UK Iced Coffee Trends and The Best Iced Coffees Recipes to Try at Home

Cold Coffee is the New Hot

Did you know that the UK has the highest iced coffee sales in Europe? Interesting for a country with average annual temperatures of 10°C and rain! But the stats don’t lie - UK iced coffee sales have grown 22% over the past five years1, with Starbucks reporting in 2024 that 75% of all global beverage sales were iced. Iced coffee is no longer a ‘summer treat’; it's a permanent shift in how a generation drinks coffee.

Why Iced Coffee Is Booming in the UK

Iced lattes have arguably replaced the flat white as the emblem of café culture's next generation.2

The biggest driver is Gen Z, with 49% of the UK demographic3 switching to cold coffee daily. This is mostly fuelled by social media trends in both the US and Asia, led by visual delights that are perfect for colourful Instagram feeds and TikTok virality, plus the ability (and encouragement ) to personalise drinks to make them as unique as the drinker. Viral drinks like Iced Banana Bread Matcha, Iced Blueberry Matcha Latte are designed to look as good as they taste, showing that flavour is paramount when it comes to coffee ordering decisions, and plenty of coffee shops are following in suit.

What does this mean for independent specialty roasters? Luckily, speciality roasters are already passionate about taste, but balancing a quality product against customisation and add-ons can feel difficult. Younger, passionate coffee consumers want flavour, aesthetics, and personalisation, so specialty coffee brands (including Small Batch Coffee Roasters) lean into different product elevations, including cold alternatives to best-sellers, seasonal specials, and visual appeal, all without abandoning the quality and provenance that makes specialty coffee distinctive.

The Cold Drink Menu - What Iced Coffee Should Be Your Next Order

• Iced latte: espresso pulled hot over ice, topped with cold milk. A classic for a reason!

• Cold brew: ground coffee steeped in cold water for 12–24 hours. This coffee is smoother, less acidic, naturally sweet, and stronger; 43% of UK coffee drinkers now order Cold Brew regularly, with our barista team creating a monthly rotation of single origin cold brew to keep customer taste buds excited.

• Nitro cold brew: cold brew is infused with nitrogen to create a silky, creamy texture without milk.

• Iced pour-over / filter: brewed hot and served over ice. This method highlights floral and fruity notes of single-origin coffees.

• Espresso tonic: espresso over tonic water = bitter meets botanical, and is hugely popular in Scandinavian and UK specialty scenes

Iced Coffee Recipes to Try at Home

1. Classic Iced Latte: pull a double espresso, pour over ice, add oat milk. Simple, satisfying, endlessly customisable. Try Goldstone or Brazil for sweeter notes.

2. Cold Brew at Home: use coarse-grind single-origin beans (we recommend our Ethiopian for fruity complexity), steep in cold water for 14–18 hours in the fridge. Strain, serve over ice, enjoy!

3. Iced Pour-Over: try your usual V60 brew method, but directly over a cup of ice. The flash-cooling locks in the floral and citrus notes to pack even more punch in your cup. Try our India Ratnagiri for a delicious summer brew.

4. Espresso Tonic: pour a double espresso of Throwback over ice, and top with premium tonic water. Add a slice of orange or grapefruit to bring out the citrus notes in the coffee.

Iced Coffee is Officially #1

The UK Iced coffee is no longer seasonal or niche; it is a year-round drink experiencing extraordinary growth, driven by Gen Z, social media, and a genuinely superior drinking experience (with the right beans of course!). Whether you’re ordering out or making at iced coffee recipes at home, Iced Coffee is here to stay and it’s your customisation for the taking!

Discover our range of Iced Coffee approved beans, plus home brewing machines with in-built Iced Coffee features.

1 (Innova Market Insights, 2025)

2 (Coffee Intelligence, 2025)

3  (NCA 2025 Spring report)