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This is a guest post by Bethany Ramos. Learn more about how you can guest post for Daily Shot Of Coffee.
The last time that you tried to whip up a delicious iced coffee, how did it turn out? Be honest… We aren’t going to judge.
For most of us, we start out making iced coffee with the best intentions, only to end up with a tepid glass of warm brown water that once resembled a flavorful cup of Joe. So how do the experts do it? Is it really possible to achieve the perfect cup of iced coffee at home without any formal training as a barista?
Good news, coffee lovers, because the answer is a resounding yes! We’ve taken the time to compile helpful brewing tips from experts in the coffee industry so that you never have to worry again about your iced coffee melting into a watery mess before you take the first sip.
Make It a Double
Since watered-down coffee is the biggest problem across-the-board when making iced coffee at home, the living experts at Real Simple magazine reveal that it’s important to brew your coffee double strength before adding ice, milk, and flavoring.
According to Real Simple:
“For coffee, use ¼ cup ground beans for every cup of water… Then chill, pour over ice, and get your day off the ground right.”
Iced coffee favorite Dunkin’ Donuts backs up this tip with instructions to:
“Keep in mind that the melting ice dilutes the coffee, which is why Iced Coffee is brewed using twice the amount of grinds as hot coffee.”
Cold Brew for Natural Sweetness
If you want to try something different in your iced brew this summer, take a tip from Imbibe Magazine by cold brewing your coffee instead. Cold brewed coffee will steep coffee grounds in water at room temperature for a minimum of 12 hours, reducing acidity and offering a naturally sweet taste to the brew.
Author of The Professional Barista’s Handbook: An Expert’s Guide to Preparing Espresso, Coffee, and Tea Scott Rao recommends using:
“A slightly darker full city roast, which tends to be fuller-bodied and sweeter than dark, toasty French or Italian roasts. Look for beans that are naturally rich, chocolaty and nutty, from Central American origins like Panama and Honduras.”
And did we mention that cold brewing is easy when you brew in a French Press? You don’t need any special materials, just load up your trusty old French Press and brew overnight. You can check out this helpful tutorial from Coffee Nate to get started.
Try It Japanese Style
If you’re sick of the same old, same old iced coffee, you can take a tip from Texas Coffee School and try a Japanese style iced brew. Japanese style iced coffee is made by brewing concentrated coffee directly over ice, providing superior freshness in the brew method with iced coffee that is ready to serve in minutes.
Since a concentrate is used, ice can melt without weakening the strength of the final brew product. Texas Coffee School adds:
“Immediate cooling from the ice locks in flavors and aromatics that other iced coffee processes allow to escape.”
If you want a more technical account of the Japanese style brewing method, also referred to as Hot Bloom/Cold Brew, you can check out this account from an experienced Intelligentsia barista named Colin Moody.
Happy brewing this summer!
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Bethany Ramos is a full-time freelance writer and coffee lover that co-owns her www.thecoffeebump.com .
Photo by Nam2@7676.
Using left-over coffee to make ice cubes is a great way to add ice to iced coffee and skip the dilution problem! Wish I could recall where I learned this trick but I used it for iced coffee at an event and it went over really big! Good luck!
Love the idea. Thanks for sharing
I will definitely try this one. It would be a nice relief to the somehow hot days brought by spring time. Thanks for the tips. – Flori, Blogger, Coffeeloversofworld.com
I’ve never tried the cold brew method, but should. It would be a good way to use my rarely used french press.
My typical recipe for Iced Coffee. Use leftover coffee from the morning that is no longer warm. Put in cup, fill with ice.
I really like it, but could definitely make it better if I intended to make iced coffee as opposed to just utilizing the leftover. Double strength will be a good thing to try.
That’s the way I used to make my iced coffee. It gets the job done, but now I’ve been spoiled with other methods.
i’ve done the Japanese method over ice with extra strong pour over and it works fine.
i have alternated between cubed ice and shaved or cracked ice… both work well.
the issue is REALLY STRONG COFFEE.
dilution as mentioned happens
very interesting article
if it’s triple digits outside this Summer
you def want a cool brew.
i also have used various sweeteners in the grounds to be carried into the coffee as it permeates downwards
this works better than adding sweets to a cold coffee
howard, I don’t usually add sweeteners, except with some iced coffee. That being said, may have to try adding them to the grounds for friends of mine that do.