If you’re a coffee-lover, then you must have heard of both — iced coffee and iced latte.
Even though iced coffee and iced lattes both look like smooth, tasty, and refreshing drinks, they have some major differences.
Both are popular cold coffee drinks, but which one is better? You may be confused between these two at some point.
In this article, I’ll give you the rundown on these two cold coffee drinks to help you choose the one that suits your taste buds.
Iced coffee vs. iced latte: the difference
Iced coffee is made using cooled brewed coffee and is usually served with a splash of milk. On the other hand, an iced latte is made using strong espresso shots instead of brewed coffee and is made using a much larger amount of milk.
The coffee and milk ratios differ big time depending on the coffee you choose to drink; let me explain this further:
- Iced coffee is made using 90% cooled brewed coffee and just 10% milk or a milk alternative for a sweet taste.
- An iced latte uses 1/4 strong espresso coffee and 3/4 milk of choice.
Iced coffee can also be made with cooled brewed coffee and ice cubes for a refreshing experience; without the use of dairy. This depends on the person drinking it and their preferences.
While both coffees can also include various coffee sweeteners like vanilla syrup, the ratios listed above are a great indicator of how much these iced coffee drinks differ from one another.
Is an iced latte stronger than iced coffee?
An iced latte is not stronger than iced coffee because it has a more balanced and mellow taste because of the amount of milk added. On the other hand, an iced coffee uses much more coffee and will leave you with a stronger-tasting cup of iced coffee.
This all comes down to the ratio of coffee to milk you like to use. As mentioned above, the ratios can differ significantly per person.
Some people prefer to drink their coffee with a good amount of milk added and a bit of sweetness from sugar or sweet sugar syrup, while others might enjoy their coffee without any extra add-ins.
Does an iced latte taste like coffee?
An iced latte has a good coffee flavor; this is because of the espresso shots added. Espresso coffee has much more flavor than regular coffee and works great to give your iced latte a flavorful coffee taste.
I like to make my iced lattes using two espresso shots and topping this off with 3/4 cup (0.18 l) of milk.
This is the 1:3 ratio I’ve mentioned before. I found that this ratio leaves you with a flavorful latte with just the right amount of sweetness of the milk, but you’ll also have the undertones of robust espresso coffee.
If you want to try out an iced latte recipe, you can have a look at the recipes I’ve listed below:
The recipes listed above use the 1:3 ratio, but are also sweetened with some delicious add-ins, have a look if you love to drink an iced latte in the summer.
Iced coffee vs. iced latte calorie difference
Because coffee has virtually no calories, the only difference in calories comes from the amount of milk added to each coffee.
An iced latte uses 3/4 cup (0.18 l) of milk for one serving of coffee; depending on the milk you like to use in your latte, the number of calories will change. The following calories are based on using 3/4 cup (0.18 l) of milk:
| Milk used: | The number of calories: |
| Whole milk | 110 calories |
| 2% fat milk | 92 calories |
| Nonfat milk | 65 calories |
On the other hand, iced coffee has no calories because it is made up of black coffee without any add-ins.
However, if you do like to add a bit of milk to your iced coffee, you’ll increase the number of calories. The number of calories below is calculated when you’re using 1 oz (30 ml) of milk per serving of iced coffee:
| Milk used: | The number of calories: |
| Whole milk | 19 calories |
| 2% fat milk | 15 calories |
| Nonfat milk | 10 calories |
If you want to cut calories, iced coffee will be your winner. You can add as much milk or other add-ins to your coffee as you wish, while the basis will have no calories.
On the other hand, the iced latte has much more calories because of the amount of milk used.
Iced coffee vs. iced latte caffeine difference
Before getting to the difference in caffeine between the iced coffee and iced latte, it’s important to know which coffee you’ll be using for the iced coffee.
You can make iced coffee with various brewing techniques, including a French press, Hario V60, or even a Chemex. Each brewing technique has a different amount of caffeine:
| Brewing technique used: | Amount of caffeine for 1 cup (0.24 l) |
| French press | 223 mg |
| Hario V60 | 185 mg |
| Chemex | 172 mg |
The amounts of caffeine differ from technique and are based on using one cup of coffee per serving of iced coffee.
On the other hand, an iced latte uses two espresso shots, which comes to 136 mg of caffeine. This is calculated by doubling the amount of caffeine from a single shot of espresso, which comes in at 68 mg. (source)
If you want to lower your caffeine intake, your best pick will be making or ordering an iced latte over an iced coffee, as it has much less caffeine per serving.
You could even use a single shot of espresso instead of a double if you want to lower your intake even further.
Iced coffee vs. iced latte, which is better for you?
Now that you know the difference between these two coffee drinks, it’s important to know which is better for you. I suggest the following, depending on the flavor you prefer:
- Order an iced coffee if you want more caffeine and a stronger tasting cup of cold coffee.
- If you prefer to have a more balanced coffee with a good amount of milk, optionally with a sweetener, I suggest ordering an iced latte.
I think the above-listed notes will help you order your favorite coffee the next time around.
I prefer drinking iced coffee in the summer months, as it is just a bit more refreshing for me, but I appreciate an iced latte from time to time when I feel like making an easy — yet delicious coffee.
Related coffee comparison articles
Are you wondering how the iced coffee and iced latte compare to other coffees?
Great! Check out the articles below for more in-depth coffee comparisons:
- Iced Coffee vs. Iced Americano
- Iced Coffee vs. Hot Coffee
- Iced Latte vs. Iced Americano
- Iced Latte vs. Iced Espresso
- Iced Latte vs. Iced Macchiato
And to compare more coffees, visit the coffee comparison hub!
Conclusion
This was a fun comparison between two excellent summer-ready coffees. I’ve listed every difference you need to know about when choosing your next favorite iced coffee drink.
If you’re interested in trying out a few coffee recipes based on iced coffee, you can have a look below. I’ve listed some amazing recipes that are perfect for sipping on slowly.
Which of the coffees do you like better? Let me know by leaving a comment down below. If you have any other questions regarding coffee, you can also contact me directly by pressing the “Contact Me” button at the top!
