If you are anything like me you need a little jolt of caffeine in the mornings, maybe it's coffee, maybe it's iced tea (I'm looking at you Mom), maybe its a Diet Coke or Pepsi. Pick your adventure. I certainly love my coffee.
Oddly enough, I made it through university and almost through my Masters before I got hooked on coffee. But now, it's two cups a day for me - one first thing and then one around 10:30. I usually make the first batch at home, and I drink it with just a bit of skim milk.
But with the weather turning to summer big time here, the thought of sipping a steaming, hot mug of coffee in the morning is not appealing in the least! I mean it's been 90 degrees here all week and I don't have AC! So, I decided to cold brew some coffee so that I could make myself iced coffees in the morning. And boy am I glad that I did!
The cold brew makes the coffee smoother than it would be if you brewed it in a coffee pot, and it keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. The process is a little bit time consuming, so I just did this over the weekend.
Iced Coffee
From Two Tarts1-1/2 cups ground coffee beans (I used Colombian Fair Trade, others suggest French, Italian, Espresso - just pick your favorite)
6 cups water*
In a large jug, stir together the ground coffee and water. Cover the jug and let it sit, either on the counter or in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. After the time has elapsed, strain out the coffee grounds. I found that the easiest way was to initially strain the coffee through a fine mesh sieve, then to put a coffee filter in my coffee maker and pour the liquid into the filter directly (I have a traditional coffee maker). This took a bit of time, but it got all of the grounds out. You could also strain using a French press.
Serve this with ice, then do what you'd normally do with your coffee. If you like your's black, I suggest diluting this with a bit of water. If you take milk, you can skip the water.
*This makes quite a lot of coffee. Since, apparently, it keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge, I decided to just go for it and make a big batch. You could try 1 cup coffee / 4 cups water for a bit less.
It looks refreshing and tasty!
ReplyDeleteI love coffee, but it's a little too hot outside for hot coffee. This post couldn't have come at a better time. Thanks for sharing!
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