Last Updated on May 21, 2022 by John Moretti
Starbucks has cracked the iced coffee code and produces some of the best-iced coffee beverages in the game, but what if you have half a cup of iced coffee on your desk and you have decided that you would rather have it hot? Can you heat up Starbucks iced coffee?
You can heat up Starbucks iced coffee. Iced black coffee will heat up well in the microwave and retain its flavor. Iced coffee that contains dairy, milk alternatives, or syrup will not heat up well. This coffee should only be heated on the stove to prevent it from heating too much or too quickly.
Heating up iced coffee is slightly more complicated than you may think at first, but there are ways to do it well without compromising the flavor of the drink. Some iced coffees heat up better than others, and the method that you use is important. Let’s learn how to heat up iced coffee.
Can You Heat Up Iced Coffee?
Iced coffee is the best drink for a hot day, but the iced coffee drinks sold by many coffee chains such as Starbucks tend to be quite large, and it can be difficult to finish these beverages in one sitting.
If you find yourself with half a cup of iced coffee hours after you began drinking it and would now rather have a hot cup of coffee, can the iced coffee be heated up, or should you just throw it away and make a fresh cup of hot coffee?
The truth is, it is possible to heat up a cup of what was once ice coffee. Coffee can always be heated, but not all types of coffee will still taste good when they are heated up from cold or room temperatures.
In fact, all coffee that is heated from a cooler temperature will lose some flavor quality, but it can be heated using various methods. The only factors to be careful of are the ingredients in the coffee and the heating method that you choose to use.
Iced black coffee such as filter coffee or an iced americano will reheat very well with almost any heating method. Iced coffee that contains milk or milk substitutes will not heat very well, and iced coffee that has a lot of extra ingredients such as syrups or chocolate is unlikely to be very good after heating.
However, it is possible to heat up an iced coffee from any coffee chain, including Starbucks. Some iced coffee variations heat up better than others, but any iced coffee can become hot coffee with the right appliance to heat it up.
Does Heated Iced Coffee Taste Good?
If coffee is allowed to cool down to room temperature, or if it is intentionally chilled with ice, it can be difficult to heat the coffee up to a high temperature and preserve the good flavors of the beverage.
The truth here is that not all iced coffee would taste good if it heated up. Cold-brew coffee, iced coffee with milk or milk alternatives, and iced coffee with syrups and sweeteners will not taste very good if they are heated up from cold temperatures.
Furthermore, if you do heat up iced coffee that contains milk or cream too far, the dairy product will cook and coagulate, ruining the drink altogether.
For these reasons, it is critical to understand that not all types of cold or iced coffee will heat up well.
However, if the coffee is black, such as an iced americano or filter coffee, the beverage will heat up just fine. If you use a method such as a microwave that heats the water molecules in the drink evenly, the coffee will still taste good after it has been heated up.
Black coffee is likely to taste just as good when it is heated up as it does on ice if the drink is heated correctly. However, remember that iced coffee that is heated to high temperatures will taste weaker than a regular hot coffee as the ice in the drink will dilute it.
Be sure to not heat the coffee up so much that it begins to boil or cook, as this is a quick way to ruin the drink before you get to it.
How To Heat Up Starbucks Iced Coffee
The method that is used to heat up a cup of iced coffee from Starbucks or any other source is vital for maintaining the flavor quality of the drink and preventing the drink from getting too hot.
Too much heat will ruin the beverage and potentially cause milk and other ingredients to cook, which will destroy your much-needed coffee.
The best method for heating a cup of iced black coffee is to use a microwave. The microwave radiation emitted by this appliance only heats up the water molecules within the beverage. As the water in the coffee beverage heats up, it heats the coffee dissolved into the water more slowly, and thus the flavor of the beverage is retained while it is heated to a desirable temperature.
Heating iced coffee that contains other ingredients such as dairy or syrups should only be done on the stove. Heating this coffee slowly is the key, and closely monitoring the process to ensure that the drink does not get too warm. If the drink gets too hot, it will be ruined as the ingredients within begin to cook.
Using the stove is a slow method for heating up iced coffee, but if you care at all about the flavor of the drink, then there is no better method for heating iced coffee that contains other ingredients.
Conclusion
Heating up iced coffee can be done, but only certain versions of iced coffee will heat up well and taste good once they are heated. Black coffee is best and will heat well, but it is possible to heat other types of iced coffee if you are careful with the process.
If you are heating up iced coffee, be sure to take your time and heat the beverage slowly. This will ensure that the flavor of the drink is affected as little as possible. Take it slow, and be sure to not heat the drink up too much, and you will find yourself enjoying a cup of hot coffee that was once as cold as ice!
