The Iced Cortado Is Having a Moment, Here's the Coffee to Make It With
Aug 13, 2026
There's a trending order at the front of the queue this summer, and it isn't the flat white. Summer menus are featuring more iced cortados, and coffee drinkers everywhere are suddenly wondering: should I get a flat White, cappuccino, or cortado? Indicating people want a smaller, stronger, more balanced milk drink, and they want to understand what they're actually ordering.
What actually is a cortado?
A cortado is generally understood as a small espresso-and-milk drink, often made with roughly equal parts espresso and steamed milk. The milk reduces perceived intensity/acidity/bitterness and changes texture and balance.
Cortado vs flat white
On Change Please menus the ratio of the Cortado is equal parts espresso and milk, our flat white has more milk.
The differences:
Size: Cortado is smaller (4 oz); flat white is larger (5 to 8 oz).
Texture: Cortado has lightly steamed milk and the flat white features fine microfoam.
Taste: Cortado is bold and strong; whereas the flat white is soft and balanced
Why the iced version is winning
At Change please we are reaching for an iced cortado as a refreshing, espresso-forward alternative to milk-heavy iced lattes.
Which is why the coffee you choose matters more than ever.
The coffee to reach for: Rwanda Muyumbu
Our Rwanda Muyumbu is part of our Farms to Futures range, and it's built for exactly this kind of drink. Grown at altitude in Rwanda's Muyumbu hills, it's bright and naturally sweet, with the kind of gentle acidity and rounded body that sings when it meets cold milk.
In an iced cortado, that translates to a cup that's smooth and balanced with a lift of fresh cherries in the flavour on finish. It holds its own and balances well as an espresso forward iced beverage with milk.
The best part is every bag does more than taste good. Change Please is a social enterprise; we train and employ people who have experienced homelessness as baristas, and the profit from your coffee funds farmer livelihoods at origin and barista training in the UK.
How to make an iced cortado at home
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18g of Rwanda Muyumbu, 36g of espresso in the ideal time of 25-28 seconds. Ground fresh, if you can.
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Fill a short glass with ice; a 120ml tumbler is perfect.
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Add cold milk to match your espresso, roughly 1:1. Whole milk for richness, or oat if you're dairy-free (it suits the Muyumbu's sweetness beautifully).
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Pour the espresso over the top. Watch it cascade through the milk.
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Stir once and drink.
Trade up your afternoon
Rwanda Muyumbu gives you a cup that's bright, balanced, and built for ice, and it means your afternoon coffee helps change someone's life.
Order a bag, make it your house pour for the summer, and settle the great cortado debate at your own kitchen counter.
