Iced, Iced, Baby! Iced Coffee Tips!

Most people enjoy their hot cup of Joe first thing in the morning. When the temperatures rise, you may feel like you want something a bit cooler. There are many warm weather beverages out there like lemonade, iced tea, and the like that can keep you cool. Another sweet treat that can cool you down and give you a needed energy boost is iced coffee. Learn how to make your own below.

Start With Good Coffee

The first step to making a good iced coffee is to start with fresh coffee. You also want the coffee to be as freshly made as possible. Your coffee should not be more than 24 hours old. To make iced coffee, though, it must be cooled through refrigeration since to avoid melting the ice and watering down the iced coffee.

The quality of the coffee itself is essential to the taste of your iced beverage, too. Take your time and shop around for quality coffee. Ideally, you should try looking around for freshly roasted beans. You can find these in coffee shops, and some supermarkets have areas where you can grind your own beans. If you cannot do any of this in your area, then try looking online to find the coffee you need. While this investment may seem pricey to start with, you will end up with a higher yield. This means that you won’t pay as much as you would if you bought the beans at a local coffee shop.

Your iced coffee does not have to be plain, either. Keep in mind that the taste will also depend on the origin of the coffee beans. Try experimenting with different blends instead of buying your usual ones. Do not let price be the only deterrent since you may or may not drink much from a very expensive blend.

Use Good Water

Don’t forget the water. Like choosing quality coffee to make your iced beverage with, you need to choose good water. You can use bottled water, if you wish. This will help you make a quality iced coffee. If you cannot do that, you can always get a purifier that attaches to your sink’s faucet. While the water quality is not as good as bottled water, it is still much better than using water straight from the tap. You should not use distilled since the minerals can break down the flavors in the coffee beans and negatively affect the coffee.

How To Prepare Your Coffee

Now that you have the quality ingredients, you can start preparing the coffee so that you can cool it down later. You can use your everyday coffee maker, but you could knock the quality out of the park by getting yourself a French press. What is a French press, you ask? Well, this is a type of coffee maker that squeezes out the coffee’s natural oils. This is the opposite of what traditional coffee makers do since they keep those fragrant and delicious oils from reaching your cup when making coffee.

If a French press is out of the way for you, try making sure that you make your coffee using a coffee maker that has a conical or flat mechanism. These machines can also help your coffee taste better when you ice it. The are made to reduce the amount of heat used on the beans. Try not to use grinders with blades since the results can be inconsistent. The blades can generate a lot of heat and end up burning the beans.

No matter which method you use to make your coffee with, make sure you use the right amount of water. If you do not add the right amount and end up using too little water, your coffee’s flavor may end up too strong. On the other hand, using too much water will cause the flavor of the coffee to be too mild. Adjust the amount based on the amount of coffee grounds and the amount of water you use to ensure your coffee is the right strength.

Icing Your Coffee

Once you have made your coffee and have refrigerate it, it is time to assemble your cup. You need to start with your ice cubes. The best ice cubes are not the regular ones you make by using regular water. They will melt and water down your drink. What you should do instead is use the coffee you already made.

After you’ve brewed your coffee, pour some into your ice cube trays and freeze them. You’ll have delicious and easy coffee ice cubes. These ice cubes will not water down your drink as they melt, but add extra coffee flavor instead.

How To Flavor Iced Coffee

You do not have to drink your iced drink black and unsweetened, unless you want to. You can add all kinds of flavorings to it to make it a truly indulgent cold beverage.

You’d be surprised how many great coffee sweeteners you may already have but never thought to use. You can add brown or raw sugars for a bolder sweetness over regular sugar. You can also get creative by using some flavorings in your spice cabinet. Try using flavors like nutmeg and cinnamon. You probably also have some baking items that would be good additions to your iced beverage, too. The most common are vanilla, honey, caramel, and cocoa.

You can also add regular cream. You can even get creative with milk. You can add any kind of milk that you like for different flavors. You can use cow’s milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and soy milk to give it a flavorful creaminess. Your favorite powdered, liquid, or syrup-based coffee creamers can also add a bit of delightful flavor to your iced beverage.

One of the most popular additions to this iced beverage is chocolate. A quality chocolate syrup, chocolate milk or melted chocolate can really boost the flavor of your cup. Dark chocolate and white chocolate also work quite well. Dark chocolate is especially great early in the morning for a better energy boost.

You can finish off your iced drink by adding some whipped cream, drizzling some chocolate, caramel or other flavored syrup. You can even add a cherry on top!

You can add any of these separately or experiment with your own mix for a delightful drink you can enjoy no matter what the weather is like.

You should now have what you need now to make a great iced coffee quickly and easily anytime you want to keep cool. Making your own can also save you money since you no longer have to go buy one at a coffee shop.