A Beginner’s Guide to Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

06/12/09  Print This Post Print This Post    5 Comments   Popular   Written by Theodore Scott
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Being a coffee drinker in the summer can be a sweaty habit. About a month ago, I switched from my regular hot coffee ritual to cold-brewing iced coffee every day. It’s cold. It tastes great. It also takes 12 hours to make.

Photo: mynameisharsha

Why Cold-Brew?

Chilling hot coffee is a common way to make quick and easy iced coffee. Cold-brewing takes several hours. Why bother?

Cold-brewing extracts the flavor and caffeine of the coffee grounds, but less of the oils and acids. Without heat, you get great-tasting iced coffee without the bitterness. Try the two side-by-side sometime. You will be converted.

The Recipe

Fill a glass container with 6 tablespoons of ground coffee.

Add 2 cups filtered water.

Cover and let rest for 12 hours.

Strain the coffee through a filter.

Fill two glasses with ice and add coffee.

(Optional) Add cream and sugar to taste.

Develop Your Caffeine Habit

Photo: findfado

Twelve hours is a long time to wait for coffee. To make cold-brewed coffee regularly, you need to plan ahead.

First, get a French press. They are easy to use for brewing both hot and cold coffee. Each night, around dinnertime, fill the press with coffee grounds and filtered water.

It will be ready at breakfast.

After you try it a few times, experiment with the amount of coffee grounds and the timing. I like the portions in the recipe above, but you might want to adjust the strength. Also, some people prefer a 24 hour brewing. On the other hand, you can cut it down to as little as four hours – make it at breakfast and enjoy it with lunch.

Cold-brewing Tips

To get great coffee flavor, buy good whole-bean coffees. Look for fair trade. Make sure it was roasted recently.

Coarse grind your coffee. The mesh screen on the French press will do a better job of filtering.

Add a little cream and sugar if you want, but try it plain first. It is smooth and probably won’t need as much extra stuff added as you are used to with hot coffee.

For variety, add a bit of honey or cinnamon to the coffee grounds. Or try adding some peppermint loose leaf tea. Flavored syrups will work as well.

Use filtered water.

If you drink iced coffee all day, you won’t be able to make them fast enough with this recipe. Consider purchasing the largest French press you can find. Multiply the recipe to make large batches. You can store the extra coffee in your refrigerator. It will keep for days and it won’t get that nasty old coffee taste.

Community Connection:

Travelers looking to make coffee on the road should check out Matador’s Coffee Gear for Coffee Fanatics. Also, don’t forget how your purchases affect the lives of coffee producers. Read more at Fair Trade for Beginners.


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About the Author

Thedore Scott

Theodore Scott is an engineer who lives in Boise, Idaho. He recently quit his job to travel around South America with his fiancee. Theodore tried, unsuccessfully, to marry her in every country they visited. His website is at www.theodorescott.com.

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5 Comments... join the discussion!

  • Migration Mark replied on June 12, 2009

    I have never heard of making coffee in that fashion and love the beverage. I cant wait to try it out!

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  • joshywashington replied on June 12, 2009

    I have to get on this. As an official coffee fiend I need that smoky little bean in my blood stream, you know what i mean?
    My fav is the Vietnamese syle mini drip with the uber sweetened condensed milk!
    yum

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  • Hal replied on June 13, 2009

    Ahhh! I want some now!

    Josh, I’m with you on Vietnamese style–good both regular and iced.

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  • Ryukyu Mike replied on June 17, 2009

    I make 3qts a day at home and spend around $10 a day buying iced-coffees when I’m out of the house. Drink the stuff cold year-round. Just use my Mr Coffee machine and fill the basket uo, so when the grounds get wet, they stick to the heating element above them ! Bitter… Love it ! Gotta try your recipe, though and see if it gives me a better caffine fix !

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  • J. Wire replied on June 17, 2009

    I’d like to offer the beginner’s guide to knowing whether or not it’s appropriate for drinking iced coffee:

    http://isiticedcoffeeweather.com/

    End of guide.

    Cheers

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