Hello reader, how do you take your coffee? If your answer was ‘very seriously’, then rest assured, you’re in good company; here at IDEAL, we too love a cup of Joe.
We couldn’t imagine life without the stuff. Though they say that ‘’a yawn is just a silent cry for coffee’’, those protestations get pretty loud and relentless if there’s a drought of the stuff.
That said, with the mercury now tentatively rising and the warm summer months not far from kicking in, a strong, steaming cup of the good stuff can sometimes feel a little formidable. Instead, we’re lightening things up and cooling them down, with these 7 of the best summer coffees, IDEAL for a caffeine hit when the weather’s hot.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Introduced to the country by French colonialists in the 1850s, Vietnam has since made coffee very much its own. The Land of Blue Dragon (a nickname not actually inspired by coffee, incidentally) is now the world’s second largest exporter of coffee, with the robusta beans grown in the country’s fertile Central Highlands boasting a distinctive chocolatey aroma and a long, rich finish.
If you want to enjoy your coffee as the Vietnamese do, you should drink Ca Phe Nau Da (or Sua Da in the country’s south). It’s Vietnamese for ‘brown coffee with ice’ but it’s so much more than that; a rich brew made even more luxurious with sweet condensed milk, and totally appropriate for hot days when only an iced coffee will do. Ngon qua!
Dalgona Coffee
Instant coffee is knocked by many coffee connoisseurs as the lowliest form of coffee, but for those in a rush, it can sometimes do a job.
Instant coffee is made by freeze-drying regular coffee so that it can be rehydrated very quickly by adding it to water. Though it lacks the body and depth of the freshly ground stuff, instant coffee does have its uses; this is the type of coffee that people have been using for the Dalgona coffee craze that was ubiquitous last year.
We mention Dalgona, which originated in South Korea and resembles a cappuccino turned on its head, because it can be enjoyed cold, making for a superb summer coffee.
Read: A recipe for the IDEAL whipped Dalgona coffee
Iced Qahwa
Dubai’s opulent reputation extends beautifully to its coffee culture, with Arabic coffee, or Qahwa as it’s locally known, standing as a symbol of hospitality and tradition throughout the Emirates. This distinctive brew dates back centuries and remains a cornerstone of social gatherings and business meetings alike.
The finest coffee beans in Dubai are often specially selected Arabica varieties, lightly roasted to preserve their delicate flavour profile before being finely ground and infused with cardamom, saffron, rose water or other aromatic spices. Unlike the strong, bitter brews popular in the West, Qahwa is typically served in small handleless cups called ‘finjan’ and poured from an ornate, long-spouted pot known as a ‘dallah’.
For a modern twist that’s gained popularity during Dubai’s sweltering summers, many trendy cafés in the emirate now serve iced Qahwa – the traditional cardamom-infused coffee poured over ice and sometimes sweetened with date syrup for a refreshing alternative that honours traditional flavours while providing blessed relief from the desert heat. If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, some establishments even offer a luxury version topped with a sprinkle of edible gold dust – perfectly befitting the city’s glamorous reputation.
Read: The alternative weekend in Dubai
Cold Brew
Though it might seem like a recent trend, the idea of cold brew coffee has actually been percolating for centuries, with records showing that this brewing method was popular in Kyoto, Japan, in the 1600s.
Safe to say that in the last few years, here in the UK, it’s gone mainstream, and there has been a huge upsurge in the number of cold brew coffees appearing on high street coffee shop menus and in smaller, more artisan places, too.
Contrary to popular assumptions, the cold brewing process doesn’t have to be too technical; simply steep coarsely ground coffee in cold water overnight – as opposed to using boiling water and steeping for the recommended 4(ish) minutes.
Converts to the process believe that the slow brewing time extracts more flavour from the ground beans, and mitigates some of that bitterness or sourness which freshly hot-brewed coffee can be prone to.
Generally, this one is best enjoyed over ice (though you can warm up a cold brew, if you prefer). That said, it’s essential that you get your coffee to water ratio right, here. If not, you’re going to end up with a watery, seemingly diluted coffee, and all of your hard work undone.
Affogato
The pinnacle of coffee for many aficianados is the espresso. But in the summer months, its astringent intensity can weigh a little heavy. That’s where affogato comes in; one of the finest foodie creations ever to come out of Italy, and that’s saying something.
You don’t need specialist equipment to make an espresso at home. Simply make one on the stovetop using a Moka pot, which brews coffee through pressure and is known as a ‘stove-top espresso maker’. The average brewing time depends on the size of your pot, but in general, it should take around five minutes. You do need to watch the pot though, as you don’t want overheated water to spill from its spout.
Then, the fun part; place a generous scoop of the finest vanilla ice cream you can find in a bowl, and pour over a cup of your freshly brewed, hot espresso. Make sure you add enough coffee to ‘drown’ the ice cream, as the word affogato comes from the Italian ‘affogare’ – to drown.
Alternatively, you could treat yourself to an Espresso Martini!
Freddo Cappuccino
Originating in Greece and part of a deeply cherished coffee culture in the country, Freddo Cappuccino is regular ol’ cappuccino’s cooler cousin. In this summer treat, iced espresso is topped with full-bodied cold cream to create a refreshing pick me up ideal for any time of the day. Except, perhaps, just before bed, but anyway…
Should cappuccino be a little too sweet for you, the Freddo Espresso is also popular in Greece. Here, a hot espresso, sugar, and ice cubes are added to a cocktail shaker and shaken until the cubes melt and the mixture is frothy. You can then add some steamed milk, if you like. Voila! The perfect summer pick-me-up.
Hainanese Coffee
Hainanese coffee, or ‘kopi’ in Malaysia and Singapore, uses very different brewing equipment to Western coffee making; a bag. Coffee grounds are added to this long bag, which is then soaked in hot water. The coffee is then filtered multiple times to achieve a thick, luscious consistency, which is sometimes particularly prevalent if the coffee beans were roasted with butter, a popular process in South East Asia.
If you like it black and unadulterated, it’s a ‘Kopi o kosong’, or if you want your coffee just a little sweet, order a ‘Kopi o’. Add ‘peng’ to have it iced, which is just perfect for the summer months.
Our favourite way to enjoy this famous coffee is to ramp up the indulgence levels by adding condensed milk and removing any other words from the order; that’s a ‘Kopi’ then, please!
