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A Tim Hortons iced capp is a blended coffee slush made with cream: 4oz double-strength chilled coffee, 2oz half and half or 18% cream, 2 tbsp simple syrup, and 1.5 cups ice, blended until it flows like a milkshake. It is not iced coffee; the slush texture and the cream fat are the drink. Caffeine Informer lists the iced capp at 110mg small, 140mg medium, and 170mg large (Tim Hortons caffeine guide); a home build on 4oz double-strength coffee lands broadly near the small. Home version, not the chain's formula.
The build
| Ingredient | Amount | Replaces |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee, brewed double strength and chilled | 4 oz | Iced capp coffee concentrate |
| Half and half or 18% cream | 2 oz | Cream |
| Simple syrup | 2 tbsp | Sugar base |
| Ice | 1.5 cups | Ice |
How to make it
- Brew coffee at double your normal dose and chill it completely.
- Blend coffee, cream, and syrup for 5 seconds.
- Add ice and blend until it pours thickly, like a melting milkshake.
- Serve immediately; iced capps do not hold.
Why cream is non-negotiable
The store version blends a coffee concentrate with cream, and the fat does two jobs: it rounds the concentrate's bitterness and it keeps the slush texture loose instead of granular. Milk versions freeze harder and taste sharp. The Canadian menu even offers it made with chocolate milk; that variant works at home by swapping the cream and syrup for 3oz of chocolate milk.
The honest strength warning
People treat the iced capp as a milkshake and forget it is one of the stronger cold drinks on the Tim Hortons board; a large carries more caffeine than many energy drinks. The home version inherits this if you use proper double-strength coffee, which you should, because normal-strength coffee disappears in the blend. Know what you are drinking.
Caffeine, with sources
Chain: 110mg small, 140mg medium, 170mg large per Caffeine Informer. Home: 4oz of double-strength brew is roughly equivalent to 8oz of standard coffee, about 95mg per USDA (source). More on the Tim Hortons caffeine page. The FDA cites 400 milligrams a day as an amount not generally associated with dangerous effects for healthy adults (FDA). Everything on this page is information, not health advice.
Slush gear
A strong blender and a jar of simple syrup cover it; cold brew concentrate from a cold brew maker is an even better base than double-strength drip.
Related reading
- Tim Hortons caffeine, every drink
- McDonald's caramel frappe copycat
- How to make cold brew
- Caffeine database hub
FAQ
What is in a Tim Hortons iced capp? A coffee concentrate blended with cream and ice into a slush. The home build is double-strength chilled coffee, half and half, simple syrup, and ice, blended until milkshake-thick.
How much caffeine is in an iced capp? Caffeine Informer lists 110mg small, 140mg medium, and 170mg large. A home version on 4oz of double-strength coffee runs near 95mg.
Why does my iced capp taste watery? Single-strength coffee or milk instead of cream. Double the coffee dose, keep the cream, and blend fully; all three protect the drink from ice dilution.
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