Great Tips for Making the Best Iced Coffee at Home
You're a pro when it comes to pour over and an expert at French press. But when it comes to making iced coffee, you're not quite sure where to begin:
- Is cold brew the way to go?
- Do I need to prepare it in advance?
- How can I make it without just pouring ice into a hot cup?
But don't worry, we've got you covered.
In this piece, we'll provide you with the advice you need to know to make the best iced coffee at home so that you can enjoy it whenever you please without breaking the bank.
Contents
- Investing into Quality Coffee Beans
- Experimenting with Different Methods of Brewing
- Flavouring Your Coffee
- The Bottom Line
Investing into Quality Coffee Beans
The first step to making a great cup of iced coffee is to make sure you are treating yourself to high-quality beans! In order to find the freshest, most flavourful beans, here is what you'll want to evaluate:
- Source: Are the beans sourced from high-quality coffee farmers?
- Flavour Profile / Roast: Do the beans offer a sophisticated flavour profile?
- Sustainability: Are the beans sourced in an ethical and sustainable manner (e.g., fair trade)?
- Packaging: Does the packaging offer you a clear understanding of what you can expect from your coffee (e.g., acidity level, aromas)?
If your coffee beans check all of these boxes, then you can feel confident you will relish each sip from the delicious coffee you brew.
Buy a high-quality grinder to prepare your coffee beans
But of course, in order to make proper use of your coffee beans, you need to make sure you’ve got the right equipment. And while having access to a nice coffee machine is great, the most important piece of equipment you’ll want to get your hands on is a durable, reliable coffee grinder, preferably a manual one. This will allow you to control the extraction process and guarantee that you end up with the exact grind size you are looking for.
Experimenting with Different Methods of Brewing
Now that you've secured the best quality beans and have the right equipment to work with them, you are ready to delve into the world of brewing your own iced coffee. Theoretically, if you're in a hurry or want to spend as little effort as possible, you could just brew your coffee your usual way and then pour it over ice or put some ice in the pot of coffee itself. However, this method ultimately results in coffee that is diluted because it disrupts the perfect coffee grinds to water ratio you created through your brewing process.
If you want higher quality iced coffee, your main choices are cold brew or flash brew. And in this section, we'll introduce you to each method of brewing iced coffee at home so that you can find the perfect fit for your preferences.
Cold brew
While the first thought that comes to mind when you hear iced coffee might be cold brew, making cold brew actually isn't always the best way to preserve the aspects of coffee that make it unique. In fact, fundamentally, the cold brew process does not allow you to get the most out of your coffee beans.
However, cold brew does have its advantages. It's a good fit for dark roast coffee, and the brewing process ensures that your coffee is smooth and less acidic than regular coffee. Making cold brew also requires minimal effort and is easy to brew in bulk. If you're looking to make cold brew, you can follow these simple steps:
- Grind your coffee beans coarsely
- Combine the grounds with water in a cold brew coffee maker
- Let it steep overnight for approximately 12 hours
And viola! Your cold brew will be ready to drink.
Flash brew
At Two Bears, we flash brew our coffee, and if you want to more effectively capture the wonderful flavours and aromas your coffee beans have to offer, we recommend you do the same.
And here's the best part: if you're already used to making pour over, then you are in luck! You can actually make flash brew coffee using any pour over brewer in just 6 easy steps. If want to flash brew iced coffee at home, check out our instructions and make sure you have the right equipment and materials (along with your pour-over brewer, of course):
- Coffee carafe or vessel (minimum volume of 1 L)
- Grinder
- 200 grams of ice
- 38 grams of coffee
- Hot water
- Timer
- Stir stick
- Scale
Flash brew vs. Cold brew
Ultimately, the choice is yours. If you're looking for a more convenient way to brew iced coffee that gives you a sweeter taste, cold brew may be the right choice for you. However, if you prefer to preserve the aromatic richness of coffee and unearth all its flavours, flash brew is definitely the better way to go.
If you are interested in learning more about the differences between flash brew and cold brew before deciding which method is right for you, you can check out our piece that examines these methods of brewing iced coffee in more detail.
Flavouring Your Coffee
If you take your coffee black, then you are all set! But if you are looking for ways to spruce up your homemade coffee experience, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Pair your coffee with a splash of oat milk
If you like drinking your coffee with milk, what better way to go than to add a dash of oat milk? Aside from the vast personal health benefits and its positive impact on the environment, oat milk’s healthy, slow digesting carbs provide you with sustainable energy and a creamier texture to pair perfectly with your coffee. With oat milk, you can rest easy knowing that your coffee will taste even more delicious, guilt free!
Add homemade coffee syrup
If you want to get fancy without breaking the bank, you can try making your own syrup to add to your iced coffee. If you are looking for inspiration, there are plenty of recipes you can explore.
Make coffee ice cubes
Want a great way to help your iced coffee stay cool without diluting your cup? Look no further than coffee ice cubes. Simply freeze some leftover coffee using an ice cube tray and place them into your cup in the morning (or afternoon) before taking your first sip. And if you're feeling creative, you can drizzle some chocolate or sprinkle a bit of cinnamon into your coffee ice cubes before putting them in the freezer.
Add a spoonful of sugar or creamer
There’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple. If you're not feeling overly ambitious, you can enjoy your homemade iced coffee with a bit of cream or sugar.
For more ways to upgrade your iced coffee experience, you can check out our next piece!
The Bottom Line
Experiencing great iced coffee doesn't mean you have to spend extra or even leave the comfort of your own home. Invest into high-quality coffee beans, choose the right brewing method that meets your coffee needs, and embellish your coffee (or don't) however you see fit. From there, just sit back, relax, and enjoy each blissful sip of your hand made iced coffee - you deserve it!
Looking for a batch of great coffee beans to get started? At Two Bears, our mission is to energize your mission, your moments. In a world of influence, our hope is to reconnect you with you so that you can make meaningful connections with the world around you. We craft the freshest, frothiest energy for you to sip and turn into whatever you need that day – human connection, motivation, creativity, confidence, slowness... we encourage you to craft your moment with Two Bears, whatever that moment may be.
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