Roasted: Homemade Iced Coffee

By Amanda Gutierrez     11/15/12 6:00pm

Coffeehouse has got you covered with hot chocolate and pumpkin spice lattes, but when you head back to your warm and balmy room to hunker down for a long night of studying, iced coffee will keep you cool and alert for hours.

This is the holy grail of iced coffee recipes if you have ever wished you could make homemade iced coffee that tasted like the kind the baristas make at coffee shops. After much trial and error, I have devised a cold brew recipe that will allow you to make coffeehouse-quality iced coffee without leaving your room.

 

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The items for this do-it-yourself iced coffee recipe are:

• Coarsely ground coffee: Medium-dark African roast is best
• French Press OR glass/mug with regular auto-drip coffee filter
• Cold water
• Refrigerator 
• Milk, cream, sugar or any desired additives

 

The secret to iced coffee is the concentrated cold brew. Adding ice to hot auto-drip coffee only results in watered-down warm coffee. A French Press is recommended to make the concentrated coffee needed for a cold brew. If you do not own your own press, a makeshift pour-over can be made using a regular paper filter placed over a glass or mug.

Step One: Prepare

Add coarsely ground coffee to the French Press or glass. Then, add cold water. 

You can experiment with the ratio of coffee to water to suit your own tastes, but I prefer 1.5 tablespoons of coffee per 8 ounces of water. It is better to make the mixture initially more concentrated than too dilute because water can later be added to decrease the strength once brewed.

Step Two: Brew

Stir the mixture and then place it in the refrigerator for eight to 12 hours. You can prepare the press before you go to bed so it brews overnight and is conveniently ready for an early morning caffeine kick. For a French Press, leave the plunger up and do not filter the grounds until you are ready to drink it. If you cannot fit the press in the fridge with the plunger up, I advise fabricating another method to cover it so that the refrigerator food smells do not seep into the coffee and ruin the taste.

Step Three: Filter

Take the vessel out of the refrigerator and stir the brewed coffee. Push the plunger down on the French Press to filter the grounds. If you do not have a French Press, you can carefully pour the brewed coffee and grounds into another glass through a regular coffee filter to strain the grounds.

 

Step Four: Add flavor

If you like strong, black coffee you can drink the brew as is. However, I prefer to add soy milk until the brew turns a light creamy brown so I can enjoy a much sweeter cup of iced coffee. Cream, half and half, flavored syrups and sugar can also be added to please your palate. If the coffee is still too strong after adding flavor, you can add more water to make it less concentrated. Add ice if needed, but it should be cold enough.

Step Five: Enjoy

Enjoy your homemade delicious caffeine kick on the way to class or while studying late into the night.

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