Cold brew is made by steeping coarse coffee grounds in cold water for 12–24 hours and never using any heat. The result is very smooth, less acidic, and naturally sweeter than hot coffee. Iced coffee is typically hot-brewed coffee that has been cooled and poured over ice. Cold brew is generally stronger (it’s usually diluted before serving) and smoother. Iced coffee is faster to make but can taste slightly bitter and becomes watery as the ice melts. Both are used in different recipes on this list — cold brew for drinks that benefit from its smoothness, espresso for drinks that need a quick strong hit.

You need: a jar, a coffee filter (or fine mesh sieve), and coarse ground coffee. Method: add 1 cup of coarse ground coffee to a jar with 4 cups of cold water. Stir gently, cover, and refrigerate for 12–24 hours. The longer it steeps, the stronger the concentrate. Strain through a coffee filter or fine mesh sieve into a clean jar. This is your cold brew concentrate — dilute 1:1 with water or milk when drinking. Keeps refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. No cold brew maker, no French press required.

Yes — for every recipe that calls for espresso, you have three alternatives: (1) Use strongly brewed coffee — brew your regular coffee with half the normal amount of water. (2) Use Moka pot coffee — Moka pots are stovetop espresso makers that cost $20–30 and produce strong, espresso-style coffee. (3) Use instant espresso powder dissolved in a tiny amount of hot water — this is the fastest option and works surprisingly well in iced drinks where the espresso is combined with milk and flavour. For cold brew recipes, you just need a jar and a filter.

Store cold brew in a sealed jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. Cold brew concentrate keeps for up to 2 weeks. Cold brew that has already been diluted (mixed with water or milk) keeps for 3–4 days. The flavour is best in the first week — after that it can develop a slightly stale taste. For maximum freshness: store the concentrate undiluted and only dilute the amount you plan to drink right before serving. Never freeze cold brew — it loses its smooth character when thawed.

In order of least-bitter to most-bitter: (1) Iced Coconut Coffee — the coconut milk is naturally sweet and masks bitterness completely. (2) Caramel Iced Latte — the caramel sauce is sweet enough to neutralise any bitterness. (3) Vietnamese Iced Coffee — sweetened condensed milk is very sweet and pairs perfectly with even strong coffee. (4) Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso — the brown sugar syrup adds a caramel sweetness that balances espresso beautifully. (5) Mocha Iced Coffee — chocolate and coffee together are naturally complementary and the sweetness of the syrup tempers any bitterness. Cold brew-based recipes are also naturally less bitter than espresso-based ones because the cold steeping process extracts less of the bitter compounds.