One of the big reasons people come to Booskerdoo Fresh Roasted Coffee Company is because we have awesome iced coffee and tea. We cold brew all of our iced coffee and tea unlike so many other places that make their iced coffee and tea by brewing it hot, letting it sit for a few hours or overnight, and then pouring it over ice.
Why? Well...cold brewing makes for a much tastier cup of coffee or tea for several reasons....
First - when coffee and tea are cold brewed they have a better brew strength than when they are brewed hot and poured over ice. That means coffee or tea brewed hot and poured over ice generally has a weaker taste. Some people say that you should double brew the beverage of your choice so the taste won’t be diluted by the ice. Using the same grinds more than once certainly extracts more soluble coffee particles, but extracting the same beans more than once gives the coffee a serious acidic kick and the tea a very dry mouth feel. The plus side to double brewing is that you can have iced coffee or tea in 10-15 minutes, but that is the only perk. Cold brewing your iced beverages makes for the best tasting coffee and tea, and happy people of course.
Secondly - there are several ways you can cold brew. For making iced coffee at home we recommend grinding your coffee of choice coarse and putting 10 level tbs in your 34oz French press. Fill the French press with cold filtered water and give the grinds a stir to make sure there are not any dry pockets. Put the lid and filter on, and push the filter down just far enough to submerge all of the grinds. Pop that bad boy in the fridge and leave it just like that for about 12-16 hours. This makes the most sense if you do it overnight obviously. After 12-16 hours press the filter all the way down and pour out the brewed coffee. This process provides you with cold brew coffee concentrate. Then, for optimal iced coffee flavor, you’ll want to add more cold filtered water to your coffee concentrate (Click this link to read my blog post to learn more about "Why Water Matters"). The best ratio is ⅔ coffee to ⅓ water. For this recipe I recommend you add 1 cup of cold filtered water and it will yield 4 cups of iced coffee. If you like it stronger or weaker simply add more or less cold filtered water. Pour the contents over ice and you've got the perfect homemade iced coffee.
Next - When cold brewing iced tea we recommend you fill up your favorite pitcher with cold filtered water. Add 2 tea bags for every 8-10 oz of water, depending on your strength preference and tea of choice. For black tea you might want to use more tea, and for more delicate green, white, or herbal teas you may want to use less. Just like making iced coffee concentrate, let it sit in the fridge for 12-16 hours. Take out the tea bags after brewing and voila! You now have awesome unsweetened iced tea for you and your summer house guests to enjoy.
I love my iced tea sweet. I know a lot of people who love their coffee sweetened. But trying to put raw sugar in my iced tea or coffee just leaves it gritty and unsatisfying. The answer to sweetening your iced beverages is to use simple syrup, or sugar dissolved in water. You can make your own or buy some at the grocery store. To make your own simple syrup at home we recommend mixing sugar and hot water in a ratio of 1 cup sugar to ½ cup water. Stir vigorously until the sugar is completely dissolved. If needed, you can add more hot water 1 tbsp at a time. Let it cool to at least room temperature, so you don’t melt the ice in your cup too quickly.
Enjoy this summer with your favorite iced beverages however you like them, sweetened, unsweetened, milk only, straight black or any variation therein. Hopefully this guide to delicious iced beverages will make your next pool party or BBQ be the one that everyone talks about for years to come. Now go enjoy the day and the summer sun!
If you have read this far, you are in luck because I have a special treat for you. Use coupon code coldbrew15 at checkout to get 15% off any order over $30 and start cold brewing coffee at home! I recommend the Brazil and the Guatemala for cold brewing. The code is good until August 31, 2014.
Need help with the recipe or have any coffee or tea related questions? Feel free to shoot me an email at mike@booskerdoo.com.
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