Cold coffee popular at Stark County shops; Walkie Talkie shares inspiration for unique drinks

Coffee used to be a beverage enjoyed hot. Black, with cream, with sugar, with milk, or a mix. Those were the only choices back in the day.

Since then, a whole slew of customizations have been added, with syrups, flavor swirls, foams, etc. And more coffee options have been added over the years. Now you can enjoy iced coffee and cold brew with all kinds of varieties and mix-ins.

Iced coffee and cold brew options are essentially staples on almost, if not, all coffee shop menus now. But when did they become so popular?

Starbucks — often thought of as a coffee trendsetter — started offering cold brew on its menu in early 2015. But smaller, specialty chains had been selling it for years prior to this. Dunkin’ followed and launched its cold brew in June 2016.

And iced coffee dates back even further, with its first appearance on Starbucks’ menus in May 2009, at the low price of $1.95 for a grande size, which means medium for those not fluent in Starbucks speak. Dunkin’ must have known iced coffee would have staying power. The first mention of iced coffee on its site dates back to 2003 with a summer promotion in collaboration with MTV. But from the release, it sounds as if iced coffee wasn’t exactly new then.

Now that cold coffee varieties have been around for almost two decades, if not longer, it’s clear that they’re not just a trend in the food and beverage world, like wonuts – a mix between waffles and doughnuts – were in 2014. (Yes, I tried wonuts while I was in Chicago in 2014 and got them again when I was there in 2015. Yes, they were amazing! Yes, I'm sad they're no longer a thing. And, yes, that's why I had to mention them here.)

If you still haven’t tried cold brew or iced coffee, have you been living under a rock? All kidding aside, you’re really missing out. Grab a cold coffee from one of these local shops.

Iced coffee and cold brew options offered at Stark County coffee shops

Carpe Diem Coffee Shop’s menu includes cold brew, nitro cold brew, iced lattes (available in different flavors) and frappes. The downtown shop also has specials listed on its chalkboard. Carpe Diem is at 215 Market Ave. N, Canton.

Muggswigz Coffee & Tea Co. has a slew of specialty drinks, many of which can be made chilled. Be sure to check the menu board at each shop for new drinks. A recent seasonal drink is Muggswigz’s Iced Vietnamese Coffee, which is a dark roast coffee with chocolate notes, brewed with sweetened condensed milk over ice. Muggswigz’s locations: 137 Walnut Ave. NE, Canton; 5854 Fulton Drive NW, Jackson Township; 373 S. Main St., Akron; 3452 Manchester Road, Portage Lakes.

Ohio Roasting Company offers cold brew and nitro cold brew and also has specialty drinks, available iced or frozen. Those include a butter brew latte, cinnamon roll latte, coconut pistachio latte, honey lavender latte, maple brown sugar oat latte, salted caramel white mocha latte and toasted marshmallow mocha latte. Ohio Roasting Company is located at 4870 Frank Ave. NW, Jackson Township.

Pioneer Coffee Roasters offers iced coffee, cold brew, iced Americanos, iced lattes and iced mochas. Recent specialty drinks included campfire cold brew and iced maple lattes. All summer, Pioneer will be offering strawberry, vanilla, chocolate and black raspberry cold brews. Pioneer’s locations: 7924 Hills & Dales Road NW, Jackson Township; 60 Lincolnview Drive, Dalton.

Stark County coffee shop: Pioneer Collective Coffee offers array of beverages and treats

Shale Craft Coffee has iced coffee, cold brew and frappes, plus most of its drinks can be made iced. Shale also has signature drinks, including french toast, honey lavender, Heath bar, oatmeal cookie and more, most of which can be made iced. Shale Craft Coffee is at 1160 S. Main St., North Canton.

The Still House at Gervasi Vineyard offers cold brew, iced coffee and signature iced drinks: GV Express and Gervasi Mintspresso. The GV Express is three shots of espresso over ice with a splash of milk and simple syrup, and the Gervasi Mintspresso is fresh mint and simple syrup with espresso ice cubes topped with sparkling water. The Still House is at 1700 55th St. NE, Canton.

Tremont Coffee Co. offers most of its coffee drinks hot or cold. Choose from traditional cold brew, nitro cold brew, frappes — served iced or frozen, and signature beverages, including the F-Bomb, Honey Badger, the Sugar Cookie, Peanut Butter Cup, Nitro Mocha Madness and Nitro Caramel Macchiato. View order customizations and full details on tremont2go.com. Tremont’s locations: 215 Erie St. N, Massillon; 4859 Tuscarawas St. W, Perry Twp.; 540 N. Main St., North Canton.

Stark County coffee shop openings: Tremont Coffee, Shale Craft Coffee open in North Canton; M&H Beans to open roastery

Uptown Joe has iced coffee, iced Americanos, iced lattes, cold brew and frappes. Most drinks can be made with your choice of flavor. Uptown Joe is at 117 E. Main St., Louisville.

Walkie Talkie Espresso & Coffee has cold brew, iced lattes and many specialty drinks, which most can be made iced. Recent menu highlights are Straw-brewy cold brew; Neapolitan Dynamite, which has espresso, steamed strawberry milk and house chocolate sauce; and the Cinnabrew, which has vanilla oat milk, cold brew, cinnamon, house cinnamon cereal syrup and a cocktail ice cube. Stop in to see the ever-changing menu of unique drinks. Walkie Talkie is at 504 15th St. NW, Canton.

Whole Latte Love Cafe offers cold brew, iced caramel macchiato, iced mocha, iced white mocha, iced latte, java-chip frappe and additional frappes. Choose from different flavors for most iced drinks. Whole Latte Love Cafe is at 1308 S. Main St., North Canton.

North Canton coffee shop: Whole Latte Love Cafe has mission of good coffee, employing young adults with disabilities

Walkie Talkie Espresso & Coffee’s unique take on drinks

Local coffee shops all have their own way of putting spins on traditional coffee drinks, but Walkie Talkie Espresso & Coffee, at 504 15th St. NW in Canton, seems to take things up a notch. The start of Walkie Talkie should have been an indication that this spot would be in a world of its own.

With the help of a Kickstarter fundraising campaign that raised more than $32,000 in late spring 2018, the shop was transformed from a gas station to the hip spot it is today. The bright building beckons coffee lovers and offers even more fun once inside. With a unique lineup of drinks, that seems to be continually evolving, it’s a wonder how the crew at Walkie Talkie keep coming up with such innovative drinks.

We caught up with owner Lindsey King and cafe manager John King by email to see how they keep things fun and fresh at Walkie Talkie.

“We like to play off seasonal ingredients and our favorite non-coffee holiday sweets. If something sounds unusual and exciting, we like to try it!”

Q. How often are you experimenting with new drink recipes, and what does the process look like?

A. “It is an ongoing process through the year, and is an active collaboration with the staff. Many specialty drinks/syrups have been created by our baristas! Lots of small tweaks, lots of ideas that you throw at the wall. We like to have a balanced seasonal menu that is nondairy friendly, and includes decaffeinated options.”

Q. How do you keep your ideas fresh and original?

A. “I think if the group is excited about it, if we are drawing from our own taste and culinary experiences and not trying to jump on trends, it organically happens.”

Q. Which drinks are your most popular? Do your customers prefer cold drinks or hot?

A. “Our most popular iced drink is the Cinnabrew. Its a nondairy creamy cold brew drink that tastes like cinnamon cereal. Delightful.”

“The top hot drink is actually our house brewed coffee. We feature beans from Heart Roasters out of Portland, Oregon. Their coffee is strong, sweet and smooth. It tastes great on its own but can be pretty tasty with a dash of cream, as well!”

Q. What is your favorite drink you’ve come up with?

A. “I’m very proud of the work that went into our fall specialty latte: Yammertime. We wanted to do something different than pumpkin, and that got us stuck on the concept of yam casserole with marshmallows. So, we pureed our own yam pie mix with fall seasonings, and built a delicious latte with it. A labor of love, but I’m very proud of the end product we’ve created. Comes out again this fall!”

Q. Have you had any ideas that turned out to be flops in the process of making them?

A. “Lots! Haha. But that's part of the process of finding new things you’ll enjoy. Different combinations can yield wildly different results. It always blows my mind when we figure out the right ratio of disparate ingredients and everything just clicks!”

Q. Any surprise recipes that worked better than you imagined?

A. “The rye syrup turned out surprisingly strong, and when paired with an oat latte, it’s uncanny how close you get to the taste of rye bread. The Rye Latte also comes out this fall!”

Q. How do you decide on the fun names for drinks you come up with?

A. “Usually, we amass a long list of puns and whichever name makes us laugh the most, we choose.”

With extended hours for the summer, you can get your caffeine fix at Walkie Talkie from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit walkietalkiecoffee.square.site.

How to make cold brew and iced coffee at home

Cold coffee from a coffee shop is more convenient than you realize. Looking to make your own at home? The first and most important thing you’ll need is time. In addition to time, you’ll need the right tools.

We’ll start with cold brew because it seems more popular than iced coffee. 

USA Today has a great video (seen above) showing how to make cold brew at home. Here are the steps from the video:

1. Start with whole coffee beans. Use a coarse ground for the best results.

2. You can use a mason jar or French press. You’ll want to use 3/4 cup of coffee per 4 cups of filtered water.

3. Add the coffee grounds to the mason jar or French press, then add the water, and stir. You want the grounds to be hydrated.

4. Put the mason jar or French press in the refrigerator for 12 to 20 hours to brew. 

5. Once the time has passed, strain the coffee through a fine-mesh strainer, lined with a coffee filter or cheese cloth, into another container. Avoid pressing on the grounds or stirring them during this step, which will cause your coffee to be more bitter.

6. This is a concentrate that you will need to dilute with water.

7. Your cold brew batch will last seven to 10 days in the refrigerator.

Dunkin’ has an easy, three-step process to make iced coffee at home. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup coffee grounds

3 cups of water, divided

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup half-and-half

Ice cubes

Whipped cream, optional

Directions:

1. Brew coffee in coffeemaker using 1 1/2 cups cold water.

2. Combine hot brewed coffee, sugar and half-and-half in pitcher. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Blend in remaining 1 1/2 cups cold water. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

3. Fill glasses or coffee mugs with ice. Pour coffee over ice. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Cold coffee popular at Stark shops. Walkie Talkie shares inspiration