How to make Iced Coffee that does not $**k.

[sean]

So the other Sean (javajunkie) and I got into a little side-bar convo that I thought would be great here: How to make Iced Coffee that does not SUCK.

My recipe goes like this (I don't drink my coffee with milk/sugar ever. Not sure where you could fit in milk sugar into this...):

Brew "espresso" in a large (6 cup) Moka Pot. Let Cool.
Pour room temp "espresso" into metal ice trays like this and freeze:

After this freezes, break out the cubes (carefully, as the coffee oil doesn't freeze solid and will grease up you hands)
Drop cubes into glass/mug
Then pour room temperature drip coffee (I use the 2/1 ratio) over the top.

Dunzo!




What do you fellahs like to do?

 

[Tobacco Giant]

Scoop 2.5 cups of coffee into the filter. Pour 4 cups of water into the coffee maker. Brew.

When its done, dump 2 or 3 cups of ice directly into the pot (they will melt pretty quick but will get the coffee to room temp or colder). Then pour over ice.

4 cups in the pot may not seem like much, but it'll give you at least three 24 ounce iced coffees when poured over ice.

Edit - good thread, btw. I tried and failed to make good iced coffee at home for an entire summer a couple years ago, lol.

 

[Hoshneer]

Ooooh.. I am gonna try this Sean. Thanks brohamity!

 

[z6joker9]

My process: get iced coffee, strain out the ice, heat to 190F, enjoy!

 

[sneak_a_cigar]

I just brew a full pot (2L) and stick it in the fridge. When cool I transfer to another container. On my way to work I fill up a bev-bottle with coffee and I'm good to go.

It's super easy this way.

Sneak

 

[KcJason1]

Fill gass with ice.. Open monster java can and pour in glass of ice.. Enjoy..

You guys are making this more difficult than it needs to be. Lol

 

[aherzing]

I want one of keurigs (sp?) that brews iced coffee

 

[z6joker9]

Mine does but I've never tried it. I think basically you just put it on 4 ounces and pour over ice. Maybe uses a special kcup.

 

[njstone]

I just bought one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Mizudas...TF8&qid=1344310910&sr=1-7&keywords=cold+press

Surprisingly, they are cheaper here in Japan, though now that I've tried it I think it's worth the $40 Amazon charges. I've been using this for a week now, and I have to say it makes FANTASTIC coffee! The key is just to let it "steep" in the fridge for like 24-hours. Really, it makes coffee concentrate, so you can have anything from a strong espresso to something milder if you add water or skim milk. I personally add some skim milk, then my customary sugar or honey, and half-&-half.

To me, this cold-brewing method yields a less bitter product than traditional brewing followed by cooling it off in the fridge/freezer, which is what I had been doing. Also great is that this makes a full liter of the concentrated coffee, so it lasts me 2 full days or more (which means less cleaning of my coffee maker), and I have coffee ready literally whenever I want it. In this form, the stuff keeps in the fridge for a full week, I'm told, as opposed to regular brewed coffee which starts to go go stale after 30-minutes and after about 3-hours is just putrid (imvho).

I'm drinking some of this right now with my lovely Padron 40th. I'm very happy!

 

[TravelingJ]

I just bought one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Hario-Mizudas...TF8&qid=1344310910&sr=1-7&keywords=cold+press

Surprisingly, they are cheaper here in Japan, though now that I've tried it I think it's worth the $40 Amazon charges. I've been using this for a week now, and I have to say it makes FANTASTIC coffee! The key is just to let it "steep" in the fridge for like 24-hours. Really, it makes coffee concentrate, so you can have anything from a strong espresso to something milder if you add water or skim milk. I personally add some skim milk, then my customary sugar or honey, and half-&-half.

To me, this cold-brewing method yields a less bitter product than traditional brewing followed by cooling it off in the fridge/freezer, which is what I had been doing. Also great is that this makes a full liter of the concentrated coffee, so it lasts me 2 full days or more (which means less cleaning of my coffee maker), and I have coffee ready literally whenever I want it. In this form, the stuff keeps in the fridge for a full week, I'm told, as opposed to regular brewed coffee which starts to go go stale after 30-minutes and after about 3-hours is just putrid (imvho).

I'm drinking some of this right now with my lovely Padron 40th. I'm very happy!

I agree with what you are saying. We use the Toddy Cold Brew system-your setup looks a bit more contained than ours. I get enough concentrate for the two of us to have coffee for about a week. I think I use more coffee in this process, but the smoothness is worth it to us.

 

[mthhurley]

Mine does but I've never tried it. I think basically you just put it on 4 ounces and pour over ice. Maybe uses a special kcup.

Yep. That's what it does, but no special kcup required. Any cup you want, just ice. I have one and was quite annoyed when I saw that was their process. I felt ripped off. LMAO.

What I've taken to doing is brewing a big kcup and throwing it in the freezer for a while. This works well until you forget it's in there.

 

[whodeeni]

Mine does but I've never tried it. I think basically you just put it on 4 ounces and pour over ice. Maybe uses a special kcup.

Yep. That's what it does, but no special kcup required. Any cup you want, just ice. I have one and was quite annoyed when I saw that was their process. I felt ripped off. LMAO.

What I've taken to doing is brewing a big kcup and throwing it in the freezer for a while. This works well until you forget it's in there.

Hahaha! That's too funny brotha! I do that with beer sometimes!

 

[sofc]

French Press. Cold water. Coffee. Wait 12 hours. Pour over ice. Enjoy.

 

[mthhurley]

Just found a new and perfect way (for me at least) to make one.

My kids got a couple of those Slushy Magic kits from grandma (http://www.orderslushymagic.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1). So the basis of the thing are these reusable ice cubes in food safe cube shaped bags. I make a hot K-Cup, dump it into my big tumbler with a couple of the slushy cubes, shake around a bit and voila. An ice cold fresh coffee. Not diluted by the normal ice cubes I used to dump in.

WINNING! Sorry kids...your Slushy's will have to wait!

 

[SDShark]

Ok, now I want a damn slushy! haha.

 

[javajunkie]

just as an aside for anyone who does the toddy (cold steep) method: you can get a SURPRISING ammount of caffeine this way! i think (chem nerds help me out) that caffeine does not like heat, and will dissipate depending on the brewing conditions. i know the heat of roasting can kill caffeine, so darker roasts, while bolder in body, have less zip per mg. BUT, regardless, the cold steep methods deliver such a mellow flavor profile it is real easy to overdo it. and if it gives ME a jolt, it just might kill some of y'all. o)

 

[bballbaby]

I've always dumped the few extra ounces that always seems to be left in the pot because it's not enough for a full cup (not sure why I can't get it through my head to just make a little less coffee so there's none left over) ...anyhow, what's left in the pot gets poured into a mason jar that goes in the fridge. Then whenever we feel like a frappucino I'll pour some in the bar blender, add ice, milk and sugar, and voila! iced coffee. Add whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel if you want it fancy.

 

[CigarJedi]

I drink ice coffee on a daily basis for almost 10 months out of the year (gotta wake up to something cold), so my opinion is:

Cold Press (coffee steeped in water for a certain number of hours): Probably the best method. It takes patience, but the cup it yields is noticeably better. You can really taste the bean in the cup.

My Method: I brew it the night before as a hot pot of coffee and then refrigerate overnight. It quick and easy and the strength of the coffee isn't daluted by ice cubes, straining over water, etc. A compromise for a coffee nerd, but not bad for a normal everyday cup.

Method I heard recently: On vacation recently, I sought out a local coffee shop (I like checking out what the local places are doing) and started talking to a manager there. She brews a pot that's much more concentrated than normal early in the morning and then mixes it with cold water. I'm guessing she it's easier to adjust the amount she brews this way and it's fresher. The cup I drank was slightly better than my method, so I'm thinking about trying this.

And OP - Your method sounds like the bomb. Gotta do sometime soon.

 

[ironchefscott]

Seriously loving doing the cold brew thing lately. I have been soaking my coffee in a big glass container then pouring it over a fine mesh metal screen then I filter it through a coffee filter and fridge it......It rocks!
I today finished brewing a Stumptown La Piramide batch today...about to try it now!

 

[tsimonitis]

French Press. Cold water. Coffee. Wait 12 hours. Pour over ice. Enjoy.

This is my method too.