Hey Gang, Christopher here, If you like iced coffee from popular coffee chains but hate the ridiculous prices (especially if you have them every day), then chances are you have attempted to make your own iced coffee at home. And if all you did was dump ice cubes on coffee that you prepared hot, then you were probably very disappointed with how it turned out --watery, bland, flavorless. You start thinking, maybe the guys over at the coffee shop really know what they’re doing (they do) and I should just let them do their job and pay the price. Well you can but you don’t always have to. Especially when you know what they know about making iced coffee.

So what’s the big secret?

Cold-brewed coffee.

You might be smacking your head for missing that one but hey, you probably haven’t had your dose of java yet. As the name implies, cold water is used for brewing the coffee in this process. The result is a strong, smooth concentrate that will retain much of its flavor even after you add milk and whatever else (including ice) later in the process. So, how does one make cold brew coffee?

First up you need these four: coffee grinder, French press or Aeropress, fridge, and your favorite coffee beans. If you will be grinding your own beans, be careful not to grind them too fine --aim for a grind that is coarse enough for the French press to filter something but fine enough to be infused properly. As for the choice of beans, single origin is best and Sumatra And Sidamo work well. If you do not have a grinder at home, a lot of online coffee stores (like us!) offer their beans in a variety of grinds.

Next, add the ground coffee to the French press and pour in about a cup and a half of cold filtered water, and stir to blend the two together. Place the French press’ lid back on with the plunger left up, pop it in the fridge and leave it overnight. Most cold-pressed coffees take around 12 hours to infuse well. By morning, you can press the plunger of the French press down to get your awesome coffee concentrate.

At this point, you can go crazy with the stuff you want to add --caramel, sea salt, chocolate, anything you like! A good rule for adding milk though is by filling your ice-filled glass halfway before adding the coffee.

If you find cold-brewing time consuming (which it is) you can opt for coffee concentrates.  Coffee concentrates, which are available in bottles of different sizes, are basically pre-prepared cold-pressed coffee. And, they are as good as the cold-press coffee you can make on your own at home minus the 12-hour time frame. 

To make iced coffee using coffee concentrates, just chill your bottle overnight or even for just a couple of hours before use, add about 1-2 teaspoons to an ice-filled glass, then you sweeten to taste or add milk.

Do you have any other tips for making great iced coffee ? Let us know on our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for more coffee-related wisdom!