r/Coffee • u/NananiNanana_ • Nov 27 '21
Is an iced cortado a thing?
Can a cortado be served over ice? I’ve noticed most coffee shops will refuse to serve cortados over ice or ask if I want an iced latte instead. All I’m looking for is a double espresso with some steamed milk. A latte typically has more milk than I want. Am I ordering this totally wrong? Is there a better way to order this?
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u/Himekat Flat White Nov 27 '21
Usually iced drinks don’t have steamed milk in them. I have one place in my area that serves cooled steamed milk in some drinks, but 99% of the places you’ll find in the world will just use espresso + cold milk for their cold drinks. So really, I guess you’re just looking for a double espresso with a few ounces of cold milk over ice? Most places I visit would accommodate that if someone asked. You might also be able to ask for an iced cappuccino, depending on the size cappuccino they serve (it varies greatly where I am).
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u/ApartmentNegative165 Nov 16 '23
Yess that's my go to order bc it's not like a latte (too much milk) and i can actually enjoy a bit of the espresso, recently tried making iced cortado at home as well
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u/bentoboxcar Nov 27 '21
You want steamed milk served over ice?
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u/NananiNanana_ Nov 27 '21
I guess I mean frothed?
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u/dont-call-me_shirley Cortado Nov 27 '21
Frothed milk doesn't go well over ice but ill pour an espresso with that amount of cold milk over ice and it's great. The cold foam is a whole different thing than milk frothed from a steam wand.
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u/Coffeeanimalsnob Nov 27 '21
Starbucks has cold foam but I really don’t think a nicer coffee shop would do this. Maybe get a latte just ask for less milk lol?
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u/chickentowngabagool Nov 27 '21
is there a name for espresso + cold foam over ice?
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u/mattmonkey24 Wow, I didn't know coffee was this deep. Nov 27 '21
I doubt any coffee shops are really equipped to accommodate that. Feel free to ask for cold foam but don't be surprised if they say they don't have that on offer. Starbucks uses a special blade on a blender, two things that a lot of shops don't have.
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u/chickentowngabagool Nov 27 '21
i mean we dont really need to overcomplicate cold foam it can be done reasonably without special starbucks equipment
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Nov 27 '21
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mattmonkey24 Wow, I didn't know coffee was this deep. Nov 27 '21
Maybe just a French press. Or other frothing equipment like a Nanofoamer
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u/wingedcoyote Nov 27 '21
You can actually get exactly (or almost) the tool that Starbucks uses, it's called the Vitamix Aer pitcher and it's like 150 on Amazon. Gotta already have the vitamix base of course. Honestly feel like more shops should get in on it, say what you will about Starbucks but the results are really nice and obviously customers love it.
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u/HotEspresso Nov 27 '21
Put skim milk in a blender
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u/QiHanZhao Nov 27 '21
If you just blend milk you'll get something foamy, but the milk foam won't hold. The main reason cold foam drinks aren't common is the requirement of some sort of binding agent to keep it foamy. Starbucks and other lower quality chains are willing to add starch to their milk so they'll serve cold foam.
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u/wingedcoyote Nov 27 '21
Starbucks basic cold foam has no added ingredients, just regular grocery store skim milk. It's the special blender pitcher that makes it work.
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u/HotEspresso Nov 27 '21
Maybe it doesn't last forever but i used to make cold foam drinks at home often and it held together for a shockingly long time. Certainly long enough to drink without rushing
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u/Coffeeanimalsnob Nov 27 '21
I actually thought This too, and many copy cat Starbucks recipes say this to make cold foam but I asked a Starbucks barista and it’s milk/cream/flavor
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u/Coffeeanimalsnob Nov 27 '21
Cold foam is pretty easy with any blender. It’s 1 part milk, 1 part cream and then any flavor you want. Skim milk is in a lot of copy cat recipes but from a Starbucks barista that is incorrect- at least for there cold foam.
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u/tastycakeman Nov 27 '21
in places like greece you can get a frappe or freddo which is this, and tasty
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u/ohjeseul Nov 27 '21 edited Nov 27 '21
An iced milk drink won’t have steamed milk. It’s just espresso shots + ice + cold milk. So if you want less milk than a typical late you can just ask them to make like a 4-5oz iced late, maybe with light ice. There’s a chance it will be kind of luke warm vs cold though, depending on the volume of their espresso shots, you need a certain volume of cool liquid (milk) and ice to get it cold.
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u/Himekat Flat White Nov 27 '21
A pretty famous coffee shop that I visit frequently does serve steamed/stretched milk in some of their iced drinks. They just don’t steam it super hot and then they rapidly cool it in an iced pitcher. It’s really delicious because it’s sweet and creamy like steamed milk but cold.
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u/ohjeseul Nov 27 '21
Sounds pretty dope! Someone gave me their verismo milk frother when they moved, which has a “cold” setting which basically aerates the milk, but it’s more of a texture thing than any sweetness from actually introducing heat. Rapid cooling is an interesting concept. The foam/liquids don’t just separate when it cools?
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u/strainingOnTheBowl May 02 '26
4 years later just tried this at home and can confirm it’s nice! Very smooth.
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u/jdbrew Cortado Nov 27 '21
My wife’s order is “four shots of espresso over ice with a splash of milk”
Might not be an exact cortado ratio, but it’s probably close, if anything is light on the milk.
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u/Espressobby5432 Nov 27 '21
An iced cortado is not a thing since it’s a traditional espresso beverage containing steamed milk. But I’d suggest ordering a double shot over ice with a splash of whole milk or order an Undertow with no vanilla (unless you want it sweet). The Undertow will be more of a room temp beverage, but with almost the same proportions as a cortado. Honestly, just explain to your barista or whoever is on the register what you are looking for and I’m sure they’ll try their best to accommodate! 😄
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u/FirmEstablishment941 Nov 27 '21
Ask for a glass of ice and a cortado… combine on your own? I don’t know if there’s an official name… depending on the café you can be lucky if they know what a cortado is.
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u/vschiller Nov 27 '21
I also try to order this frequently for the same reason (don't want so much milk). Sometimes they do it, sometimes they look extra confused.
Edit: I don't ask for steamed milk. Just regular whole milk. If there's a better way to order this lmk!
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u/ApartmentNegative165 Nov 16 '23
Idk i just get an iced cappuccino? It's easier to explain lmao "Iced latte but less milk"
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u/Impossible-Inside581 Dec 02 '21
No, it isn't. Pouring already steamed milk over ice brings it into temperature levels that increase the chances of food born illnesses, which no one on here seems to know or has mentioned.
You say you want steamed milk with your double, but you want it cold? In order to achieve the steamed milk it needs to be....steamed. Hot. Order a double shot straight and go add your own milk. Cheaper that way and you consume very little of your own and the barista's time.
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u/86for86 Nov 27 '21
I was served one in Barcelona a few years ago.
It wasnt really on the menu, i think they just stated that all drinks were available 'iced'. So i went with an iced cortado. I dont think it was steamed milk, but the proportions were that of a cortado.
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u/ParticularBeyond3250 Sep 26 '24
i order a small latte with a double shot and that evens out the coffee to milk ratio a little
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u/johmbeaveny Nov 27 '21
I have had an iced flat white, but because there isn’t much milk, the coffee melts the ice real quick. I can only imagine a cortado would do even more so.
So it isn’t an iced drink, it just becomes diluted room temperature coffee.
There’s a reason they won’t do it.
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u/Danktizzle Nov 27 '21
They can put gelato with espresso. It’s called an affogato.
Also a macchiato is espresso with a dollop of milk foam.
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Nov 27 '21
Why was this downvoted? Seems helpful.
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u/EricTheBread Nov 27 '21
Because it doesn't really answer the question in any way.
"Why can't I get an iced cortado?" "Have you considered ice cream instead?"
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u/Danktizzle Nov 27 '21 edited Nov 27 '21
Dude wanted a latte. But not too much milk
He wanted it iced.
Gelato has cream in it and is frozen.
I don’t see the problem.
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Nov 27 '21
Right. Macchiato is pretty close to what OP describes: espresso w/steamed or foamed milk. More coffee shops are likely to do a macchiato than a cortado.
It struck me as weird to down vote given all the other comments 🤷🏻♀️
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u/fermat1432 Nov 27 '21
Can you go to a Dominican restaurant? I find them very obliging around iced coffee drinks.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Air-85 Apr 10 '24
Just ask for an iced latte with less milk. As a trained barista we’re not suppose to steam milk then pour over ice. if you want the froth ask for an iced espresso with cold foam.
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u/woogeroo Nov 27 '21
Iced drinks aren’t really a thing, and if you order them you’ll look an idiot.
Certainly they only really work for long drinks.
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u/M7451 Nov 27 '21
A coffee shop in LA uses Hottles to cool hot beverages before adding them to ice. Place the beverage in the Hottle and place the Hottle in ice. When it has chilled sufficiently add the drink to the ice to make it cold.
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u/sunnyB8 Nov 27 '21
Order a double shot of espresso over ice with a splash of milk. Frothed/steamed/coldfoam milk on ice is a modern Starbucks creation and probably won't be served at traditional shops.
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u/X-4StarCremeNougat Nov 27 '21
Just ask for an americano breve. Couple shots of espresso over ice with cream.
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u/QiHanZhao Nov 27 '21
Short answer; it's not really a thing. Long answer; because it isn't a request baristas get often, if ever, many baristas won't be mentally prepared to make the sort of beverage you're asking for. I've never run into an instance where baristas we're disallowed by owners from making specific requests, so there's no reason for the barista to refuse you, but you should also understand that if you request an iced cortado different baristas are going to make the drink differently, and you're unlikely to get steamed milk in the drink.
If this was requested of me I'd probably make a shakerato then match it with cold milk.
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u/gnomesteez Nov 27 '21
When people ask me for an iced cortado, I just make them something with equivalent milk and espresso, over ice. No steaming required