Cold Brew Iced Coffee at Home

I live in Texas. That means it's hot. Really hot, especially in the middle of summer.

I love coffee. Hot coffee and hot temperatures outside do not, in my opinion, go hand in hand.

From approximately May through October (give or take a few weeks) I prefer to drink iced coffee. I will not, however, run down to the local coffee shop every day for syrup and calorie laden fancy schmancy expensive coffee. I prefer to make my own.

Did you know that heat kills caffeine? And the darker roasts contain less caffeine?

Cold brewed, medium roasted coffee is a great remedy for that. All you need is a container to let your coffee steep in overnight and a good strainer for the morning. I was using my French press but it got broken while we were travelling. It was perfect, and if you have one, use it. If not, any glass vessel that holds 2 cups of water is sufficient.

Here is my rudimentary system for cold brew coffee. For two iced coffees, I use 2 tablespoons coffee to a little over 2 cups of water. I prepare this at night before bed. If you're using a measuring cup or anything open, cover it with a cloth, napkin, plate, whatever. Just cover it. In the French press, simply place the plunger and leave it in the up position.

In the morning, I place a #2 cone filter into my Melitta pour over coffee contraption, set it onto a jar or anything that holds 2 cups of fluid. Pour the cold brewed coffee into the filter and in the jar will be your ready to use iced coffee! The pour over filter is available at the grocery store in the coffee aisle for $2-3. Cheap and easy. You just have to remember to prepare it before bed.

Fill two tall glasses with ice. Split the coffee between the two glasses. I like mine with a tablespoon or two of soy creamer and my hubby likes the dairy creamer. You can customize this to your flavor preferences. If you want to sweeten your coffee with sugar or anything that needs dissolving, do so before adding to ice. Voila! Cheap, easy, delicious, strong STRONG iced coffee that tastes as good or better than coffee on the go!

 

Enjoy!