It’s time for Weekend Shout-out and this week I have Amanda Mae at Mae Bird to thank for a wonderful Saturday morning. See, I’m a little addicted to Iced Coffee. If you watch my twitter, you’ll notice Iced Coffee just about every morning. In the summer, taking a stroll with my dog, Ice, and sipping an Iced Coffee, is my favorite past time, made only better by my hubby Lon coming along. (BTW, that’s not how Ice got her name.)

Amanda Mae posted about a Cold Brewing recipe from The New York Times, from over 2 years ago and then suggested adding a drop of almond extract, sweetening with agave, and completing with half-and-half. I loved the post because hearing about how someone drinks their coffee (or iced coffee) makes me feel like I’ve gotten to know them better. Coffee is very personal. How much sweetener you put and what kind, the whole gradient between black and extra creamy, regular or decaf, hot or cold, and preference for different beans and blends, and then maybe additional flavors.

Iced Coffee 6

I love both hot and iced coffee (I choose depending on weather) and drink them pretty similarly, preferring 1 teaspoon of sweetener per cup. I’ll use sugar, brown sugar, or agave. I prefer 2 teaspoons of heavy cream, but half-and-half will suffice. I can’t drink it with milk or skim or soy. The only decaf I like is Kona Joe, otherwise, it’s got to be regular. I like low acidity, smooth and not burnt, but brewed strong. My favorite is Kona Joe and Virunga is similar. I don’t like any additional flavors like hazelnut, almond, vanilla, etc.

When I used to work in an office, I went to the same street vendor for coffee every day because after just two visits, he knew how I took my coffee. To me, that shows special care and deserves a loyal customer. Please let me know how you take yours so I’m prepared when you come over.

Cold Brewed Iced Coffee
~recipe from the New York Times, with my notes in brown

  • 1/3 cup ground coffee (medium coarse grind is best) – I think mine was more finely ground.
  • 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions –

1. In a jar (or any container with a lid), stir together coffee and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.

cold brewed coffee

2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve, or a sieve lined with cheeseclothe. (Through a coffee filter, once was enough. The strainer is just a good idea to make sure you don’t drop it in.)

straining coffee 5straining coffee 2
straining coffee 3
straining coffee 4

In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. (I only mixed with ice, no water.) If desired, add milk. (I like heavy cream and sweetener.)

Yield: Two drinks. (Well, it depends on if you mix with water or not, but I got 1 1/4 cups as a result of straining.)

Iced Coffee

If you prefer to buy your coffee already made, you should check out Man Seeking Coffee. Great coffee blog! It’s mostly California based but he seems to come to New York once in a while.

posted by jessica at 11:22 AM Filed under Drinks, Recipes, Weekend Shout Out. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.