Five ways to make Iced Coffee

With summer comes warmer temperatures, sunglasses, pools, beaches, and, iced coffee.

Remember, iced coffee and cold brew are not the same thing.

Cold brew, or toddy, takes 12-24 hours to make. Not so with iced coffee! You can satisfy your iced coffee craving in about the same amount of time as it would take to brew a cup of hot coffee.

Iced coffee should taste as flavorful and delicious as the hot version.

With cold brew the coffees acidity is tamed and the mouth feel is rounded out. If you want to try your hand at making cold brew toddy, check out our post here. 

Here are the five easy methods to make iced coffee at home:

• Drip brewer coffee
• French Press
• Japanese-style iced pour-over
• Chemex
• AeroPress

Like with all coffee brewing, remember there is a bit of a experimentation.
Everyone has different tastes and aspects of coffee they like, and the only way for you to perfect your technique is to see what works for you and what doesn't.

BUT FIRST, SOME TIPS:

Each of the following tips will increase the concentration of coffee, which will combat the "watering down" that happens when the hot coffee meets the ice.

• Try Brewing and then freezing some coffee into cubes, then use the coffee-ice-cubes when you make iced coffee to maximize the flavor.

• I recommend you add extra grounds to each of these brews, to offset the dilution of the ice melting if you arent using frozen coffee as your ice cubes. Doubling your coffee-to-water ratio is a great place to start.

• Another variable you can experiment with is grind size. For tasty iced coffee, grind a little finer than you usually do for your chosen brewer.

• Try a combination of all three tips; you might be surprised by the outcome!

METHOD ONE: AUTOMAGIC!

Simply brewing a batch of hot coffee in your automatic brewer and pouring it over ice is the most straightforward way to get iced coffee.

Once it is finished brewing you can let it cool down in the refrigerator and then pour it over ice, or if you have done an extra strength brew (Tip #2 above), you can pour your hot coffee directly over ice.

Remember to always use fresh-roasted beans to get the most out of your coffee.

METHOD TWO: FRENCH! BABY!

The French Press is another good way to make iced coffee at home.

French Presses create a coffee that is thick and robust! When it is poured over ice, your coffee will maintain that full-bodied flavor. While youre waiting for your coffee to steep, prepare your glass(es) by filling them with ice. When your coffee is brewed, you can pour it directly over the ice or refrigerate your brew to cool it off.

Be sure to leave room for cream and sugar if thats how you enjoy your delicious coffee.

Perfecto!

Make sure to check out our complete guide to French Press brewing if you havent already.

METHOD THREE and FOUR: Aisukōhī / Pour Over & Chemex

If you are serious about making iced coffee, try using the Japanese method. 

This method preserves the fullness, acidity, and aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

Pour Over

• Place your cone pour-over brewer (Hario v60, Beehouse, Calita Wave, etc.) directly onto a cup full of ice. Add extra coffee before you begin pouring in your water.
• You will only need about 10 percent more coffee in this method, as less of the ice melts.
• As the coffee drips through it will instantly cool the brew without melting all of the ice! This ensures minimal dilution, unlike pouring a bunch of hot coffee onto ice. 

Chemex

Just put the ice in the bottom of the carafe. Brewing with a Chemex will leave you an iced coffee that has a clean, crisp taste. Your brewer is also your storage container, and your pitcher. Cleanup with the Chemex is a breeze!

Just compost your spent grounds and filter, and you are ready to serve your coffee. What could be easier?!

METHOD FIVE: Aerobie Style

The final way of brewing iced coffee is using an AeroPress.

The Aeropress is so perfectly suited to brewing iced coffee, we had to include it in this post. Technically, when you brew with an Aeropress you are making a concentrate that you then dilute by adding water or milk. Simply brew your AeroPress just like you normally would (check out the 2016 US AeroPress Champions recipe here). Fill a glass half full with ice. Add your cold water or milk until the glass is about full. Then top it off with your AeroPressed extraction and stir.

VOILA! You have an iced Americano or iced latte.

Whether you add milk or drink your coffee black, iced coffee will leave you refreshed and ready to tackle the heat of the summer.

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