How to Make Iced Coffee
You don’t have to be an avid coffee drinker to make a bold, refreshing iced coffee concentrate at home. Of course, it can’t hurt if you’re obsessed, but the ease of the process and rewarding results make it worth a try even for the occasional iced coffee drinker. Here’s a simple step-by-step so you can head into summer with incredible amounts of energy.
What is iced coffee?
Cold brew is coffee brewed without heating. Typically, when you make coffee—be it drip, pour over, or espresso—the coffee grounds come into contact with near-boiling water, and this results in a much faster extraction. You can pour hot coffee over ice and it will just be iced coffee. Instead, cold brew is a slow, hands-free extraction process that consists of basically two steps: Mix coffee grounds with water and wait.
Why you should make cold brew
Hands-free brewing. One of the reasons to make cold brew is what I just mentioned: you can just walk away. Brewing happens overnight, so once you mix your coffee and water, you won’t have to think about it until tomorrow.
This lasts for a while . Typically, when you start making cold brew, it’s a concentrate. While this may seem like a small amount, it is incredibly powerful. So a measly 12 ounces of concentrate can last you three days of caffeine. If you drink occasionally, you’re even luckier. The general consensus among coffee roasters is that cold brew will last seven to 10 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
It’s damn smooth. Don’t get me wrong, I love hot brewed coffee too. The hot water extracts the aromatics and oils from the beans, which bring out the full range of flavors. However, iced coffee has a round, smooth flavor and a nice gooey consistency that you can’t get from hot coffee.
Pleased you . Packaged cold brew from the supermarket or cold brew bought in a cafe is made the way the company likes. At home, you can experiment with proportions and roast levels to create the perfect blend.
No special tools required . Yes, I’m literally going to list the tools I’ve used to make cold brew at home, but none of that is technically necessary . All you need is a container with a lid, coarse coffee and filtered water. Then you can strain it using any of the methods that I listed in step 5.
Here are some useful tools to get you started:
How to Make Iced Coffee Step by Step
1. Choose beans
Coffee beans and roasting cover a wide range of flavors and notes, similar to the influence of terroir in winemaking. Whatever bean you like is the one you should use. However, I recommend that you choose coffee that is at least whole bean. This time I used Café Grumpy’s Momentum roast. Freshly ground coffee will give you more flavor, so even if you choose a more affordable brand, you should grind whole beans at the store or at home. This brings us to the next step.
2. Use a coarse grind.
The size of the territory mainly depends on logistics. Once the coffee has brewed, you’ll have to strain it, and while smaller coffee pieces impart a stronger flavor, they also leave a cloudy residue in the drink. Set the grinder to a medium-coarse grind, tilting slightly toward the coarser side.
3. Break up the scale
The ratio of cold brew concentrates can vary from 1:2 to 1:8 parts ground coffee to water. I usually plant somewhere in the middle with a 1:4 or 1:5 ratio because I find that this amount of water contacts the grains better. Plus, this amount fits best in my French press.
You’ll add water to the concentrate when serving, so even if your ratio isn’t perfect, you can adjust it later. Once you have decided on your ratio, you can do some simple math. Don’t worry, it’s not that bad, but a kitchen scale will help.
Since I like to use a French press for cold brew and it holds four cups of liquid, I aim to use about five ounces of beans and 20 to 25 ounces of water. Combine the beans and filtered water in the container of your choice and stir well with a spoon or chopstick.
If you don’t have a scale and absolutely refuse to buy one (even though every kitchen should have one – they’re small and incredibly affordable these days), you can use volume measurements. You may have to adjust the dilution at the end to get the perfect mixture every time. For my 1:5 ratio, I used two cups of ground beans and hair to three cups of water.
4. Cool
Close the lid of the cold drink container, if present. For a French press, press the plunger until the mesh reaches the waterline, which will prevent the grounds from peeking out of the water. Leave the infusion to brew on the table at room temperature for 16–18 hours. If you think you can’t meet these deadlines, you might be out of the house, or you started making the cold brew at an unusual time of day, brew it in the refrigerator instead. This extends the brewing time to approximately 20–24 hours.
5. Strain and decant.
I started making the drink at 3pm yesterday and strained it into a mason jar with a nut milk bag this morning at 8am. The French press already has a sieve, but small pieces inevitably end up in the sieve, so a second, finer sieve helps catch those unruly bits. I like the nut milk bag because it’s reusable, but if you don’t have one, you can use a regular paper coffee filter, several layers of cheesecloth, or even a sheet of paper towel in an all-purpose strainer.
You can pour the mixture into any container or jar as long as it has a tight-fitting lid for storage.
6. Dilute and enjoy
And now comes the moment we’ve all been waiting for: drinking! You’ve probably noticed that you’ve used a hell of a lot of beans to make a seemingly small amount of coffee. Concentration is deceptive, but don’t be discouraged. I like to fill the glass halfway with ice and add a 50/50 ratio of concentrate and water. Depending on the strength of the concentrate you make, you will dilute the drink a little more or less than I did. If you like, add a little milk and continue on your way. Now there’s no need to head to the café first to get the perfect summer cold drink.