When the temperature starts rising, I can’t bear to drink a hot cup of coffee in the morning so I trade in my usual cup o’ joe in for a refreshing glass of iced coffee instead. Over the last few years I’ve become a little obsessed and have definitely come to the conclusion that cold brewing is the way to achieve the perfect cup.
Cold brewing is when you let the coffee grounds steep in water in the fridge for up to 24 hours (although overnight usually works enough for me). It’s more time consuming than a normal drip hot coffee but the results are worth it: flavorful yet mellow coffee perfection. I’ve tried just brewing extra strong coffee in the past and pouring the hot coffee over a cup of ice and the result was a bitter & watery mess.
Believe me, once you go cold brewed, you’ll never go back.
Iced Coffee (by A Feteful Life)
Ingredients
1/4 pound coffee grounds (ground a bit coarse to make it easier to strain later)
2 quarts cold water
Directions
Measure out 1/4 pound of coffee with a food scale. I make iced coffee half-decaf/half-caf so I measure 2 ounces decaf and 2 ounces regular coffee.
Add the coffee grinds to the water and stir the grinds to incorporate them into the water being sure that all of the grinds are covered. If the container you are using has a lid, cover with the lid or use plastic wrap to cover the container. Place the container in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
Remove some of the excess coffee grinds with a slotted spoon and discard the grinds. Place a fine mesh strainer over a pyrex pitcher and do an initial strain to remove the remaining coarse grinds. Some of the smaller grinds will remain so do a second strain with a coffee filter or cheese cloth in the mesh strainer.
Store the concentrated iced coffee in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for about month but I can guarantee it will be gone way before that. To serve, fill a large glass with ice (medium size ice works best since you want the ice to melt some since the coffee is concentrated but not so fast that it waters the whole thing down too much). Top off with half & half and you’re good to go!
A Feteful Life 
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My #1 tip for iced coffee is to always err on the strong side when you’re brewing. Under-steeped iced coffee is FOUL, and nothing but extra coffee and several more hours of steeping will fix it. If you make it too strong for your liking, all you have to do is add a little more water and/or milk.
Thanks for the tip, Andrew!