Iced, Iced Baby

by Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng
February 24, 2010

Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng

City Bakery
3 W 18th St
(5th & 6th Ave)
New York, NY 10011
212-366-1414

Irving Farm Coffee Company
56 7th Ave
(13th & 14th Sts)
New York, NY 10011
212-475-5200

Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Ace Hotel
18 W 29th St
(Broadway & 5th Ave)
New York, NY 10001
212-679-2222

Yup, it is cold out. There is no denying that. But, I just love iced coffee and even this wintry weather can’t deter me from my cold cup of joe. My all-time favorite is from Honolulu Coffee Company in Hawaii. Their iced Americano is the gold standard for me. Closer to home, my three favorites are from City Bakery, Irving Farm Coffee Company and Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

All three use the popular cold brew method, which I find imparts a very intense dark chocolaty flavor that really sings to me. City Bakery actually sources their beans from Irving Farm, and although they rotate the blend that is used, Southern Hemisphere is predominately the chosen blend. Six blocks away at Irving Farm’s 7th Avenue location, their iced coffee is cold brewed overnight using their exclusive 71 Irving Place House Blend (Brazilian, Indonesian and Central American beans). At Stumptown, clients ask for the “toddy” (the hipper synonym for iced coffee here). Stumptown cold brews their iced coffee for 12 hours and uses a Guatemalan blend called Bourbon from Finca el Injerto.

I don’t let the thermometer confine my mood. Iced coffee is a year-round delight — so is rosé wine, for that matter. If you’re after the sharp, focused and intense flavor of well-made cold brew coffee, bring it on iced, baby!