Iced Coffee Becoming Winter’s Hottest Drink

CANTON, Mass. -- A new survey by Dunkin’ Donuts indicates iced coffee is gaining in popularity in the winter months. Nearly 80 percent of the respondents said they are drinking more iced coffee now than they did a year ago, according to the locally headquartered company.

The survey further revealed that 56 percent of those iced coffee drinkers preferred it over hot coffee even in the colder months. In addition, 48 percent of iced coffee drinkers began drinking the beverage during the winter within the past three years, Dunkin’ Donuts said.

And when looking for a pick-me-up, 64 percent of survey respondents said they turned to iced coffee, followed by energy drinks (22 percent), carbonated beverages (9 percent) and juice (6 percent).

When asked why they choose iced coffee, 42 percent of the respondents said it gave them energy throughout the day, 21 percent said they could drink it faster than hot coffee, 19 percent said it cooled them down and 18 percent indicated they liked to drink coffee through a straw, the company reported.

"At Dunkin’ Donuts, iced coffee is fast becoming as popular as the classic cup of Dunkin’ Donuts hot coffee, regardless of the season," said John Costello, chief global customer and marketing officer at Dunkin’ Brands. "As these results show, we can expect more and more people to turn to iced coffee for the energy they need to keep themselves running, regardless of how low the temperatures might drop."