How to Make Iced Coffee
Make the perfect Iced Coffee at home every time.
Simply put, iced coffee means any way to brew cold coffee that doesn’t involve espresso. Making cold brew coffee, therefore, is making iced coffee. Brewing hot coffee and letting it sit in the fridge is also iced coffee. But an iced latte would not be considered iced coffee as it contains espresso.
Our favorite method of making homemade iced coffee is flash brewing. Flash brewing (or flash-chilled coffee) is the process of brewing coffee directly onto ice. This simple brewing process cools the coffee, making it both convenient and makes the coffee taste less stale, which can happen while coffee cools to room temperature. Because ice dilutes coffee, our delicious iced coffee recipe uses less brewing water to maintain the coffee’s flavor, taste, and caffeine strength as the ice melts. And since you’re not using cold water (which has trouble breaking down some of the roast’s flavor compounds), flash brewing ends up tasting brighter than cold-brewed coffee. Whether you know how to make pour over coffee or prefer the convenience of a drip coffee maker, we have a recipe for how to make iced coffee that is both delicious and easy.
What You Need
- A Chemex or coffee maker, any brand will do.
- A gooseneck kettle
- A scale (optional)
- 8 oz / 300 ml of water
- 8 oz / 300 g ice
- 1.4 oz / 40 g of medium-fine ground coffee. Don't have a grinder? We can grind it for you!
Getting Started
1. Measure ice
Weigh out ice cubes in your Chemex (this iced coffee recipe works for any pour over brewer with slight adjustments. 
Water flows relatively slowly through Chemex filters, so pour slower with a Kalita Wave, for example). Because ice shapes vary, a scale helps, but if you don’t own one, just fill your Chemex until the top of the cubes reaches a little higher than the level your finished hot brew would usually reach.
2. Bloom Coffee
Place the coffee filter into your brewer and pour the coffee grinds in. Start your timer, and pour 80 grams of just off-boiling water, or just enough to evenly saturate the grinds. Wait 45 seconds. We call this the blooming coffee period, as the boiling water helps release the built-up carbon dioxide in the coffee so that the rest of our water can really get in there and dissolve the flavor compounds.
3. Pour Slowly
Start slowly pouring hot water, from the center of your coffee grounds out, trying to wet all the grinds evenly. Remember, we’re only using half the water we usually would for brewing hot coffee, but we don’t want to take half as long, so pouring slowly is key, but you’ll want to get all your water in at around 2.5 minutes. Here’s how to accomplish that:
- Pour up to 150 grams, and let the water drip down until it’s right above the coffee grounds.
- Pour about 25 more grams, and let it drip down again
- Pour again until you’ve got all your water in
4. Let It Drip
Wait until all the coffee drips through, melting all or most of the ice, pour into a tall glass (or your preferred vessel), and enjoy!
FAQs
Can I use any type of coffee beans to make iced coffee?
- While you can use any coffee beans to make iced coffee, we recommend selecting beans with flavor profiles that complement the cold brewing process, such as fruity or chocolatey notes.
- Depending on your preferred strength and flavor profile, cold brewing typically requires 12-24 hours of steeping time.
- While you can make iced coffee with essential kitchen tools like a pitcher and a filter, investing in a dedicated cold brew maker or a pour-over setup can enhance the quality and consistency of your brew.
- Absolutely! Customize your iced coffee to your liking by adding milk, cream, sweeteners, or flavored syrups to create your perfect cold brew concoction.
- Store leftover cold brew coffee in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks for optimal freshness.
Enhance Your At-Home Coffee Experience with Trade
As you've discovered the joy of crafting your own iced coffee at home, why not elevate your coffee experience even further with Trade? Our mission at Trade is to bring exceptional coffee directly to your doorstep, ensuring you have access to the finest beans from the best roasters across the country.
With our coffee subscriptions, you'll receive hand-selected, freshly roasted beans tailored to your taste preferences. Whether you prefer light, medium, or dark roasts, single origins, or blends, our expertly curated selections will delight your palate with every sip. Plus, our flexible subscription options allow you to adjust your deliveries based on your consumption needs, ensuring you never run out of your favorite brew.
But we don't stop at just providing exceptional beans. We also offer a range of high-quality coffee brewing equipment to enhance your at-home brewing experience. From pour-over drippers to espresso machines, we have everything you need to become your own barista and create cafe-quality beverages in the comfort of your kitchen.
