The History of Iced Coffee

Iced coffee appears to have its roots in 17th century Vienna, where a surplus of coffee beans from a Turkish army resulted in the Viennese experimenting with different ways of making coffee, which reportedly included icing it. In the 19th century, French troops drank coffee with cold water during the Siege of Mazagran, in part due to a milk shortage and also as a way to stay hydrated. When the soldiers returned to France, they began requesting the drink at cafés, and the new beverage became known as a “Café Mazagran.” Other countries developed their own iced coffee beverages over time, too. For example, Vietnam has the Ca Phe Sua Da, Sweden has the Kaffelemonad, and Greece has the Greek Frappe. Iced coffee drinks got their start in America in 1987, when a barista at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Westwood, California invented the Ice Blended. In 1995, Starbucks introduced their Frappuccino line and iced coffee began to gain some popularity. But iced coffee didn’t really take off until 2009, when it exploded in popularity and remained a massive trend until roughly 2013. Iced coffee drinks still remain highly popular today and are available at nearly every coffee shop in America.