Iced coffee seems to be "it" right now. It's everywhere! On menus, on Facebook, on Instagram. Everywhere I look, all I see is iced coffee.
And I finally gave in. But I will say that besides the iced coffee at my favorite local shop, the best iced coffee I've had has been made at home. If you start using great coffee and make it exactly how you want it, you'll never be disappointed!
Iced coffee should never have a burned flavor or be bitter or taste like watered-down coffee from earlier that morning. It should be smooth and flavorful and refreshing.
My only issue? Most places only have regular (caffeinated) iced coffee, and I like having my iced coffee in the afternoon. I still like my hot coffee in the morning -- cold drinks are just too cold to have when I get up! And since I like mine in the afternoon, I want decaf.
We like our coffee fairly strong -- not overly so, but I want it to taste like coffee and not coffee-flavored water. And our favorite coffees have fruity-undertones and flavors with a tart finish, but you can use anything!
Just find your favorite coffee, and go for it. I took our normal ratio of beans to water, upped it a bit to make it more concentrated for the iced version, and went from there. Easy!
MY FAVORITE ICED COFFEE
yield: 3-4 servings
If you like having a little afternoon treat as much as I do, this is just what you need. Icy and refreshing, this coffee is perfect on a hot day. I have it on ice if I'm home or take it (with milk already added) in a travel mug and keep it in the fridge at work.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2/3 cup of your favorite coffee beans
- 3 cups filtered or spring water
- milk or cream, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
- Grind the beans on a fairly coarse setting, similar to what you would use for a french press. You just don't want them ground too fine or it will be easier for some grinds to end up in the coffee.
- Pour the coffee into a 4-cup french press or pitcher (or Toddy or anything else you want to use!) and slowly add the water. Swirl the container around a little to make sure there aren't any large places of dry grounds.
- Set the bowl or pitcher into the fridge and let it sit at least 8 hours. Overnight is usually the easiest for me since I have no patience.
- After 8-12 hours, drain the liquid gold. You can do this through a brewing system like the Toddy, in a french press (if you used that to brew), or by pouring the coffee through a coffee filter into a bowl. Discard the grounds.
- Fill a glass with ice, fill the glass 1/2-3/4 of the way with your iced coffee, and top with milk or cream.