How do you make iced coffee?
How do you make iced coffee?
Somewhere beyond plain cold coffee is the wonderful land of iced coffee. Iced coffee is that which has been iced immediately after brewing. Technically, iced coffee is cooled down as it is brewed. This means that we get to enjoy a refreshing, cold coffee beverage instantaneously.
Not to be confused with cold brew -which takes at least 12 hours to brew-, iced coffee is brewed with hot water just like any other coffee. The catch is that you brew it directly over ice cubes, enjoying it cold instead of hot. While cold brew is an entirely different type of coffee, iced coffee is exactly like your favorite coffee, except it’s refreshingly cold.
Iced coffee is also popularly called Japanese iced coffee. This is because while the practice of icing coffee already existed, it was in Japan that brewing over ice became popular. With the arrival of the Hario V60 -a Japanese brand-, it wasn’t too long before Japanese baristas figured out this faster and more convenient way of making iced coffee.
What’s the process?
To effectively make iced coffee, a little thinking ahead is in order. You can’t just brew coffee and throw some ice in it; first of all, it’s going to be watered down and therefore unpleasant. To achieve an iced coffee that is exactly like your daily coffee -in terms of coffee concentration- you need to use about two thirds the amount of brewing water that you normally use. The remaining one third? That’s the ice cubes!
This way, you achieve a balanced, proper iced coffee. Another way to achieve this without tweaking brewing water is to brew coffee, then pour it into an ice cube tray. Now you have ice cubes that won’t water down your coffee. Pretty convenient.
One of the best things about iced coffee is that it can be made with just about any brewing method; Chemex, AeroPress; you can even turn espresso into iced coffee.
Here’s how to make iced coffee using a Chemex 6-cup (or a Hario V60 and similar coffee makers):
Ingredients:
- 30 grams fine grind coffee
- 350 grams hot water for brewing
- 150 grams of ice cubes
Instructions:
- Place the ice cubes inside the Chemex, then place a chemex paper filter and pour coffee grounds.
- Using hot water, pour about 60 ml to wet the grounds and allow a small bloom.
- Pour the rest of the water very slowly. Try to pour in a spiraling motion.
- At about 3 minutes in, you should be done.
- Serve immediately.
Notes:
The ratio used in this recipe is 1:16.
If using coffee ice cubes, ignore ice cubes in the recipe and use brewing water including the weight of the ice cubes (500 ml).
Keep in mind that, since it’s cold, sugar won’t dissolve. Keep some liquid sweeteners and/or syrups at hand when making iced coffee.
Iced coffee tastes great black, although you can certainly add some (cold!) milk to the equation to create a delicious beverage.
Enjoy your coffee!