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The most popular iced coffee drinks

Reading time: 4 min
by Cecily Batten - Global Marketing Leader
Iced coffee is a popular category in the Food & Beverage space. With more than 170 million iced beverages being sold across the UK annually and an equally scaled version across Europe, the iced coffee industry sees a consistent growth of 14.3% annually and with the sector estimated to be valued at £660m by the end of this year.

Roughly 1 in 4 consumers claim to still purchase coffee in colder months of the year and 45% of consumers under 30 who drink iced beverages, buy them repeatedly every week. Consumption is not limited to the under 30s though, and is seeing similar popularity across all age groups.

In fact, according to sources, Starbucks have claimed that:

  • 74% of their beverage sales in Q3 of 2021 were part of the ‘cold category’
  • The category has seen a 10% increase in the last two years.

There are several examples of iced drinks – both from mainstream and independent, artisan coffee shops across the globe.

From sweet mocha smoothies to banana milk coffee, or a simple cappuccino on ice, the list of possibilities is endless. Consumer polls have shown that Starbucks’ Coffee Frappuccino as one of the most popular summer drinks, but consumers can also add syrups like Caramel, vanilla or hazelnut too their cold drinks to add sweetness and flavour to the beverage. 

Greek climate is very warm, so the Frapé is very popular in Greece. It is a cold beverage made from:

  • Instant coffee
  • Milk
  • Ice
  • Sugar

You can order it skétos (plain), métrios (medium sweetened), glykós (sweet), varí glykós (very sweet). In Italy coffee goes great with just about anything, including booze (caffe corretto) and dessert (affogato). Caffe affogato is an Espresso with a small scoop of gelato (usually vanilla) – great for cooling down and getting your caffeine and sweet fix all in one go!

Iced drinks and their popularity across Europe don’t just stop with local specialities either. Self-serve, iced solutions can also be found in public environments like petrol forecourts and semi-public spaces like universities and cinemas. Equipped with the latest user-friendly espresso technology, self-serve iced solution offers a wide selection of popular beverages made with Starbucks® signature coffee beans and real milk for afternoon refreshment of iced lattes, flavoured lattes, and iced mochas on hot sunny days.

Iced coffee at home is straightforward to make too and you can make it based on your own tastes and preferences. Why not order some of our delicious Pelican Rouge coffee and give your first iced coffee a whirl during these hot, summer afternoons.

We’d love to hear what your favourite recipe is!