The heat wave persists! And we are still looking for ways to stay cool (or at least marginally less sweaty). Coffee is a daily must in our house and during these balmy summer days coffee that is icy cold is ideal.
Adam is the family barista, outfitting us with cool gadgets and learning new techniques, include Counter Culture Coffee’s quick and easy iced coffee. We’ve tried doing other methods, some that call for overnight sitting and others that involve letting coffee cool in the refrigerator, but we prefer this way because the brew is ready in minutes.
According to Counter Culture’s methodology, “Immediate cooling from the ice locks in flavors and aromatics that other iced coffee processes allow to escape.” Sold!
Iced coffees aren’t huge here, though you can find a good café freddo at some of the better cafés, so it’s nice to make this treat at home. I like mine with a generous splash of milk, but you could add your favorite simple syrup here for a sweeter version.
Also, if you’ve traveled around Europe then you may already know that ice is not a staple in the kitchen. In fact, our freezer is so small that it barely holds our meager ice trays and maybe one or two leftovers. We have found that giant ice cubes work best for this recipe and we’d recommend these molds.
Lastly, most coffee snobs experts would say that the best coffee is hand ground using a burr coffee grinder. It’s easy to clean and adjust the coarseness and it gives the coffee brewer ultimate control. We use this one and like it a lot. But a word to the wise: make sure you use the lid attachment. The beans have a tendency to jump out the top when you really get into a rhythm and it drives me nuts when they scatter all over the floor. Especially before I’ve even had my coffee…
Do you like iced coffee? I think it tastes a little more nutty and smooth, which I tend to prefer. Plus you can’t beat a cool beverage on a hot day!
(top image via Food52, all others our own)
A Broad At Home 