David loves drinking iced coffee, so we found a great way to make it at home. But pouring hot coffee over ice or putting it in the fridge to cool never tastes the same as the iced coffee from places like Starbucks. I’ve had this same experience when making iced tea; cold-brewing the tea leaves always tastes the best. I never thought to use the same technique with coffee until I read this post on Smitten Kitchen.
We’ve been making a batch of this coffee almost every day since. The key to making the coffee most conveniently is to invest in a french press. The french press is great because it has a built-in strainer that pushes the coffee grounds to the bottom when your coffee is done brewing, so you can easily pour the filtered coffee out. You can make this coffee without a french press in a regular container, but you’ll have to pour it through a strainer or coffee filter before it’s ready to drink.
We mix in 1/3 cup of our favorite coffee grounds per 1 1/2 cups of cold water to a french press. Let it sit out or in the fridge for approximately 12 hours. Once that time is up, slowly press the plunger on your french press, and pour the coffee into a jar that you can store in the fridge.
When you’re ready to drink your coffee, pour some of it into a glass with ice. David drinks his straight, but I like mellowing mine out with a little milk. After you drink too much of this iced coffee and get stuck lying awake in bed all night, you should consider reading Chelsea Handler’s new book (or any of her books), Lies Chelsea Handler Told Me. Just make sure to muffle your laughter so you don’t wake your puppy!