Iced Coffee Concentrate

During the winter time, I love waking up with a hot cup of coffee.  However, during the warm summer months, I like to stay as cool as possible and a hot coffee just doesn’t sound that appealing.  But iced coffee… now you’re talking!

All you need to start is water and ground coffee.  I highly recommend grinding your own whole beans.  You don’t need to grind them as fine as you would when making hot coffee from a drip coffee maker.

In a large pitcher or bowl, combine the water and coffee.  Stir well, and cover.  The coffee needs to brew overnight, or at least 8 hours.

Filter coffee through a a coffee filter or a few layers of cheesecloth placed in a fine sieve.  Most sieves aren’t fine enough to catch all of the grounds, so you will want to filter it through something.

You can keep the concentrate in the refrigerator for up to a week.  I’ve never had any around longer than that, but I hear it starts to taste a little bitter if you do.

To serve, fill a big glass about halfway (or more) with ice.

Pour in about 1 cup of concentrate.

Add about 1 cup of milk.

And stir.

Taste, and add flavorings as desired.  I like to add a teaspoon or two of caramel or vanilla syrup.  I can imagine some chocolate syrup would be amazing as well!  Be sure to taste it first, as you might be surprised at how sweet it already is with no added sweetener.  I’ve read that the cold-brew method of making this concentrate helps avoid some of the bitterness typically found in hot brewed coffee.

Serve with a straw, and be ready to serve up a second cup!

Iced Coffee Concentrate
Adapted from a comment on Pioneer Woman’s post

8 cups cold water
1 cup ground coffee

In a large pitcher, combine water and coffee.  Stir well.  Cover, and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.  Filter coffee through a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter placed in a fine sieve.  Refrigerate concentrate for up to a week.

To serve, mix about 1 cup of concentrate with 1 cup of milk in a tall glass filled with ice.  Taste, and add flavorings as desired.

Makes about 8 servings.