One of those most consumed drinks in America today is coffee. On average Americans will spend up to thousands of dollars a year on just their morning cup of joe, drinking several cups a day. Coffee comes in a numerous amount of flavors and blends, and to the untrained eye all the different types of coffee may seem like a bunch of gobbledygook. But to the seasoned coffee drinker they all have their favorite blend. There's latte, au lait, macchiato, espresso, ristretto, cappuccino, and many more. One of the most popular versions of the drink is ice coffee. Everyday it is consumed by millions of people across the country.

Iced coffee isn't just regular coffee poured into a cup full of ice. It takes a different kind of preparation and an entirely different machine than a coffee maker. As opposed to regular coffee which is heat dripped, ice coffee is cold dripped. This drastic change in temperature during preparation changes the flavor of the coffee a great deal. The cold dripped coffee has a rich and smoother taste because there are 70% less bitter acids than regular heat dripped coffee. A lot of coffee drinkers prefer the light taste of ice coffee to the bold heavier flavor of regular hot coffee. Additionally when adding sugar to ice coffee you must be careful when you add it. Sugar doesn't dissolve easily into cold liquids as it does in hot liquids. Adding sugar to your cold drink will just create a sugary mush in your coffee, instead of evenly distributing the sweet flavor. The only way to properly incorporate sugar into ice coffee is to add sugar into the hot mix before it is blended. Or to add the sugar into the ice coffee after it's blended as a syrup.

Originally people believed iced coffee would only be popular during the warmer months of the year, but in actuality it is purchased all year round in record numbers. It has become so popular that it is starting to be offered in other places. Such as fast food restaurants, diners, and even convenience stores. Companies are offering bottled versions of their customer's favorite drinks such as Starbucks Frappuccinos and New York Coffee Company's Iced ‘Spresso. With the ease of mass production ice coffee is enjoyed all year round. Not just in the summer as previously thought. These drinks are especially popular with people who want to enjoy ice coffee on the go. No longer will they need to enter a coffee shop or even wait on line.

One can also order their favorite caffeine drink on ice. Such popular variations include iced latte and iced mocha. As versatile and complex coffee is ice coffee is equally impressive and tasty.

Ice coffee is becoming more and more popular everyday. It offers people a refreshing version of their favorite blend of coffee. With a wide variety of flavors to choose from even a coffee hater will eventually find a blend he or she will enjoy. Whether you are getting it from a shop or the bottle it is always readily available and it is here to stay as a cold frosty American staple.