I really like iced coffee. There just isn’t much that’s more refreshing on a hot summer day than a really good iced coffee. I have a major issue though with iced coffee from most chain coffee places. They tend to… what’s the phrase… mutilate it.
They take their normal coffee which has been brewed and probably burned and stick it in a plastic cup with ice. Done deal. This means that the coffee not only tastes burned (more so than if it were hot), but it’s also watered down because the coffee isn’t cold when they add the ice.
I get visibly distraught when this happens to me after I fork over my hard-earned bucks. So now I have a one strike policy with coffee joints. It’s harsh, but whatever. You serve me one cup of bad coffee (especially iced coffee because I love it so) and you are forever blacklisted.
Most DC coffee joints are blacklisted. Luckily, I’ve learned how to make my own.
You'll never go back.
In my opinion, the real way to make really good iced coffee is to cold-brew it. Well, actually you room temperature brew it, but it’s colder than how you would normally think to brew coffee.
Instead of letting heat do the work for this coffee, you let time do the work which results in a really mellow but still very intense coffee flavor. It’s so good.
Cold-brew Starter (for lack of a better word)
You can make as much of this as you want, it is a very simple ratio.
- 1 part coarsely ground coffee. Freshly ground is best.
- 4 parts room temperature water.Note: I’ve never made this without freshly ground coffee, but I expect that it’s still very good. It’s worth it though to buy quality coffee for this as the flavor really comes through. Splurge on a good pound of coffee for it.
Helpful Equipment:
- Coffee Grinder (This is the one I use which is great for the price.)
I’ve only used coarsely ground coffee for this. Just pulse it in the grinder for a few seconds until it looks like this.
A coarse grind is your friend here.
Then add your room temperature water slowly and give the mixture a stir to make sure that there aren’t a lot of clumps.
A strange brew.
Forget about it. Let this sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours. I let it sit overnight and that works great. Cover it though or your cat might drink it and that would leave you with a very hyper cat. If you don’t have a cat, well, cover it anyway.
Straining it. To strain this, just line a sieve with a normal coffee filter and pour it through slowly. Try not to press down on it or anything. Just let gravity do it’s work for a few minutes.
I strain mine a second time through a fresh filter just to make sure I get all the little particles.
Have patience. Let it drain slowly.
You’ll end up with a very fragrant and richly colored liquid. I wouldn’t recommend drinking this straight. It’s very intense.
A very clean final product.
What I would recommend doing is making the best glass of iced coffee you’ve maybe ever had with it.
Cold-brewed Iced Coffee
- 1 part coffee starter
- 1 part water (adjust the ratio depending on how strong you like your coffee, but a 1-to-1 ratio makes for a pretty good starting point.)
- Ice (If you want to get really crazy you can pour 1 part water and 1 part coffee starter into ice cube trays and freeze it. Then you’re coffee will stay equally delicious throughout the glass.)
- Sugar and cream (optional)
This coffee is so smooth and delicious that it really doesn’t need much, but some days I feel like adding some extra sweetness to it. A little cream or milk and some sugar can do the trick. Plus the milk makes it pretty. A glass of black liquid isn’t all that photo-friendly.
All doctored up.
This is one of those posts that I really feel like should be accompanied by a warning. If you have this coffee, it will be very hard to find a good cup of iced coffee that compares. I know of very few places in DC that match up to it. And I really don’t even know all that much about coffee – although I’m learning.
I’m serious. Make this. For better or for worse, you’ll never look back.
good lord.
i hope you know that you’ve ruined everyday iced coffee for me now?
because NOW i have expectations!
now, i know what i’ve been missing!
I bought something called a “Toddy” something (brain isn’t working this morning .. coffee required???). It is strictly for cold-brewing coffee like this. Congrats to you for figuring it out on your own though.
A couple groovy things about cold-brewing coffee: 1) supposedly the acid content of the coffee is much lower, making less-harsh on your system & 2)It’s much, much more eco-friendly!! You don’t use any electricity in brewing.
Toddy also claims that what you’re calling the “coffee starter” will stay fresh in a fridge for several weeks. Meaning it will taste freshly brewed. You can use this to make hot coffee by simply adding hot water to the starter.
We took it with us on a camping trip. Fantastic way to have fresh coffee when there is no electricity around!
I do this all the time – you’re right, I’m totally spoiled now! I rarely get iced coffee from coffee shops anymore. I usually mix up a large batch in a big giant bowl in the evening, let it sit overnight and strain it in the morning. It keeps in an old Nalgene bottle in my fridge for at least a week, but I don’t know if it still tastes good after that, because we go through it like CRAZY all summer long.
yup I’m with you, DC has horrid coffee joints.
I love making my iced coffee this way, less acid.
Although you’ll still get some coffee ground grit, you could use a french press too, I suppose. BTW, I totally agree about iced coffee at coffee shops.
Yum. Just like sun tea only caffienier.
Re iced coffee, several years ago I started to make ice cube with the leftover coffee of the day – best idea I’d had in a long time – I drink freshly ground hot coffee every morning and have discovered that even letting it sit during the day, it can either be gently reheated or in the hot NC weather poured over coffee ice cubes and enjoyed. I might just have to try the cold brew which I have been reading about for a while -
i’m so with you – i hate iced coffee. well, the store bought kind. might have to get my act together to try this. let iced coffee redeem it self. the only iced coffee i like is thai iced coffee. crazy strong and deliciously flavored. i think they use different beans and def a different brewing method.
i’m sure you’ve tried vietnamese iced coffee. super strong and sweet…i love the stuff. i’m with you about blacklisting places because i don’t need to spend more money on a place when there are so many more to try.
I’ve been drinking iced coffee all summer, and found my french press works great for this type of application. Good lord is strong coffee delicious!
Nick,
As you know, I love coffee. I think it’s important to add one thing–the roast of the coffee matters. The darker the roast the better. The dark roast means that the coffee will be more full bodied and have a richer flavor. So if and when your ice melts, your coffee wont taste watered down. Also only grind what you need for each use and then keep your bean in an air tight container.
CE
I broke my coffee addiction a few months ago (although I sometimes wonder why) and only have one cup (o’kay large mug) of coffee a week so I want it to be amazing. My husband prefers iced coffee and we used to have a Toddy but it has gone by the wayside, but guess what? You can make iced coffee just like you recommend in a French press. It has a cover/built-in strainer/spout, perfect!
Nick, great post. I wonder if you have ever given a french press a try? You never have burnt coffee, and the leftover can be used as iced.
Once you have the french pressed coffee, it is VERY hard to go back to the filtered kind. Do a search on Bodum for info.
A friend sent me this link and I posted it on my blog. And now SO many of my readers are in love with you! I have made iced coffee every day since I saw how easy & yummy it is. THANK YOU!!!!
(also- I like this method as it is SO much easier to clean up with the filter than scraping around the bottom of my french press…)
thanks for this! i am so glad i tried this. it is super easy and so nice to have fresh, cold coffee in the fridge.
Caribou Coffee, for whom I am a lowly employee, employees a similar technique for their Iced Coffee. Our cold press is steeped overnight for 12-16 hours. And there are locations in and around DC.