Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

This, my friends, is the holy grail of iced coffee, and most definitely the most complicated recipe on my site…SIKE! The cold brewed method has been all over the internet (thank youNY Times!) and I’m cursing myself for not trying it sooner. Iced coffee has been my BFF this summer. I’ve had it nearly every day, except for the days when I forgot to prep it the night before. I’m a bitter Brittany those mornings.

The cold-brewed method is absolutely genius. Instead of being bitter, it’s smooth, rich, and luxurious. Iced coffee can be a little tricky when it comes to sweetening it, as regular sugar takes forever to dissolve. Though it’s delish unsweetened, but I’ve found my favorite way to drink it is with sweetened condensed milk. It sweetens it, and I don’t need to add milk. Two birds…one stone! It also keeps a while in the fridge. Starting my day off with this coffee makes me happy, and I think it will make you happy too.

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Notes: I’ve been using the same proportions I like to use when making strong coffee. It gets a little diluted when you add a bunch of ice and of course milk, so give this “recipe” a try first, then make adjustments for future cups to suit your taste. The peeps at the NY Times suggest using a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. I found it was a lot easier to just use my French press. If you don’t have a French press, I have also used my reusable coffee strainer from my coffee pot over a 4-cup measuring cup.

Ingredients

For 2 servings:

1/3 cup ground coffee (medium-course grind is best)

1 1/2 cups water

Sweetened condensed milk (I like roughly 1 tablespoon per serving) or milk of choice

Directions

Fill a french press (no French press? see note above) with water and coffee. Give it a quick stir and refrigerate overnight. The original recipe says to leave it at room temperature, but I didn’t notice a difference in taste, and since it’s already cold I don’t have to add too much ice.

In the morning, press down the press like you would making regular hot coffee. Stir in sweetened condensed milk, regular milk, cream, soy milk, etc. and add ice.

P.S. I love and usethis tumbler to take my coffee with me to work!