Korean-Style Cold Coffee with Recipes: From Ice Americano to Quarantine Drink “Dalgona”

In South Korea, it is not customary to visit each other, but at the same time, Koreans are very sociable. That is why they meet in coffee shops. Friendly get-togethers or business meetings, but you can’t do without coffee! It is interesting that the love for coffee was instilled in Koreans by Russians – we wrote about this recently.

In the new article, read about the most favorite coffee drinks of Koreans and write down how to prepare them!

The most favorite coffee among Koreans is iced Americano

Koreans have a saying: “Even if I freeze to death, I will still drink iced Americano!” This drink confidently occupies the leading position in the Korean coffee rating. In second and third place are latte and espresso.

Koreans drink iced Americano all year round, including in winter (and winter in Korea, despite the country’s location, can be quite cold). Where did this love come from?

Here’s what a survey conducted in Korea among iced coffee lovers showed:

1. Americano has a low price and good quality. The lower limit is 1000 won, which is about one dollar (extremely cheap for Korea!).
2. Many people choose iced Americano for its taste – refreshing, sour and bitter. Just what you need to perk up and get ready for work! And Koreans love and know how to study and work.
3. Koreans live by the principle of “palli-palli” (“quick-quick”), so many do not take hot coffee: it needs time to cool down, and there is never enough time! So the best option is to grab a glass of iced Americano and drink it while running from the bus stop to the university campus or office. Again, less risk of getting burned on the run.
4. Many Koreans (especially Korean women) count calories, and iced Americano is one of the most harmless options. After all, in Korea it is customary to serve it without syrups, so there are about 2-5 kcal in a cup, depending on its volume.

Popular Korean Cold Coffee Recipes

In addition to iced Americano, Koreans also love the famous quarantine dalgona coffee, which became popular during lockdowns, when visiting coffee shops became impossible and many began to prepare drinks at home ( read about it in our article ).

Watch how we make dalgona coffee using three different methods at once – a whisk, a frother and a mixer.

But we will tell you more about the classic Korean iced coffee. It can be prepared in two ways: brew it as usual and then cool it with ice or steep it in cold water using the cold brew method.

The first way

You can take ready-made ground coffee or grind the beans yourself. To make the taste more “Korean”, you need to choose a dark roast. Make coffee in an espresso machine or brew in a Turk. Pour ice (large pieces) into a glass to the top, then fill the ice halfway with cold water. And only then add espresso, slowly pouring it into the glass. Stir well – and enjoy!

The second way

The cold brew method involves steeping ground coffee in cold water. Pour 1 tablespoon of coffee into 100 ml of cold water, stir, and refrigerate. The drink should steep for at least 12 hours. If you want to get not too strong coffee, then take 1 teaspoon of coffee for the same amount of water.

Ready cold brew can be diluted with water or milk, syrup and even juice (mango or peach juice is best). Cold brew also goes well with alcohol – it is often used to make cocktails, mixing it with rum or sweet liqueurs. And, of course, you can drink this coffee neat, enjoying the rich taste of the invigorating drink.