The Subtle Difference Between Cold Brew And A Coffee Cooler

Cold brew and coffee coolers often get grouped together because they look quite similar when presented in a glass. Both will have cold coffee, ice, and maybe some milk, but the overlap actually ends there. The real distinction between iced coffee coolers and cold brew, starts in the brewing stage, not the serving temperature. Coffee coolers involve other ingredients, while cold brew is just pure coffee.

Cold brew is a method of brewing coffee that skips heat entirely by brewing over several hours in room-temperature water. It has a slow extraction, which means it is less acidic with less bitter compounds. This is why cold brew has a legion of diehard fans – it has that softer, rounder taste that can feel rare in a coffee. Timing is everything to make it, and the right steep time for cold brew is actually quite a narrow window. If you pull it too early, the coffee will taste thin and sour but leave it too long, and the flavors might muddy.

A coffee cooler actually works the opposite way. It's a drink where the coffee starts hot, brewed using traditional methods, then is cooled down after brewing to be shaken or blended up with ice and sweetners. Its hot extract is more aggressive and locks in the aromatic intensity of coffee, which chilling won't undo. While cold brew coffee and iced coffee coolers are served cold, only the former was brewed that way from the start.

Cold brew's appeal lives in its subtlety, which is why canned cold brew is just never as good as a fresh one. All the traits that people love about cold brew — its low bitterness, gentle sweetness and smooth texture — are fragile, and time can dull them. So can storage and compression. It's a drink best served the day it was brewed, so you'll ensure the flavor feels layered rather than muted. And these differences are easiest to spot when the coffee is served black, without milk or sugar, so you can really taste all its notes. 

Coffee coolers, on the other hand, are more forgiving. They begin as hot coffee, and their sharper acids and brighter aromatics hold up better over time, but they're often loaded with sweeteners and syrups, making them feel less like coffee and more like a sweet treat. Cold brew is all about freshness and restraint, whereas coffee coolers are great for immediacy and familiarity (and a bit of a treat, perhaps). Knowing the process behind each helps explain why they won't taste the same, even when they might look alike.