It’s summertime! Which means it’s hot – in some places, very hot. But one crucial question remains: is it ever too hot for a steaming cup of coffee? Let’s see what our team around the world has to say about their favorite ways to get a caffeine kick when the temperatures start to rise.

Kenya

“Most Kenyans will take their coffee hot or at room temperature. Only a small percentage of people will ask for iced coffee in the summer.  Kenyan coffee shops prepare all sorts of coffee, from house drips to espresso drinks like cappuccinos, lattes and more.

Most of us in the Kenyan office prefer our coffee hot! Renoh, our country accountant enjoys hot mild house coffee with milk and sugar. Grace, our program coordinator, likes her coffee hot, medium strong with milk and sugar. ‘It’s like eating ice cream, except it’s hot!’ she says.

Personally, I like my coffee very mild, with or without cream, and without sugar. But we don’t just drink coffee – we also use the grounds to make body scrubs! It’s as simple as mixing equal parts of fresh coffee grounds with brown sugar and coconut oil.”

– Dorice Lusuli, Kenyan Engagement Facilitator

Latin America

“Coffee time is an important part of the day for Latino families. “If you are invited to a Latin American house, it is very likely that when you arrive you will be offered coffee. No matter if it is winter or summer, coffee is taken hot with a sweet bread in the house. The time for coffee is at breakfast and at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, everyone from children to adults drinks coffee.

In the coffee shops there are a variety of options: you can find espressos, lattes, cappuccinos and more. In Honduras we celebrate National Coffee Day on October 1^st, when we honor everyone who works on the coffee supply chain, in particular the people in production. These are the men and women committed to Honduras’ development.”

– Julissa Arana, Latin American Engagement Facilitator

North America

Square One’s Jess Steffy is our go-to person on all things coffee — which is why, when we asked about her favorite summer brew, we were intrigued to learn about an entirely new method: flash brew!  It’s pretty simple: prepare coffee as you usually would, but use half as much water (or twice as much coffee) to make a concentrated brew to pair with ice or ice water.

“This method creates an iced coffee that is a bit more crisp and can be a bit more fruity/acidic, but it still takes milk/sugar well for folks who want to add those things,” she says.

For those who like more chocolatey and nutty iced coffee, Jess recommends a cold brew. Here’s their recipe from Square One’s website (by the way, we heard both these methods would work great with the Honduran Trailblazer coffee).

Check out the below graphic from Square One to compare flash and cold brew!