Iced vs. Hot Coffee: The Buzz Comparison

Drinking an iced coffee on a hot day, but not feeling your usual buzz? You’re not crazy. Other than just the temperature, there is a difference between your favorite iced or hot brew, says a recent article in New York Magazine.

Because the water temperature that can extract the most caffeine from coffee beans is between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, you could assume that hot-brewed coffee has a clear advantage in the caffeine department.

“Caffeine’s solubility is primary driven by temperature, such that at higher temperatures, significantly more caffeine will dissolve in solution than at cooler temperatures,” says Joseph Rivera of Coffee Chemistry to The Ktchn. “If you are using the same brew-to-water ratios, the cold brew will definitely have less caffeine than hot.”

However, some types of cold-brewed coffee use a higher-coffee-to-water ratio, (even as much as two-and-a-half times more), in brewing, thus the caffeine solubility can be higher or equal to hot depending on the blend.