Updated: 09/12/2020

How To Make Iced Coffee

Hot summers call for a cold refreshing coffee drink. What could be better than a refreshing cup of iced coffee? Most people prefer a steaming hot cuppa in the morning, but the summer months usually demand a cold drink. All you need to get your morning fix are a coffee maker or a bean to cup coffee machine, an ice maker, and a mini fridge. The best feeling in the world is getting the perfect cup of cold java. 

With so many versions of iced coffee readily available in the market, it is impossible to narrow down on a single café or experienced barista. Most people prefer a good cold brew, but pouring a hot caffeine shot over cold milk and topping it up with some ice cubes is ideal when you’re in a hurry. At such times, making your own blend and perfecting it is the best thing you can do for yourself. 

What Type is Best for Iced Coffee? 

Most people have their own brands of coffee that they prefer. Some like instant coffee powders, while others like brewed coffees. All cafés use brewed coffees for their hot and cold drinks, so if you want the coffee that your local barista makes, you should opt for a blended coffee that suits your palette. These coffees need to be brewed in a coffee machine or a bean to cup coffee machine that requires roasted beans instead of powders.

Most people recommend using a freshly roasted bean while making coffee at home. Iced coffees are usually mixed with cream or frothy milk and sugar for an in-depth flavour profile that matches the ones used in cafes. 

An espresso coffee shot works best for iced coffee, while a filtered coffee works great for cold brews. If you have a favourite drink at a local café, you should speak to the barista about the robustness of the beans so that it becomes easier for you to purchase the perfect blend or bean for home.

Many people also prefer using decaf for their mornings. But these do not taste as decadent as the ones with caffeine. 

Things Needed for Iced Coffee:

• Ice Maker
• Mini Fridge
• Bean to Cup Coffee Machine
• Milk or Cream with frother
• Granulated sugar/ sugar syrup/ sweetener

How To Make Iced Coffee?

Iced coffee prep usually depends on the time available. For most people, mornings are generally rushed with school, college, work, or chores. However, choking a watered-down cup of coffee in the morning leads to a lukewarm dissatisfactory cup. 

Serious coffee drinkers who are possessive about getting the perfect taste each day brew their coffee shots in a coffee machine and freeze them in ice cube trays to use in iced coffees at a later date. Two or three of these coffee cubes will ensure you never have to drink watered down coffee again!

Here are two recipes for iced coffee.

Recipe 1: Brew the coffee in the bean to cup coffee machine as per taste. While it cools down, stir in the sugar, sugar syrup, or sweetener and let it rest. Till then, fill a tall glass with ice from the ice maker. 

Pour the coffee over the ice cubes till one-third of the glass is left. 

Over this, steadily pour the milk/ cream/ or half and half. If you prefer, use whole milk or fat-free milk. If you want to reduce the dairy even further, opt for non-fat milk or a milk replacer. 

Stir to mix the ice cubes, coffee, sugar, and milk together and enjoy your iced coffee. 

If you want to use frozen coffee cubes, blend three to four cubes with ice cubes and then pour in the sugar and milk, and stir. 

Recipe 2: For this recipe, you should brew your coffee the night prior and allow it cool completely. If you’ve forgotten, you can brew it in the morning and pour the hot coffee over ice to cool it down. 

Pour the brewed coffee in a blender. Stir in the sugar syrup or granulated sugar or sweetener and allow it to dissolve entirely while blending on a pulse setting. You can store this mix for a few weeks in the fridge if needed, and bring it out as required. 

Once dissolved, add the creamer or milk or cream, plenty of ice cubes, and blitz a few times to get a thick frappe-like coffee consistency. If you do not have a blender, you could also use a hand mixer or coffee jet mix. 

Once done, you can add any flavours like vanilla, hazelnut, or chocolate to get the perfect iced coffee at home.