This post is for the Mommies and Daddies; however, children can help to make the iced coffee and learn about measuring and waiting for good things. Iced coffee is a rich treat to enjoy on a hot summer’s day when you have a moment to sit and relax and refresh yourself. Why spend a small fortune buying it when you can make your own at home and enjoy it any time?
I don’t drink coffee and I haven’t in years. The only exception to this is I will have a caramel macchiato every year or so even though I know I will feel rotten afterwards. While we were in Canada Mom was showing me the gizmo she gave Dad for making iced coffee. I couldn’t picture my dad enjoying iced coffee; he’s always been a strong black coffee type of guy-but if he liked it, I would give it a go. Mom made a glass for me and I quite liked it! And no side-effects either! And there are various ways to add flavour to it as well, which is nice, too.
The only thing is that you need to think ahead on this, as it takes a day or so to make. But don’t worry it’s very easy and worth the wait!
First you need to assemble the iced coffee supplies:
- Ground coffee (you can use inexpensive ones and it works just as well)
- Cold water
- Whole milk, cream, condensed milk, or something similar of your choosing.
- Ice cubes
- Sugar
- Any flavouring that you may like.
And this is how to make your own iced coffee:
Grind the beans, if necessary. Be sure to measure them so you know how much water to use. I used 1/2 Cup ground coffee.
You don’t need a fancy gizmo, I simply used Phil’s coffee press. I put in the ground coffee and added 6 parts water for each part coffee. I had used 1/2 Cup ground coffee, so I added 3 Cups of cold tap water. Tristan helped me count out 6 measures of 1/2 Cup. If you don’t have measuring cups, you can use any little cup you have around, just remember the 6:1 ratio of water to coffee. If you don’t have any ice cubes, this is the time to fill your trays and put them in your freezer. Tristan wanted to watch them every hour to see the progression of the freezing.
Let the coffee stand for at least 24 hours. I have sometimes been busy or forgetful and let mine stand for up to 48 hours and it turned out fine, just a bit stronger. This was OK with me-more value for money, I reasoned! When the time is right for you, strain the coffee. either through the means you have, or you could use a paper coffee filter to do this. If your grounds are too small and sneak through the filter, like they sometimes tend to on the wire strainers/press, then you could do a second straining through a paper filter if you don’t want them in your beverage.
Now comes the event you’ve been patiently waiting for!
Fill your glass with ice cubes to the top.
Pour in your coffee until the glass is about 2/3 full.
Add your milk, condensed milk, etc.
Add some sugar and/ or flavouring if desired.
Give a mix and let the drink stand for about 5-10 minutes to achieve a better flavour, and enjoy!
Any unused coffee can be kept covered in the fridge for use another time.
If you’d like a different taste to your iced coffee chocolate milk works well. You can add some flavoured syrup (available to purchase in coffee shops), or for special evenings or get-togethers you could make your beverage more adult and mix in a little Tia Maria, Kahlua, or your favourite liqueur.
I think our big, soft, ginger cookies taste great with iced coffee. Or maybe a Scotch Roll would be nice? Or have a peek at our pages for more ideas about beverages and snacks and deserts.
Though the weather here hasn’t been very warm, sunny, or dry the past few weeks, I understand it has been very hot in Canada, the USA, and Japan recently. So this is for you! Slainte!
If you’re curious about iced coffee around the world, I found some interesting info on Wikipedia.
