Summer: Iced Latte and Co: Do ​​Grandma’s iced coffee die?

This is cold coffee: this phrase is about an alleged news that is not new. But what about cold coffee in the word sense? It seems to have become very important and popular than ever. Often differently than before. But in turn.

What is certain is that coffee is a favorite drink in this country. Consumption per person in Germany is an average of around 163 liters annually (for comparison: with beer it is only 88 liters, of which 8 liters of alcohol -free).

Cold coffee is often announced in summer: primarily Iced Coffee, Iced Latte (hosted espresso with cool milk), espresso tonic or the in-cocktail espresso martini (Shot espresso with vodka, coffee liqueur, sugar syrup). There is also Cold Brew (cold extracted for hours, which is considered a stomach -friendly).

How much coffee is actually drunk cold remains unclear: “There are no officially comprehensive statistics on the per capita consumption of ice coffee or other cold coffee drinks such as Cold Brew or Iced Coffee,” says a spokeswoman at the German Coffee Association in Hamburg.

Viennese ice coffee versus iced coffee

Earlier in summer in sunshine, grandma ordered an ice coffee in the ice cream parlor around the corner. Classic is the filter coffee, which is cooled in Germany, with two balls of vanilla ice cream and a lot of whipped cream. Usually there is still a cardboard -sweet waffle pastry in it.

This drink, rather a dessert, is called Viennese ice coffee in many places. In contrast, the American Iced Coffee is standing. This is hotly brewed coffee that is cooled and served over ice cubes. Also that, ordered away, often a peppered price despite significantly fewer ingredients.

All of this can still lead to misunderstandings, as observed in a café in Potsdam: an older lady ordered on the terrace Iced Coffee without cream. The operation explains that there is no cream in it anyway.

“Viennese ice coffee stands for cozy coffee house romance, Iced Coffee for social media aesthetics, acceleration, performance-orientation,” says Thomas Stiegler, author of the book “Coffee-35 Cultural Stories for Genießer”.

“The cream and vanilla ice cream are increasingly associated with abundance and past,” says the Austrian. “As a sweet luxurious summer drink, the classic ice coffee once symbolized prosperity in the post -war decades in the German -speaking world.” Gone time.

Change in coffee consumption through gen z and millennials

Since the 2010s, under the influence of global trends of the ICED Coffee as a more puristic drink – mostly without milk or sugar, often with vegetable milk alternatives or ingredients such as tonic water, citrus notes or floral syrups. “Iced Coffee stands for energy and aesthetics and is aimed primarily at a young, health -conscious and media -savvy audience.”

Stiegler (51) explains: “The change in coffee consumption is strongly shaped by the generation Z and the millennials, which are no longer primarily seen as a traditional drink, but as a lifestyle. Refreshment instead of cosiness, style instead of saturation.” The so -called gene Z and the millennials mean between around 16 and early forty.

Platforms such as Instagram or Tikok make cold coffee a viral star; Influencers like to stage drinks as lifestyle. Many trends come from the USA, Australia and South Korea.

This is how the coffee consumption has changed enormously, says coffee expert Stiegler. “On the one hand, there is a rather functional use. Coffee to go, Cold Brew in cans, caffeine -containing lemonades. Coffee becomes a means of self -optimization, especially in urban centers: quick, efficient, everywhere.” At the same time, there is a smaller counter -movement that attaches great importance to sustainable origin, craftsmanship and enjoyment.

Cold coffee as an energy drink

In the United States, market researchers have been reporting for a long time that young adults in particular like to drink cold coffee. As a result, they stand out from older generations. Cold coffee drinks can be easily adapted: with syrup, toppings, which are in the oversupply for American coffee house chains, for example. The additives sweeten the actually bitter coffee taste.

Many are not even aware that a frappuccino at Starbucks quickly contains dozens of grams of sugar – or simply latte. Cold drinks fans and occasional coffee drinkers don’t care that a coffee drink may contain very little real coffee. They primarily want a refreshment in hot everyday life – and see cold coffee as an energy drink.

The trend drink Matcha latte also goes in this direction: Matcha is a powder of ground green tea. With frothed milk (or milk replacement), the green, invigorating drink has developed into a popular alternative to the latte macchiato – warm, but also cold. Shirin David sang right at the beginning of her summer hit “Bauch legs Po”: “Iced Matcha Latte, too late at the Pilates; kisses left, kisses right, I’m wearing something today.”