Iced Coffee for Summer

While the livin’ might be easy in summer, it’s not always breezy, coffee-wise. In fact, sometimes it’s downright steamy, and hot coffee sounds like a punishment. In celebration of summer, we’re showcasing different ways to drink coffee cold. To have a great, energized summer of tasty coffee, delighting in the best of cold coffees, cold brew and periodic treats like affogatos is the path. 

If you don’t pay attention to the details, it’s easy to take a wrong turn with cold coffee. In fact, in hot climates, you might find yourself holding a cup filled with a watery, milky mess by the time you get the AC rolling in your car. Whether you are ordering or concocting a cold brew or a cold coffee treat, knowing what to expect and how it should be prepared is key.  

Cold Brew

One of the best ways to ensure a great cold coffee experience is to choose or make a cold brew. It’s a stronger option to keep on hand. Sometimes it’s made as a concentrate. As opposed to pouring hot espresso or coffee over ice, cold brew is already cold. It’s usually thick enough that it could use some ice or cold water in it. Without cold brew, once the ice starts to melt after a few minutes, an “iced coffee” can turn to a distant memory replaced by a tan, watery excuse for a caffeinated pick-me-up.

Another benefit of cold brew is it’s often less acidic than regular coffee or espresso. It’s smoother and less bitter. Cold brew can even seem sweet. This is great for cold coffee concoctions in the summer.

Making Cold Brew

So, if cold brew is better for iced coffee, how is it made? It’s unique in that it doesn’t require heat! Cold brew is made by letting coffee sit in room-temperature water or storing it in the fridge. A recipe isn’t even necessary. It’s more of a ratio game, which you can perfect over time, based on your taste.

Arabica dark roasts reign supreme for cold brews. The smooth flavor of most store-bought or shop-made cold brews partially comes from the low acidity of dark-roasted arabica. Some medium roasts are great too. However, you can also go with your personal coffee roast profile preferences, of course.

The beans are usually ground coarsely. Pre-ground coffee can work too. Some people swear by cold-steeping whole beans. Although whole beans take longer, it may be worth it if you care about flavor. Considering that you don’t even need heat to “brew” it, you could even make some while camping or during a power outage. Grinder not necessary!

A large container, like a jar or pitcher, can hold the coffee while it steeps. Here are some recommended coffee-to-water ratios:

• 1 cup of ground coffee to 3 cups of cold water
• 1 cup of whole coffee beans (ground coarsely) to 4 cups of water

After pouring water over the coffee, stir it gently to make sure that all parts of the grounds are wet. It needs to sit for at least 12 hours. To make an iced coffee for the morning, you might want to put it in the fridge. Some people let it steep for a whole day.

Straining the concentrate with a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve is the next step. Then store it in another container, from which you can pour for seven days. 

To make a cold coffee with your fresh cold brew, add some water or ice to dilute it. It is great with milk or cream. Overall, most people prefer dark roasts for cold brew. However, choosing a medium roast with notes of chocolate can be delightful too. It makes for a great mid-afternoon pick-me-up with whipped crème and chocolate syrup. Regardless of your roast, single-origins are the best way for coffee lovers to savor the particulars of that bean.

Iced Coffee

As opposed to a cold brew, iced coffee uses hot-brewed coffee. Many people swear heat is needed to access the best flavor components from the coffee anyway. We’re not partial to cold brew or hot coffee cooled down.

The Japanese method of making iced coffee is popular now. This involves brewing strong coffee straight onto ice. By removing some water from what would be added to a hot cup of coffee, there is room to let some ice melt right away. Think of it as removing some water from “above” and instead adding it “below.” The Japanese method results in less watery iced coffee. When the hot coffee or espresso is instantly cooled by some ice, the whole drink is colder sooner. Then, less ice keeps melting and you can carry your cold coffee away despite your warm hands! 

Some people try to add ice to regular hot coffee or strong coffee. The risk watering it down too much is high. It may be better to refrigerate coffee and add a little ice. A common complaint is that the coffee ends up bitter and stale this way.

A clever idea is to make coffee iced cubes for iced coffee. By freezing coffee, it’s not pure water that’s cooling the coffee. Rather, it is adding some coffee flavor as it melts. If you LOVE coffee and don’t want to add syrups, milk, whipped crème or foam, this is a great way to keep more coffee flavor going. For the love of coffee, make coffee cubes!

Bonus Cool Coffee Treats

Affogato

A decadent option for summer coffee is an affogato. Italians top vanilla gelato or ice cream with hot espresso in the summer. It’s a great way to cool off and get revved up at once. Fun fact: affogato means “drowned” in Italian.

Great Coffee Iced

As coffee lovers living in a hot and humid climate hospitable to coffee trees, which is in the mountains of Honduras, we know iced coffee. You shouldn’t skimp on quality and flavor just because the coffee is cold or iced. Subida Coffee Co.’s single-origin dark roast makes a great iced coffee. With notes of chocolate, the medium roast also makes for a great smooth homemade cold brew concentrate. It’s some of the best coffee from Honduras!

The best part about ordering coffee from Subida is that the proceeds benefit an educational non-profit in Honduras. However, this term doesn’t do it justice. Subida coffee grows at the Moses project, a 120-acre agricultural facility. In addition to witnessing the growth of coffee and greenhouse vegetables, students receive a high school education. They also learn about agriculture and aquaculture from the agricultural engineers. The coffee sales are already organized to help the next cohorts of young people in a small city in the mountains of Honduras. It’s great because importing coffee from Honduras is difficult without prior preparation and funding.