What Is A Iced Macchiato? – It’s Cool, Creamy, And Delicious!

If you want to know what is a iced macchiato, this article will detail the cool, creamy and delicious summer time coffee beverage in great details and give you an easy-to-follow recipe for making it at home like a champion barista!

If you are in a rush, here is the quick and easy answer; an iced macchiato is a latte macchiato with ice. It’s made with espresso, milk and whipped cream using a ratio of 1:2:2.

Keep reading for the more detailed answer and fabulous iced macchiato recipe.

What Is An Iced Macchiato?

Let’s get to the details and talk about what an iced macchiato is in all the formats that a macchiato drink is available in, since this is a sub category of coffee beverages.

An iced macchiato may be an iced espresso macchiato, an iced latte macchiato or an iced caramel macchiato, which are all slightly different from each other.

Let’s compare the three iced coffee drinks:

• An Iced Espresso Macchiato: An espresso-based beverage that is shot of espresso with a teaspoon splash of steamed milk or cold milk and little scoop of foamed milk with ice to chill the drink.
• An Iced Latte Macchiato: An espresso based coffee drink with a double shot of espresso, steamed milk and whipped cream using a ratio of 1:2:2. Ice is used to chill the drink.
• An Iced Caramel Macchiato: An espresso-based iced coffee beverage made with a shot of espresso poured over a pump of vanilla syrup and steamed or cold milk and whipped cream with a drizzle of caramel sauce poured over the whipped cream. The espresso, steamed milk and whipped cream are used in a ratio of 1:2:2.

Notably a Starbucks espresso macchiato and therefore their iced espresso macchiato also, is an upside down macchiato as the dash of milk and milk foam is added first with the espresso poured over the milk and milk foam.

Read: What is the difference between a macchiato and a latte?

What Is A Macchiato?

A macchiato, a hot macchiato is the same as the iced version of the coffee beverage in the above section with one important difference; the hot version of an iced latte macchiato and an iced caramel macchiato are not made with whipped cream; milk foam is used instead and uses the same ratios.

Iced Macchiato Starbucks

An iced espresso macchiato from the world’s most popular coffee shop, Starbucks, is made in a slightly different way to an iced espresso macchiato from a regular coffee shop as it is by all names and rules of the naming convention an upside down iced espresso macchiato.

This is due to the milk being added to the bottom of your drink instead of the top.

Notably, when you order an iced macchiato from Starbucks, it is an iced latte macchiato that will be served.

Although an iced caramel macchiato is not on the drinks’ menu at Starbucks, it is available upon request as all drinks can be customized upon request; no fancy language required; just ask for the drink by name.

Iced Macchiato Vs Iced Latte Dunkin

An iced macchiato and an iced latte at Dunkin, Starbucks, Costa coffee and your local coffee shop are two different drinks even though they can get mistaken or confused with each other due both an iced macchiato and an iced latte being made with espresso and milk using the same espresso to milk ratio and this part being literally and factually identical.

The difference between the two drinks is the use of whipped cream in the iced macchiato (which is an iced latte macchiato).

Whipped cream is used as a substitute to the milk foam since this is destabilized by the ice and short lasting.

Read: What is the difference between a macchiato and a cappuccino?

What Is An Iced Cappuccino?

Since it is easy to get mixed up and mistake an iced cappuccino for an iced latte macchiato these are in fact very different.

An iced cappuccino is made with espresso and milk using an espresso to milk ratio of 1:1 and uses an equal amount of cold foam as the tasty frothy topping. All three components of an iced cappuccino; the espresso, milk and cold foam are in a 1:1:1 ratio.

An iced latte macchiato is made with espresso, milk and whipped cream in a ratio of 1:2:2.

Iced Macchiato Recipe

An iced macchiato, regardless of which of the drinks that you want to make be it an iced latte macchiato, an iced espresso macchiato or an iced caramel macchiato, how good it is will depend on the quality of your coffee beans, your equipment used and your ability to make the perfect espresso shot.

If you have not yet invested in a home espresso machine, now is a good time to consider investing in one. You’ll end up with coffee shop quality at home and saving a lot of money on your trips to Starbucks, Dunkin’s and Costa Coffee.

Ingredients Needed For Making An Iced Macchiato At Home

Very few ingredients are needed for making this great coffee. None of which are difficult to find.

Ingredients List:

• Premium quality whole coffee beans.
• Whole milk or the milk of your choice.
• Whipped cream.

Read: What is a macchiato?

Instructions For Making An Iced Macchiato

Start by weighing your whole coffee beans and weigh 40 grams of them. For an iced macchiato a dark roasted coffee with an Italian roast and a French roast is ideal.

Grind your beans using a ceramic conical burr grinder and grind to a fine powder like coffee grind size with 200 microns being perfect. Grind in bursts of 5 seconds and rest for 2 or 3 seconds. This is the perfect grinding technique for ensuring that your coffee grinds don’t clump and clog your grinder and also reduces heat transfer from your burr to your beans.

Put your coffee grounds in your portafilter and tamp with care and attention using a flat and even pressure of approximately 30 kg.

Attach your portafilter to your home espresso machine and pull your double shot. Don’t forget to put your coffee scale below your cup and tare (zero) your scales.

Time your shot as it is being pulled. Your shot should weigh 60 grams (2 Oz) and take 25 seconds to pull (the perfect time) with a variance of 5 seconds either side of the 25-second brew time.

If your doubleshot is less than or heavier than 60 grams, you will need to adjust your machine to ensure you get the perfect dose.

Your brew time, the extraction time is critical for the perfect shot. If your shot is brewed in 19 seconds or less, it will probably taste under brewed and slightly sour. To rectify this simply adjust your grind size and make it slightly smaller to encourage your hot water to have greater contact with the coffee grinds.

If your extraction time is 31 seconds or greater, your coffee will likely taste overtly bitter and over brewed. To fix this you will need to adjust your coffee grind size and make it slightly smaller to encourage your hot water to flow better, to improve the flow rate.

When you have the perfect espresso, add cold milk using an espresso to milk ratio of 1:2. You can use any type of milk that you desire: whole milk, almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, soy milk and cashew milk are great choices.

Add ice and top it up with whipped cream.

Serve and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions About What Is A Iced Macchiato

What Is The Difference Between An Iced Latte And An Iced Macchiato?

The difference between an iced latte and an iced macchiato is the use of whipped cream.

Both drinks are made with an espresso to steamed milk ratio of 1:2 while the hot version of a latte macchiato is made with an equal amount of milk foam as there is steamed milk. This is not possible with the iced version and whipped cream is used to compensate for this inconvenience.

For clarity:

• Iced Latte: A double shot of espresso with steamed milk using an espresso to milk ratio of 1:2.
• Iced latte Macchiato: A double shot of espresso with steamed milk using a ratio of 1:2 and topped with whipped cream.

Is Macchiato Stronger Than Iced Coffee?

Digging down and getting the full details of all these drinks and getting granular and comparing an espresso macchiato, a latte macchiato, caramel macchiato, iced caramel macchiato and iced coffee in terms of caffeine content you can see that for some drink sizes an iced coffee has more caffeine than both a caramel macchiato and an iced caramel macchiato.

For the larger drink size, iced coffee has more caffeine than the other. This in part is due to an iced Venti being 24 Oz (720 ml) while a hot Venti is 20 Oz (600 ml).

In terms of flavor, the macchiato beverage has the more prominent flavor as they are espresso based compared to iced coffee which has brewed coffee as the base coffee beverage.

Is Iced Macchiato Sweet?

An iced macchiato, the smallest drink size available being a tall 12 Oz (360 ml) serving, is sweet due to the use of milk and whipped cream in a 1:2:2 ratio to the espresso shot.

An iced caramel macchiato is sweet, much sweeter due to the use of vanilla syrup and caramel sauce.

Are You Supposed To Stir An Iced Macchiato?

No, a regular iced macchiato or a hot macchiato is not supposed to be stirred. It’s a layered beverage that is supposed to be enjoyed as a layered drink. The same rule applies to iced caramel macchiato and hot caramel macchiato and other flavored macchiatos.

What Does Starbucks Call A Macchiato?

There are three distinct macchiatos on Starbucks drinks menu; an espresso macchiato, a latte macchiato and a caramel macchiato.

• An Espresso Macchiato: A shot of espresso with a tiny teaspoon splash of milk and milk foam.
• A Latte Macchiato: A coffee drink made with espresso, steamed milk and milk foam in a ratio of 1:2:2.
• A Caramel Macchiato: A coffee beverage made with espresso, vanilla syrup, steamed milk, milk foam and caramel sauce. The espresso, steamed milk and milk foam are used in a ratio of 1:2:2.

Although carmel macchiato is their signature flavor, a latte macchiato can be made in any flavor you want.

What’s The Difference Between A Macchiato And A Cappuccino?

The difference between a macchiato and a cappuccino is the ratios.

• Cappuccino: Espresso drink with steamed milk and milk froth in equal ratios of 1:1:1.
• Latte Macchiato: An espresso based drink with steamed milk and foamed milk in a ratio of 1:2:2.

Technically speaking, the coffee base of a latte macchiato resembles a latte more than a cappuccino as a latte is made with an espresso to milk ratio of 1:2.

Why Order A Caramel Macchiato Upside Down?

An upside down caramel macchiato is more of the caramel flavor mixed with the espresso and vanilla and notably less flavorful when enjoyed as a tiered drink as the caramel flavored sauce of the crosshatch design is missing from the top layer.

What Is A Reverse Macchiato Called?

A reverse macchiato is called an upside down macchiato.

Final Thoughts – What Is A Iced Macchiato?

By reading that far you have detailed information about what is a iced macchiato is and should have no doubt what this drink is and how to make it like a professional barista.

Did you make this iced macchiato at home?

How did it turn out?

Join our cool coffee community and share your own recipes, latte art, coffee creations and tell us all about the cool new beans that you are trying out. Find us on Facebook/Meta.

Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location