What makes Iced Coffee so perfect?

Coffee. 

How many times would you bow down to the person that brewed the very first cup of coffee? When was it? Approximately during the 15th century in the Ethiopian highlands by a goatherd that noticed that his goats were eating 'berries' from a tree. It turns out that his goats became overly spirited and did not want to sleep at night. This goatherd ended up making a drink with this 'berry' and it had the same effects on him as it did on the goats. 

Iced Coffee. 

The new extreme to the conventional cup of joe. Iced coffee has become extremely popular in todays world, and who leads the charge? Dunkin Donuts seems to be the one that leads the charge when it comes to Iced Coffee, however, many other establishments are on the frontlines. Starbucks, probably the most mainstream coffeehouse of them all, serves a pretty mean iced coffee, however, a lot of people complain about the "burnt", or "strong" taste. It all, of course, depends on your individual preference, palate, or taste. I for one, prefer Dunkin Donuts all day long mainly because of their seasonal flavors. Seasonal flavors? What seasonal flavors you ask? This past summer, Dunkin offered the Oreo iced coffee, which was flavored by finely crushed Oreo cookies. In the fall, Dunkin offers a perfect pumpkin iced coffee, and at one point in time (which i hope happens again) Dunkin offered a gingerbread iced coffee during the winter. 

Coffee, and iced coffee seems to be on the menu at every convenience store, fast food joint, bakeries, and of course at the many coffeehouses this area offers. There was a study done that was commissioned by Dunkin Donuts that has some numbers that may surprise you. During the study, 500 coffee drinkers were polled. 

You would probably think that people drink hot coffee in the winter, and iced coffee in the summer, right? Well, 84% of coffee drinkers stated that they drank more iced coffee then hot coffee last winter. Do you have doubts that you can actually feel the effects of coffee? 77% stated that they felt more productive at work after drinking an iced coffee, and nearly 64% said they had a mental edge over their colleagues. How about flavor? Do you go flavored, or black? 90% said they go with a flavor with french vanilla taking the top spot at 30%. Is coffee merely a social status symbol? 55% said they felt cooler, or trendier holding a cup of iced coffee. That number increased to 60% for the younger crowd in the age range of 18-24. 

Iced coffee is nearly as popular as hot coffee right now in the United States, and that holds true even during the winter months. Now dont be fooled. A cup of hot coffee that sits around for hours and cools down does not count as a cup of iced coffee. If you havent enjoyed a cup of fresh iced coffee, do yourself a favor, make yourself cooler, and go out and get a cup of iced coffee. You'll never go back.