As the temperature changes from those frigid single digit numbers to high 60’s during the day and low 50’s at night, the conversation has begun yet again of Iced Coffee vs. Hot Coffee. Both coffees are exactly the same but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, one has ice and the other doesn’t; there’s your difference!
But to break it down even further, there are people that will strictly drink hot coffee and think iced is gross, or they will strictly drink iced and think hot is gross. Coffee, just like everything else, is based on personal preference.
Here are my thoughts on which you should choose; if you’re a first-time coffee drinker, get cold brew. When ice is added to the coffee, it separates the rich taste that coffee has and breaks it down to make it less “insane” when it hits your pallet. But in general, definitely iced coffee. What to put in your coffee will depend on what you like. If you enjoy the coffee taste, do cream, milk, half & half, almond milk or coconut milk. If you want a little sweeter, ask for sugar.
As for hot coffee, if you’re home, try a creamer that’s not too sweet and do half a spoonful of raw sugar, this is what I highly recommend. If you run out to get your hot coffee, ask for cream and sugar because some places have different coffee beans than others so cream and sugar will keep it simple and standard across the board.
Dunkin’ has many different flavors when it comes to their coffee from caramel mocha, mocha, butter pecan, caramel, French vanilla, cookie dough, white chocolate raspberry, and rocky road. My advice if you go with one of these choices is to order as follows: medium hot mocha coffee with cream. No. Sugar. It’s already sweet enough and the sugar will be a massive overload! But, if you like the sweet, then go for it.
The place at which to get your coffee is not something people thought about 10 years ago, but now new and hip coffee places are popping up left and right. Where to get your coffee will be based on what you like, how strong you like your coffee, and if freshness is important to you. Dunkin’ has a large number of flavors and blends. The breakdown of blends includes Original Blend, Dark Roast, and Dunkin’ Decaf. The flavored shots, that are unsweetened and sugar free, consist of French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Toasted Almond, Blueberry, Raspberry, and Coconut. Lastly, the flavored swirls consist of Caramel, French Vanilla, Hazelnut, and Mocha. If you’re looking for freshness from Dunkin’, the best time to go is in the morning before 9am. Anytime after that, you may run into some problems of the coffee not being good or fresh.
Speaking of fresh coffee, the number one place you have to check out at least once in your lifetime is Rook Coffee Roasters. I will give you a warning that their coffee is very strong and has a bite to it. Rook offers hot coffee and their cold brew, but it’s made to order and the coffee concentrate comes from a keg underneath their coffee counter, so it’s a coffee bar which is really sweet!
Sticking with the cold brew because personally, that’s what Rook does best, if you like it light get a Regular Latte Style with Almond Milk and Raw Sugar. If you want your coffee a little darker, get the next one up which is the cold brew New Orleans style with Almond Milk and 2 pumps of Raw Sugar.
The best advice I can give for this topic is if you’re like me and you don’t care about the weather, get the cold brew all year around – you won’t regret it! Get the hot coffee here and there, but stick to the cold and make sure to drink it in moderation and not quickly like it’s water. Remember, it’s coffee!
PHOTO TAKEN by Sal Lagrotteria
