When the weather gets hot, many people want a cup of ice-cold, crystal-clear coffee, but they often feel at a loss when choosing beans. In fact, the soul of iced coffee's flavor is hidden entirely in the terroir of the origin where the coffee beans were born. Low temperatures and ice cubes change how the taste buds perceive acidity, sweetness and body, and only by understanding the character of different origins can the beans you select show a stunning sense of layering and full aroma when made into an iced drink.

First is the African producing region, where the high altitude and fertile volcanic soil give rise to especially crisp, bright floral and fruity aromas. African beans naturally have a juice-like clarity, and meeting ice cubes is like injecting a clear spring into the body. If you usually like citrus notes, tropical fruit or floral tea-like elegance, using African beans to make iced pour-over or cold brew will give a flavor that is especially light and lively, very appealing.

To experience Africa's brightness, the medium-light roasted Qianjie Gudingding Cooperative is well worth a try; it has soft citrus and a fresh green tea finish, and makes an especially thirst-quenching iced coffee. Another much-loved one is Qianjie Huakui, with prominent strawberry and cream aromas. These beans full of complex fruity character can, under the moisture of ice water, fully release their rich sweetness and floral notes.

Using Qianjie Gudingding to make a glass of iced pour-over, you can easily recreate the flavor at home if you get the parameters right. We prepare 15g of ground coffee, use a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, pour in a total of 225ml of water, and control the water temperature at 91 degrees. First pour in 30ml of water and bloom for 30 seconds, then pour in stages in a circular motion, keeping the total time to around 2 minutes; after brewing, pour it directly into a cup of ice for rapid cooling.

If you prefer a rich, solid taste experience, the Central and South American producing region is a reassuring choice. The microclimate of the Andes makes the coffee beans here especially balanced in flavor, often accompanied by the warm sweetness of roasted nuts, cocoa and caramel. When making an iced americano, the ice water dilutes some of the body, and beans with Central and South American flavor can just hold up a stable framework, so it does not taste thin.

To make a cup of iced americano full of rich oily aroma, it is recommended to choose the medium-dark roasted Qianjie Classic Blend. This bean combines balanced regional characteristics, and on the first sip you can feel the solid aroma of roasted chestnut, hazelnut and butter. Extract a rich coffee liquid with an espresso, then add ice water and stir; caramel sweetness slides down the throat along with crushed ice, and the mouth is full of rich malt aroma and sweet fragrance.

Then turn your gaze to the Asian producing region and specially processed beans; they often carry a unique richness, herbal aroma or alluring fermented fruit charm. When this kind of bean meets cold brew and ice drip that require a long extraction time, the low-temperature slow steep quietly suppresses the release of bitter large molecules and gradually draws out the ripe fruit sweetness and wine aroma deep within the beans, for an especially rich flavor.

For making ice drip or slow cold brew, Qianjie Strawberry Candy and Qianjie Xizhua perform very surprisingly. Qianjie Strawberry Candy has a full sweetness like fruit candy, while Qianjie Xizhua gives off a fermented aroma like passion fruit and ripe grapes. After several hours of low-temperature slow extraction, the whole cup of coffee is like a glass of iced fruit wine; not only is there no heavy bitterness, but it gains an extra layer of graceful wine charm and sweet fragrance.

A cup of iced coffee is not just a simple cooling drink, but also a journey of origin terroir on the tip of the tongue. If you want refreshment, choose Africa overflowing with flowers and fruit; if you crave richness, choose the nutty aroma of Central and South America; if you long for abundant wine charm, leave it to slow-dripped cold brew. As long as you choose the right regional terroir according to your preferences, you can whip up a cup of icy flavor that suits your mood at home anytime.