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A very aesthetically pleasing upgrade to your usual morning coffee order, opting for one of the below will also make you feel extremely fancy altogether.
So, if you find yourself around Dublin this weekend, you might consider spicing things up a bit with a new beverage choice. You have to get your kicks somewhere!
Arguably one of Dublin’s most beautiful coffee nooks, you’ll find One Kinda Folk hidden behind a beautiful ivy wall in the courtyard of Yoga Dublin on Dartmouth Road in Ranelagh. A dusty, cobweb-ridden storage shed in a previous life, owners Rachel and Tom completely transformed the space back in 2019 and it’s been going strong ever since. Beloved for their 3fe coffees and freshly-baked nibbles, they recently added an iced chai to their menu and it alone is worth the visit (as is their iced matcha). PS – they’re open seven days a week, so no need to reserve trips just for the weekends either.
Vietnamese coffee has been having a bit of a moment as of late and several Dublin cafes have started offering the iced drink as part of their offerings. Not that far a jump from your run of the mill, bog-standard iced latte, the one key difference is that Vietnamese iced coffees are made with sweetened condensed milk. A little creamier than you might be used to, it’s as delicious as it sounds and the only trouble will be trying to limit your intake so you’re not over-caffeinated! Pick one up at Vice, Jolin’s, Two Pups, Two Fifty Square and Project Black amongst others.
Generally thought of as a first thing in the morning kind of drink, Laine My Love has combined coffee with another popular breakfast choice… cereal. Saying that inspiration struck and the “ran with it”, the northside café’s latest iced drinks include an iced Coco Pops mocha and an iced cereal milk latte. I’m not a big cereal fan myself but I’d argue that the leftover sweetened milk was always the best part anyway, so there’s definitely method to their madness.
Some people consider them coffee purists and won’t settle for anything less than just black coffee. To those people, adding anything extra is a sin – milk is superfluous as is sugar and don’t even think about putting cream or chocolate or the like anywhere near their cup. If something as simple as a drop of oat milk can elicit a reaction, probably best not to ask such people what they think of adding fruit to coffee because I have an inkling that they’d have plenty to say on the matter. If you count yourself amongst the coffee-only group, then look away now… otherwise, Mister Magpie’s tropical frappe might be of interest. Made with coffee, banana, ice and a few other top-secret ingredients, one of these is a good way to get some fruit in without even realising it.
Just introducing their first completely vegan-friendly iced coffee, Cloud Picker make theirs with oat milk, espresso and homemade date syrup. Sounds fruity and delicious if you ask me. Call in, and there you’ll also find a lavender iced coffee option that sounds very intriguing. Probably not for everyone, it has quite a distinctive flavour so maybe start small and work your way up to lavender coffee when you’re feeling extra adventurous.
A drink and dessert all in one, an iced Baileys coffee is essentially the summer equivalent of a spiked hot chocolate. You may not get away with having one first thing in the morning but save it for when the mid-afternoon slump hits and it’s sure to perk you right up. Both Mario’s in Sandymount and Slice in Stoneybatter have variations of this on their menus – Mario’s add marshmallows to theirs while Slice mix in some salted caramel for good measure.
Within the same vein as an iced Vietnamese or Baileys coffee, Alma put their own original spin on things with the addition of their famous dulce de leche sauce. The same sauce they use to top their pancakes, it’s made from heating condensed milk until it reaches the right consistency… so it’s similar to caramel. Giving their iced coffee just the right amount of sweetness, one sip and you’ll be hooked. Best say your apologies to your bank account now.
Put some pep in your step by adding a dash of citrus to your iced cuppa. Hot water with lemon and honey is so yesterday… now, it’s all about the ice cold ginger and lime combo. Refreshing, zingy and likely to wake you up in two seconds flat, it’s the iced coffee answer to lemonade so perfect for when you want something cool, but still need the caffeine. The combination (coffee, ginger and lime) may not sound like it works, but somehow it does. You’ll find this number at East Village at the Round Tower in Clondalkin. Mister Magpie Coffee has similar with their Shakeratto (made with sparkling water, lime, honey and espresso).
If it’s a toss-up between a coffee and an ice cream (I’m a strong advocate for getting one of each, we have two hands for a reason), Hatch’s iced blondie might be of interest as it kind of kills two birds with one stone, so to speak. Made with a double shot of 3fe espresso melted into Callebaut white chocolate gange, loads of ice and milk, it’s not dissimilar to a white chocolate Magnum flavour-wise. Give your cup a good swirl to make sure the chocolate chips are equally distributed and tuck in. The perfect accompaniment for a walk out to the Forty Foot… though it probably won’t do much to warm your hands up if you plan on heading in for a quick swim.
Naturally, this is just a small taste of what’s out there so no doubt there are plenty of others yet to discover.
Feature image @onekindafolkcoffee