Iced coffee has seemingly burst out of the recess of the coffee shop menu and into the forefront of consumers hearts in the past couple of decades. And its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. In the UK alone, “the iced coffee market is currently valued at £178.9 million, up 37%” But how did this chilled delight become so entrenched in our coffee culture?
It is thought that chilled coffee, a pre-cursor to modern day iced coffee, originated in Algeria in 1840. During the Battle of Mazagran, the French military started adding water to their coffee, after they ran out of milk. Due to the heat of the North African country, they consumed the beverage cold. When returning to France, many of the soldiers asked cafes for this drink, which became known as café mazagran. This then spread to other parts of Europe, who put their own twists on the drink. In Austria, it includes a shot of rum and an ice cube. Taking this one step further, in Portugal the drink includes Espresso, mint, rum and a slice of lemon.
It wasn’t until 1920 that iced coffee was popularised through a marketing campaign created by the Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee of the United States. This helped increase the reach of iced coffee, as it was mainly a European staple before this point.
Many countries have their own varieties of iced coffee. In Italy the affogato, a shot of Espresso poured over ice cream, remains popular. The Vietnamese mix their coffee with condensed milk and pour it over ice to create a creamier, sweeter treat. The frappe was created in Greece in 1957 by Dimitris Vakondios, a Nescafe rep who mixed instant coffee, milk, cold water and ice cubes in a shaker.
With the rise of café culture in the past 20 years, in part helped through the on-screen depictions in hit shows like Friends, it is no wonder that people are exploring more ways to enjoy their coffee. Sales of iced coffee increased “35.4% in 2022”, proving its continued popularity.
So, how can you expand your offering to include iced coffee?
Douwe Egberts have recently launched their Excellence Touch Hot & Cold Machine, giving you a simple way to offer iced coffees. This machine features all the same elements as the Excellence Touch, including an easy to use touch screen interface, with the addition of a wide variety of chilled drinks options.
This machine does require an undersink/cabinet chiller to reduce the water to the optimum temperature.
Click below to see how this machine compares to the other models offered by Douwe Egberts or click the button to find out more about the Hot & Cold machine.
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