In the middle of the summer, when the sun is out, and you’re lazing around in your back garden, then there’s nothing better than an ice-cold drink. If that drink contains a big hit of caffeine, then all the better, as the heat can certainly drain you. That’s why iced coffee is such a popular drink in the hot months.
Many people believe that to get a good iced coffee, you need to visit one of the big coffee chains. Actually, iced coffee is very easy to make at home. And if you do that, then you can save yourself a lot of money over those summer months. Also, when you make iced coffee at home, then you know exactly what’s in there, which means that you can make sure that there’s not too much sugar, syrup or other ingredients that contain empty calories.
When it comes to making iced coffee at home, you have two different options, and the one you will pick will depend on if you’ve got a blender or not, as this is the distinction between the two. We’re going to look at a non-blender and a blender method, so both of your bases are covered.
Let’s look at without a blender first.
How to Make Iced Coffee Without a Blender
Before we get started, let’s have a look at what equipment and ingredients we need to make iced coffee without a blender.
What You Need:
• Freshly brewed coffee – You should do this via the method that you usually brew coffee, whether that’s with a French press, a percolator, a Chemex, or another form of coffee brewing. It’s possible to use instant coffee, but the quality of the coffee will be lacking. If you want an iced coffee that is comparable with – or better than – what you get in a coffee shop, then you should invest in high-quality beans and a French press. Regardless of the brewing method you use, you need to ensure that the coffee is very strong, as it will be diluted with the other ingredients used in the iced coffee, such as milk.
• Ice – Always use filtered or distilled water for your ice cubes. The amount of ice that you’ll need will depend on the volume of coffee you’re making. It’s always worth freezing more ice cubes than you might need, rather than to be caught short with too little.
• Milk – Full-fat milk is the tastiest, of course, but if you want to cut down on calories, then you may want to choose skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.
• Two glass containers – One will be used for storing the iced coffee, and the other container will be used for serving the iced coffee.
• Sugar – Optional. This will give your iced coffee a sweetness that you won’t be able to achieve without it.
• Cream – Optional. You can use this to make the consistency of the iced coffee thicker.
The Method
- Brew the coffee using your preferred method. We recommend using something like a French press, as you’re able to create a more flavorful coffee. Make sure that you make a substantial quantity. Use fresh coffee beans.
- Before the coffee has cooled down, add sugar if you want it to be sweetened.
- Put the coffee into one of the glass containers. Leave the container at room temperature for one hour.
- After one hour, put the container into a refrigerator. Leave for two hours.
- Pour, add ice cubes, add milk, then stir very well.
- Serve.
How to Make Coffee with a Blender
When it comes to making iced coffee with a blender, it’s much easier than without one. Let’s look at what you need first:
• Freshly brewed coffee – See the ingredients to the previous recipe for further information about the method of brewing and type of coffee.
• A blender
• Milk
• Crushed ice cubes – This is the biggest difference in terms of ingredients from the iced coffee method that doesn’t require a blender. Make sure that you purchase crushed ice cubes or crush ice cubes at home, using filtered or distilled water.
• Cream – This is optional. It depends how thick you like your iced coffee to be. If you want to recreate a frappuccino, then you should use cream and get some whipped cream to put on top.
• Flavorings – Optional – This is down to your personal preference.
• Syrup – Optional
• Toppings – Optional
The Method
- Brew the coffee. Make sure to brew the coffee so that it’s strong. Use freshly roasted coffee beans for a better taste.
- Pour a cup of the coffee into your blender.
- Add crushed ice.
- Add milk. It would be best if you used approximately one-quarter of the amount of coffee that you have put inside the blender. So, in this case, it will be one-quarter of a cup.
- Add flavorings or cream
- Blend. It should take about 10 seconds for the mixture inside the blender to thicken, which is what you want.
- Serve and enjoy.
Conclusion
Now you know how to make the perfect iced coffee with and without a blender. There are some differences in terms of taste that you should consider, with a non-blender iced coffee being slightly thinner, and a blended iced coffee being much thicker, resembling what you might get in some of the big coffee chains. The other big difference between the two methods is the time it takes for the iced coffee to make, with a blended iced coffee being ready in a matter of minutes, including brewing time.
Whichever of the methods that you choose, we always recommend for the coffee to be brewed via a technique that brings out the best taste, such as a French press. We also recommend that you should purchase freshly roasted coffee beans and grind them at home yourself. While you can follow these two recipes with instant coffee, the quality will be lower.
