Thursday, August 07, 2014

How To: Commuter Iced Coffee

Equipment:
  • 24 oz. cup (preferably insulated and having a lid and straw; mine is from Starbucks)
  • Coffee grinder (I use a refurbished Cuisinart bur grinder)
  • 4-cup automatic drip coffee maker (Mr Coffee works, as does my current Cuisinart)
  • Filters for coffee maker (duh)
  • Two coffee scoops (yes, two; you'll find out why)
  • Optional: coffee canister with vent to allow carbon dioxide to escape (helps keep coffee beans fresh)
Supplies:
  • Whole bean coffee (I use Columbian beans ordered from OrlandoCoffeeRoasters.com)
  • Coffee creamer (I use Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss - sweet cream flavor)
  • Ice
  • Optional: coffee syrup (since I use a fairly neutral flavor of creamer I buy the caramel-flavored Archer Farms brand coffee syrup from Target)
Method - The Night Before:
  • Brew 4 cups of coffee using filtered water. I use 5 scoops of freshly-ground coffee per 4 cups I'm planning to brew (using scoop #1). I also prefer to only grind enough beans for one 4-cup brew; thus I grind every night.
  • When the coffee is finished brewing move the carafe directly to the refridgerator.
Method - The Next Morning:
  • Pour chilled coffee into 24 oz. cup.
  • Add creamer (and coffee syrup) to taste. I use scoop #2 to add 4 scoops' worth of coffee syrup, then I pour in the creamer until the level of liquid rises to a certain point that I've found through trial and error.
  • Stir.
  • Add ice.
  • Attach lid/straw, go, and enjoy!