduras Washed, Kenya — coffees with floral acidity that shine when cold.
3. Cold Drip — the most elegant, the slowest
Cold drip (or Dutch slow drip) lets cold water drip drop by drop through ground coffee for 3-5 hours. The result is similar to cold brew but with more clarity (clean filter). It's a less practical procedure at home (requires special equipment like a Yama Cold Drip Tower) but visually spectacular.
At the coffee shop, if you have the tower installed, it's also a show for customers.
4. Coffee Tonic — summer's surprise
50ml espresso (or cold brew concentrate) + 150ml tonic water + lemon slice + ice. Sounds strange — it's absolutely delicious. The acidity of the coffee + the bitterness of the tonic + the sweetness of the lemon make a refreshing non-alcoholic cocktail with surprising aromatic complexity.
Pro tip: use a premium tonic (Fever-Tree, Schweppes Premium) — it makes a difference.
5. Espresso Tonic with Citrus — the bar's specialty
A more elegant variation of the coffee tonic: double espresso (36ml), 120ml tonic, 30ml fresh orange (or grapefruit) juice, syrups infused with flame / vanilla / cardamom. Served in a tall glass with ice. At Incognito we make seasonal variations based on what we have fresh.
Come on Friday or Saturday, talk to the team, recommend what we have.
How to choose the method
- You want something light, sweet, for all day: Cold Brew
- You want something quick today: Iced V60
- You want something spectacular / for guests: Cold Drip
- You want a non-alcoholic cocktail: Coffee Tonic
- You want a high-end experience at the coffee shop: Espresso Tonic at Incognito
At Incognito you'll find all five of these methods on the summer menu — or you can buy freshly roasted coffee and equipment (V60, Cold Brew Bottle) to make them at home.