At the first sign of summer, many coffee-lovers switch from a hot drink to something more refreshing. There are two main ways to consume coffee cold: iced coffee and cold brew. Though these beverages seem similar, there are major differences between the recipes that affect the taste and the price of the coffee.

Iced coffee and cold brew are made from the same ingredients—water and ground coffee beans—but they aren’t prepared the same way. Iced coffee starts as regular coffee—a.k.a coffee that’s brewed in hot water. After this quick process, the coffee is poured over ice and served chilled.

Cold brew is more labor-intensive, but it’s usually preferred by coffee connoisseurs. As the name suggests, cold brew is made by brewing coffee in cold water. Coffee infuses into cold water more slowly than it does with hot water, which is why cold brew takes at least 12 hours to make. The ratio of coffee to water also has to be higher—1:5 in cold brew compared to roughly 1:16 in regular coffee.

Another factor is that cold brew is considered higher quality. The gentle, slow brewing process creates a product with a more mellow, less acidic taste while yielding a stronger caffeine concentration.