ottawa foodies

So the other day I went to Starbucks and ordered an iced brewed coffee. They gave me a hot brewed coffee. I said it was fine, they could just pour it over ice. I ended up with an awful watery contraption. I will say with confidence that "hot single-strength brewed coffee poured over ice" is not good and I'll never order it again :)

Thanks to this discussion I will now order "chilled brewed coffee" rather than "iced coffee"

hah

I agree with Candice it's different depending on where you come from. A number of years ago a friend of mine was visiting from Germany and he ordered an "Iced Coffee" at the local cafe, and was very disappointed to discover it was not, in fact, coffee ice cream.

Candice, I've taken your advice but modified your suggestion slightly by moving the discussion to this new "Iced Coffee" item rather than to the forums. It is most appropriate here.

Well now we're just getting into semantics, but 'iced coffee' is actually a whole bunch of different things, depending on where you get it from! Coffee over ice qualifies, cold brewed coffee qualifies, coffee brewed and then chilled qualifies. Then there are drinks from Vietnam, Thailand, Greece... the list goes on!

en.wikipedia.org

Anyhow, I think this entire conversation should probably get moved to the forums, since we're not really discussing Bridgehead, we're discussing where in Ottawa to get (specifically!) coffee that has been brewed, then chilled in a refrigerator until serving.

As an ex-employee of Starbucks I can confidently say that they do in fact make their iced coffee that way.

Edit: Looking at starbucks.ca iced coffee is described as "It’s the refined way to drink coffee on a hot day – we pour fresh brewed Starbucks coffee over ice for a refreshing treat."

But starbucks.COM says: "A delicious and refreshing blend of freshly brewed Starbucks Terraza Blend served chilled and slightly sweetened on ice."

It seems as though it's a national or regional difference, but I do know for a fact that the Starbucks in Westboro does chill their coffee. They do not pour it hot over ice.

Also I googled "starbucks iced coffee" and found a page that "simplifies" or explains each starbucks drink. The entry for iced coffee reads: Plain coffee, usually House blend, brewed double-strength so the ice won't dilute it and kept in the fridge. This is not just regular coffee poured over ice.

source: www.quicksilverweb.net

i don't know any place that sells iced coffee made that way. it sounds great though and i will have to make some to try at home!

Hot coffee poured over ice isn't "iced coffee." That method would probably just produce watered down luke warm coffee.

Iced coffee is double brewed (double the grounds, same amount of water) and then chilled in the fridge so that your ice doesn't melt when it comes in contact with the liquid. It's double brewed so that when the ice melts it doesn't affect the taste as much.

So, the verdict is in! Bridgehead does not sell iced coffee.

edit: some coffee houses even have coffee ice cubes for their iced coffee so that the ice won't dilute the delicious brew. It's the little things that count!

edit 2: i found out the hard way that starbucks in canada put simple syrup in their iced coffee by default. This isn't the case in the states. Make sure you ask for unsweetened!

Candice wrote "What Bridgehead has available year round:
- any other drink they have available poured over ice, you just need to ask for it. This includes brewed coffee, lattes, chai, etc."

Starbucks and Second Cup will do this too if you ask. Problem: by the time you get to a table/the door the ice is pretty much melted already. A warm/cool, diluted, weak, pfft. (Unless you enjoy that sort of thing, of course).

For a real deal ice coffee I recommend the Village Perk in Manotick (5562-C Main Street). It's the reason we set speed records cycling back from there. Cold strong coffee (maybe a bit of espresso in there?) kept in the fridge that they serve over ice. Really, really good. And a generous size ~ I need mittens. (Sorry, I can't comment on ice tea but it wouldn't surprise if they had too). And delicious desserts. And the ice cream in big tubs. And a patio. Go before Manotick looses its charm and becomes a Metropolis.

I think this thread got a bit confusing between talking about iced coffee drinks vs iced coffee vs cold brewed coffee, so here's a summary for reference:

What Bridgehead has during the summer months (and may be available at other times):
- brewed iced tea (unsweetened)
- iced slushy drinks, similar to Tim Horton's Iced Cap or Starbucks Frappuccino. These come in coffee flavours and fruit flavours. All are sweetened.

What Bridgehead has available year round:
- any other drink they have available poured over ice, you just need to ask for it. This includes brewed coffee, lattes, chai, etc.

What Bridgehead does not have, to my knowledge:
- Coffee brewed then left in the fridge to be served cold. If you want cold coffee, you need to have the hot stuff over ice.

Unlike other coffee chains in the city, Bridgehead literally gives you ICED coffee.

So you can bring it to the sugar/milk/cream station and put whatever you want in it, if need be.

This is so much better then the other places that give you the disgusting syrup in it.

Iced coffee from Starbucks is double brewed house blend that is chilled in the fridge and served over ice. It is typically sweetened with simple syrup upon order, so be aware of that and order unsweetened if that is to your taste.

Cheap (only $3.00) but needs a bit more condensed milk for the right consistency.

That's....
GENIUS!!!

The best iced coffee I've found in Ottawa: made with frozen coffee ice cubes (instead of water-only ice cubes) with hot espresso poured on top to get them melting. Frickin' awesome. No more watery iced coffees for me anymore!