Coffee Drinkers: A moment of your time, please ?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

I love iced coffee. With Splenda. And Hazlenut flavoring is possible. It could be -2 farenheit, that’s what I am drinking.

I’m gonna buy a glass bottle with a screw on lid and brew my fave drink, and keep it in the fridge so I can decant as I wish. I’m not terribly picky about branding of coffees, though I don’t buy the least expensive stuff in the supermarket. I get the whole beans from the plexiglas dispenser boxy things with the chutes, and grind them there in the machine, then freeze em at home.

Will I taste a notable difference if I brew up a gallon and keep it in the fridge for a few days? Should I instead brew it and make ice cubes from it? Will the coffee go “bad” if it sits refrigerated just for 2-3 days at most? Or is it okay to do so ? I don’t mean mold growing but is it going to make it taste bad or alter it somehow?

Anyone ever made coffee ice cubes as a way of dealing with loving iced coffee and not wanting to water it down ?

Cartooniverse

#2

I never tried the ice cubes route, but yes, iced coffee will begin to taste stale after a few days in the fridge. Just don’t make too much. It’s OK for at least 2-3 days, though I seem to have a sensitive palate for coffee and taste a difference the following day. Still, it’s the best way to Share and Enjoy. :wink:

#3

I’m not a fanatic about coffee, but I do buy beans and grind each portion before I brew it. I never freeze the beans, just store them in an airtight container in a, relatively, cool cupboard in the dark. I’ve never tried making coffee ice cubes, but it sounds like a good idea. I don’t drink iced coffee, but I often drink it at room temp. Here’s an article that I think sums up a lot of different ideas and opinions.
http://www.wholelattelove.com/articles/keeping_coffee_fresh.cfm

#4

Ooo coffee ice cubes… that’s brilliant!

I’ve left iced coffee in the fridge for a couple of days, but it tastes off after a day or so. I can cover it up with cream and sweetener, but it still doesn’t taste perfect.

#5

I have never tried the coffee ice cube route, but my ex used to make the best iced coffee ever. We had an iced tea maker and he would just throw fresh ground coffee in there with sugar instead of tea packs. It would stay good in the fridge w/out a noticable difference in taste for 2-4 days like Anaamika said. I had never even heard about iced coffee before 3 years ago. My friend who moved here from RI always talked about it. He didn’t understand how we lived without it. Whenever he asked for it in a coffee shop around here they would look at him like he was losing his mind. One place actually took a cup of thier house brew and threw a couple ice cubes in it. He wasn’t pleased as you can imagine. (Who wants watered down luke warm coffee? blaagh!) Now it’s available though and I absolutley love it. Is there any other way to make it really yummy without an iced tea maker. I suppose you could just brew it normally and stick it in the fridge, but I think that would get stale quicker because it takes longer to cool down.

#6

My favorite for cold coffee is a high-quality coffee extract. That can sit in your fridge for weeks, and you can make your beverage in a matter of seconds. Any grocery will have it, but I’d try Trader Joe’s first. My mother makes her own too - it takes a few days but she makes 1/2 gallon at a time (which is a lot once it’s diluted to normal-coffee strength).

#7

Anyone ever tried one of those Toddy coffee systems? I’ve always wanted to but we already have a kitchen full of appliances and gadgets, dunno if I can justify another one just because I love iced coffee.

We usually brew in Chemex here, which I think is the best, though a bit obnoxious. The cold coffee from that makes excellent iced. I mix it by the quart with dairy of some kind , a little bit of Splenda, and a just a touch of that Atkins sugar free syrup (A tiny bit goes a long way, it says 1 part syrup to 6 parts liquid, but I use like a teaspoon to a quart and that’s more than sufficient.) The hazelnut IS the best, but that’s just my opinion.

How long does it last? Less than a day at my house; I rarely have any left over.

#8

Isn’t there some issue with the compunds in coffee hydrolysing if you leave brewed coffee sitting around for some time? My google-fu is weak and time is limited, but I’m sure I read about this in the context of one of those “Coffee is good/bad” for you arguments - supposedly some of the breakdown compounds were relatively unhealthy.

#9

Not coffee, but two things to remember about ice cubes of any kind (I used to make them from orange juice): They will tend to absorb odors from whatever else is in the freezer, and they sublimate. Usually stuff in freezers is well wrapped anyway, but ice cubes that aren’t wrapped up themselves can tend to pick up off flavors after a while. I guess the sublimation isn’t bad for a coffee cube, because it will just increase the strength.

#10

When I was in college, I was a bit addicted to [del]coffee[/del] caffeine. I would brew up a pot, take half of it in a HUGE mug and run to class. Then I decided that it took too long for that much coffee to cool down to where I like it. (Hot, but not scalding.) So, I started making coffee cubes. (My roommate - even more addicted than I was - thought I was a genius!) :wink:

Anyway, as CookingWithGas mentioned, you have to worry about off-flavors and sublimation. Make 'em, bag 'em, and tag 'em.

Oh, and to anyone else who thinks it’s a brilliant idea - the cubes will change the flavor of the coffee. Sometime in the cooling process there’s someting that happens. Dunno what, but the flavor changes, and no amount of heating will change it back. Only do this if you don’t mind the taste of stale (i.e. >1hr) coffee. Nowadays, I am addicted to coffee, but not so much to caffeine. My coffee’s gotta taste good and be fresher than Leisure Suit Larry at a Playboy party. :smiley:

#11

I didn’t really articulate the coffee cube angle properly. I agree, odors and sublimation are bad ( but a sublime idea ). I envisioned making few trays worth every few days, packing them into a thick zip-lock baggie in the freezer and dipping in when I wanted em. Now that I am thinking about it, putting boiling hot coffee into the freezer is a bad idea. I’d brew, allow to cool, then pour into cube trays and slide said trays into a zip lock baggie. No unwanted odors that way. ( " Gee, thanks for the iced coffee, Cartooniverse. Went with the Broiled Salmon in Garlic Butter Roast, did we? " :eek: )

I’m not sure if I want to make the coffee the way I like it, THEN freeze it, or just freeze the pure coffee. I suspect that freezing the mix will be a bit oogey since I use liquid Creamate. ( I’m with TubaDiva on this. Hazelnut rocks. Those other flavors? Well… I mean, we must be kind to our fellows but… :smiley: )

SusanStoHelit, that’s a very neato idea. I’ve never heard of such a thing. I’d be glad to hunt down a bottle ( keg? jar? decanter? ) and try some out. Might ameliorate the hydrolization issues raised by slaphead.

Thanks, LunaV My kids gave me the pluperfect Father’s Day gift a few years ago. My palate runs heavily towards the tactile pleasures of Slurpees, so they gave me a Smoothie maker. My god. Heaven. I’m figuring that if I can either refrigerate or make ice cubes, I can figure out good liquid to "solid ( ice water or ice cube coffee ) ratios and create a Coffee Smoothie that will make me the envy of the entire free world.

#12

When I went to college in Boston I discovered the people there are only slightly more addicted to coffee than I am; it’s even their favorite flavor of ice cream.

Coffee ice cream.

Damn. Now I want some.

Makes good milkshakes. (Frappes for all you in the great Northeast.) Would make a great smoothie with some cold coffee, I bet.

You can also check out the instant side of the house, like instant expresso, which I use sometimes when I want something besides the basic Colombian/French grind. Instant expresso is not so easy to find sometimes, though I’d check the specialty places like Dean and DeLuca or Zabar’s. I’ve heard Instant Bustelo (which you can get in nearly every bodega) is nearly as good. Just mix with water to taste.

You can also find syrups of various kinds – made with sugar and sugar-free – that also makes the coffee experience more better. I like the DaVinci brand, but I got a great deal a while back on these Atkins sugar free syrups and I’ll be using them up for a while.

While easier to use, I avoid the CoffeeMate stuff, it’s mostly corn syrup and trans fats. Milk, half and half . . . occasionally when I feel truly decadent and like coating my arteries, a shot of cream, though usually if I do that I also throw in a shot of Kahlua or something similar. Hey, a little alcohol is good for the heart, no?

#13

That must be why I use a liberal amount to cool down and flavor my coffee. Usually French Vanilla or Hazelnut, and then I add a packet of hit chocolate mix.

Apparently coffee milk is a New England thing. Mom went to Brown and had it in the milk choices in the dining hall, and here they sell both bottles of it and the syrup to put in your milk a la Quik syrup. Heaven!

#14

-sigh- all tempting choices, except for the fact that I’m lactose intolerant and those options aren’t options for me. My god I used to adore coffee ice cream. It was second to Mint Chocolate Chip.

Of course a little alcohol is good for the heart. :slight_smile:

Man. A pint of Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream on a hot Philly Saturday night? That’s livin’…

The Atkins syrups, I have seen them in the store, haven’t tried them. I might ditch the Creamate if the Atkins delivers that good strong Hazelnut flavor.

#15

You chill it and toss in artificial sweetener and hazelnut flavouring, and you’re worried about how fresh the coffee is? Can you even taste it?

Seems to me you may as well use instant shudder for this purpose.

#16

I find those coffee syrups to be VERY strong. Your taste may vary.

Lactose intolerant, too bad. Life is nicer with cream in your coffee . . . and there’s that damn ice cream. Dibs on your portion!

Coffee granita is good too, and you can make that yourself. In your freezer. All you need is coffee, a pan, and a fork.

#17

If you make very strong coffee ice cubes, then crush them slightly (or don’t bother, it doesn’t matter) you can put them in a glass and pour high quality, ice-cold milk over them. Absolute YUM on a hot day. If you want it sweet, add the sugar to the coffee before freezing.

#18

Just piping in to say a word about “Toddy” coffee makers. I have used one for years at a a coffee bar. we used toddy coffee for all iced drinks. (Iced coffee, Mochas, etc.) It is wonderfully smooth stuff. Concentrated. Very simple to use and store. The container you brew into, seals, so it won’t pick up flavors, and will stay in the frig for longer than it will take to drink. Well worth the investment if ice coffee is your bag.