Coffee. That single word is one of the most powerful words in the world. The love of coffee in its various forms makes it one of the most exciting and sought after beverages in the world. Massive corporations have been created that are all based upon the creation of a drink coming from a simple bean.
Whether you like something fancy at an upscale coffee shop, or simply want a cup to warm up a rainy sunday morning, coffee is enjoyed by almost everyone. A recent development in the coffee world is the spread of iced coffees. These cold beverages take much of the coffee flavor and include them into cool drinks intended for summer. Iced coffees can have the natural coffee consistency, or be blended with other ingredients to make cool summer treats. If you love coffee, then keep reading. It may be time to try out making iced coffee in your own home!
Coffee Roasts
If you want to enjoy your coffee, you need to understand how coffee roasts change the flavor of beans. Roasts start at light, progress through medium and dark before ending up at extra dark. The color of the beans and the color of the coffee itself will change depending on the roast of the beans used. Flavor tends to become more intense as a bean is roasted more. Light roasts tend to have an acidity to them that’s unmatched in others. Medium roasts tend for a balance between acidity and bitterness. Dark roasts can be very flavorful and sometimes come with a hint of spice hidden in the taste. People who like Extra Dark roasts enjoy a bitter and smoky flavor. Sometimes, the taste is said to be almost burnt.
Iced Coffee At Home
Many people are interested in learning how to make iced coffee. It’s really not that difficult a process and can easily be done at home. The easy way is to cheat and get a device that makes it for you at home like a Nespresso coffee maker. However, where’s the fun in that? You can make your own iced coffee and customize it to fit exactly into your taste.
Making iced coffee at home will also include some trial and error. You may find that some steps may not be necessary. Many people prefer to make their coffee the night before, then allow it to cool off before adding ice to it. Others don’t mind, and put the ice directly into hot coffee for a quick chilldown.
Iced Coffee Recipes
There are many different iced coffee recipes that range from the easy to the flagrant. What follows is a couple of recipes to give you an idea of what that includes. The first is dreadfully easy, while the second has a few more ingredients.
Instant French Vanilla Iced Coffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup Hot Water
- 2 to 3 tsp Instant Coffee
- ½ cup Vanilla Coffee Creamer
- Ice Cubes
For this recipe, simply start by adding to the hot water to the instant coffee. The coffee crystals need hot water to dissolve properly. Blend in the creamer. Finally, add ice cubes to chill the coffee. Alternatively, the coffee can be placed into the fridge to chill before adding the ice cubes to keep from too much ice melting too quickly.
Creamy Vanilla Iced Coffee
Stage 1 Ingredients:
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Vanilla Bean
Stage 2 Ingredients:
- 1 cup Ground Coffee Beans
- 4 Cups Water
- Half and Half Cream
- Sugar (optional)
Stage 1 starts with the making of the simple syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat the sugar, water and the vanilla bean. Once it reaches a boil, then take off from the heat and set it aside for 90-120 minutes. After it’s cooled, add the vanilla extra and pour the simple syrup through a mesh sieve to get all of the vanilla bean out of the syrup.
Stage 2 involves cold brewing the coffee. The coffee grounds and water need to be placed together in a large jar. Stir them up and then let them rest overnight at room temperature. Now, the mixture can be run through a coffee filter or a mesh sieve combined with cheesecloth. This creates a coffee concentrate. For vanilla iced coffee now add 1 cup of the iced concentrate to ice cubes. Pour in half and half to taste and creamy texture. Add approximately 2 tbsp of the previously created vanilla syrup for flavor and enjoy!
