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Life under quarantine is hard. Stocking up our larders with foods that can last a while. Checking inventories frequently to make sure we’re never out of cleaning supplies. As days go by, another, albeit smaller dilemma emerges: Our daily coffee routine has been disrupted, as local coffee shops are either limiting customers or completely closed.

If you prefer tea or like your coffee hot, then this situation might not bother you much. A kitchen scale, a durable coffee grinder, and a coffee maker of your choice can help you survive the days without a barista’s pour. But if you can't live without your iced coffee, you might have to get more creative.

The most straightforward (and arguably best way) to make iced coffee is to use a cold brew maker, but it takes planning and patience to develop the most nuanced flavours. If you prefer standard coffee to cold brew, there’s still a way to make sure you’re preparing the best cup over ice.

The Specialty Coffee Association has the Golden Cup Standard, which calls for 11.5 to 13.5 grams of coffee per litre. This ratio helps us better understand coffee extraction, which lays the framework for making a strong, flavourful cup, even when it’s ice cold.

After adjusting the water to ice ratio several times, here’s how I learned to make the perfect iced coffee at home.

How to make iced coffee at home (4 cups)

Evesham Journal: Credit: Getty Images / ViennettaCredit: Getty Images / Viennetta

With this drip coffee method, I recommend the ice to water ratio to be in the 35% to 45% range—the more hot water, the better the extraction. I find this ratio creates the smoothest, coolest, and most flavourful coffee that's still chilled. In case you find the coffee still too weak for your taste, you can add more coffee beans at 5-gram intervals to find the sweet spot for the best brew.

What You Need

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 Tbsp (33 grams) freshly roasted beans or fresh ground coffee
  • 1 1/2 cup (374 grams) water
  • 1 cup (249 grams) ice

Tools:

Time Needed

20 minutes

Difficulty

Easy

Step-by-Step:

Step 1: Prepare the beans

Evesham Journal: Credit: Reviewed / Valerie Li StackCredit: Reviewed / Valerie Li Stack

Measure 33 grams of freshly roasted coffee beans on a kitchen scale. Then, finely grind the beans using a coffee grinder. To increase extraction for iced coffee, you may want to grind your beans more finely than you normally would for hot, drip coffee. Set aside.

Step 2: Prep the machine

Insert the paper filter into the brewing head. If your coffee maker has a pre-rinse setting, run it with the paper filter inserted. If not, quickly rinse the paper filter, filter cone, and carafe using hot water. Discard the rinse water.

Step 3: Measure the water and ice

Evesham Journal: Credit: Reviewed / Valerie Li StackCredit: Reviewed / Valerie Li Stack

On the kitchen scale, measure the water and ice. Set aside.

Step 4: Add the ice, coffee grounds, and water

Evesham Journal: Credit: Reviewed / Valerie Li StackCredit: Reviewed / Valerie Li Stack

Add the measured ice into the carafe and pour the water into the brewing head. Then add the ground coffee into the filter cone.

Step 5: Brew and enjoy!

Evesham Journal: Credit: Reviewed / Valerie Li StackCredit: Reviewed / Valerie Li Stack

If you’re using an electric drip coffee maker, simply press the button and wait till your coffee is ready. For the pour-over method, boil the measured water. Then slowly pour the hot water into the dripper. Let sit for five minutes and enjoy your coffee!

Alternatively, you can freeze cold coffee into ice cubes for making iced coffee later. By adding coffee cubes into your drink, you’re less likely to end up drinking diluted coffee.

Staying at home all the time doesn’t mean you can’t sip on the quality cup that you would normally get from your local coffee shop. Whether you want to learn how to make coffee drinks or improve the quality of your coffee, we’ve got you covered.

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