Iced Coffee

Iced Coffee

It's summer. It's afternoon. It's hot. And you're feeling a little lazy. Nothing like a tall glass of iced coffee to get the temperature down while at the same time perk you up to take part in some more fun-filled activities. Whether it's a special treat or just leftover coffee from breakfast, iced coffee can be a refreshing drink to have in your fridge. Plus, it's ridiculously easy to make with very few ingredients needed.


What You Need

Okay, first thing's first, you need ingredients. Since you're making iced coffee, then that should be easy enough to deduce. You need good coffee beans (freshly ground), a large brewing pot, a pitcher or carafe, some ice cubes, drinking glass, and some milk if you want.

Preliminary Steps

Place freshly ground coffee beans in the pot and brew. You should know the coffee to water ratio by now. Just remember to make your blend a little stronger than usual to account for the ice melting later.

Next, transfer the desired amount of coffee to the carafe or pitcher and let it stand in room temperature for three to five hours. If you want your iced coffee quicker, you may refrigerate for one and a half to three hours.

Now, for the Real Thing

While your coffee blend is cooling down, prepare some ice cubes and place them in a 10 to 12 oz. glass. Now, pour your chilled coffee into the glass and stir to equalize the temperature. Now add milk to taste and your iced coffee drink is ready.

You may also experiment a bit with flavors in your iced coffee. You can add some bourbon for instance or brandy or Irish crème for that subtle vanilla hint. Just remember that the best iced coffees are those made with darker roast coffee blends.

Here are some more tips to make your iced coffee experience even better:

* If you have a sweet tooth, you may add sugar in your iced coffee. However, make sure you add the sugar while the coffee is still hot for easier mixing. It will take longer for the sugar to dissolve if the mixture is cold.

* After you have fixed yourself a glass of iced coffee, be sure to return the pitcher to the fridge to keep it cool. That way, you can prevent too much melting of the ice, which could dilute your coffee. Alternatively, you may make coffee ice cubes with leftover coffee from your pot.

* Never put a pot of hot coffee in the refrigerator immediately after brewing. The rapid change in temperature can crack the glass.

* To quickly cool down your pot of coffee, fill your sink with a couple of inches of cold water. Then, slowly submerge the bottom portion of your coffee carafe in the cold water and wait for ten to fifteen minutes.