It's a question as old as time: why does iced coffee cost so much more than regular? It's just the same stuff over ice!
But it's not so simple, as Grub Street explains in a helpful and informative expose of summer's most popular drink. Between straws, biodegradable plastic cups, extra napkins to dry the sweating cup, and the simple fact that cold-brewed iced coffee contains about twice as much ground coffee as the hot stuff, it adds up! Not to mention cafes like La Colombe that toss an espresso shot into iced coffee to keep it from getting watered down.
All the math practically makes you want to give up and make your own -- but whichever you decide, the sheer pleasure of a cold iced coffee on a hot day is worth it.
The Iced-Coffee Economy: Why the Cold Stuff Costs More from Grub Street