The Best Cold Brew Iced Coffee Recipe
I love a good cup of coffee, but honestly I’ve been disappointed one too many times by the nearby coffee chains…and when I’ve paid nearly $5 for a drink…well, that’s a sad day.
So, last summer I took up making my own cold brew iced coffee on a regular basis. It’s easy to do and always seems to taste just right. Plus, I get to be in full control of how much milk, cream, or sugar goes into my drink.
All it takes is a little planning ahead to prep my cold brew coffee the night before I want it. I’ve steadily continued to make my iced coffee using this easy method, and I wanted to share it with you as well.
I also love experimenting with different beans and playing around with my usual recipe to get different results. I recently picked up this blend of crème brûlée coffee from Target, and I’m officially a fan. Normally I feel like flavored coffees are a bit of a letdown. They smell SO amazingly good and then taste like…well, plain old coffee.
This blend though had great flavor and tasted like butterscotch to me. Super yummy. Plus, it’s available in decaf!
Long story short, get yourself some beans and try this out! It seriously takes just a few minutes to throw together (plus steeping overnight) and tastes great every time. Plus, you’ll save yourself 15 minutes of before-work scrambling to grab a coffee from the nearest drive-thru.
How to make your cold brew coffee concentrate:
(original recipe from the New York Times)
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2/3 cup of medium-coarse ground beans (I often use 3/4 cup of grounds for a bit stronger brew)
3 cups water
milk, cream, sugar syrup (optional)
1 – In a large jar (such as a mason jar), stir the coffee grounds together with 3 cups of water.
2 – Cover the mixture and let it brew overnight (or about 12 hours) at room temperature.
3 – Strain the brew. I use a sieve lined with a coffee filter. Super easy and I find that the grounds do not slip through.
4 – Fill a glass with ice and add in equal parts of the coffee concentrate and water (and/or milk or cream).
How I make my mine:
I fill a glass with ice, add in the coffee concentrate + a few tablespoons of water, and pour in a healthy amount of heavy cream (or whole milk). Depending on how my jeans are fitting that day, ya know.
No-strain option:
Don’t want to fuss with straining the cold brew coffee? Just use a French press!
Simply fill the French press with coffee grounds and water, let sit overnight, and then press in the morning after the coffee is brewed. I would then transfer the leftover coffee to a glass jar to store in the fridge. I personally always procrastinate on cleaning my French press, so I do like the jar+strain method when I’m not feeling like washing dishes.
Do you make your own coffee every day? What is your favorite method? Share with me in the comments!
I am totally going to try this, thanks Ellen!
I hope you like it!! Thanks for stopping by girl! 🙂