# Iced Coffee, Anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [July 25, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242 "2009-07-25T19:40:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/1 "2009-07-25T19:40:07Z")
So, y’ever make iced coffee? When I found myself going to McDonald’s more than once a day for their hazlenut iced coffee, I decided to start making my own. Here is my recipe: 6 cups of very strong hot coffee, poured into a pitcher !/2 cup of sugar stirred into the coffee while it’s hot, stir to dissolve a small amount- 1/8 cup or so- of a flavoring syrup, like Torani, in hazlenut or raspberry or any flavor you like maybe a splash or two of some corresponding flavored creamer if I have it, like hazlenut or raspberry chocolate mix that all together, add 2% milk until it’s the shade you want, pour over ice Sometimes I add half and half, or sweetened condensed milk, or what have you. I never said I was a recipe writer, but there you go. Do you have any different/interesting recipes for it? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/2 "2009-07-25T20:05:04Z")
I make a bit extra coffee in the mornings and pour it into a jar I keep in the fridge. Later in the day, that’s the coffee I use for iced coffee. I add a bit of Splenda syrup and half & half. For a frothy one, I use evaporated milk and throw it in a cocktail shaker and shake for a few minutes (evaporated milk froths up really nicely). Obviously normal syrups work as well, as does sugar, though it’s hard to dissolve in cold liquid. I just try to keep carb counts down and DaVinci Syrups made with Splenda are one of the few sugar free things that don’t taste totally disgusting to me. In fact, I think I’m gonna go make one right now… ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/3 "2009-07-25T20:09:37Z")
I have never been able to stomach any kind of artificial sweetener. I wish I could- it would save a lot of calories. During the spring, fall, and winter, I’m fine with just water. But in the summer, I crave lemonade and iced coffee (not together). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/4 "2009-07-25T20:16:48Z")
I just made iced espresso by putting a cup full of ice cubes under the basket of my espresso maker and letting 'er rip. Yum! Nice and cooling… ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/5 "2009-07-25T20:20:39Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I have never been able to stomach any kind of artificial sweetener. I’m mostly with you. I hate the taste. For some reason, those DaVinci syrups, as long as I don’t use too much of them, don’t taste bad to me. More than about a Tablespoon or so still has that distinctive Splenda taste, though, so as long as I can stay under that, it’s fine. I think powdered Splenda is horrible, and any splenda-flavored baked goods are yukky as well. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/6 "2009-07-25T20:48:20Z")
I make mine using coffee ice cubes. Regular ice cubes dilute it too much, and coffee cooled in the fridge isn’t icy enough. This way I can use leftover coffee instead of brewing a really strong pot. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/7 "2009-07-25T21:22:32Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I make mine using coffee ice cubes. Regular ice cubes dilute it too much, and coffee cooled in the fridge isn’t icy enough. This way I can use leftover coffee instead of brewing a really strong pot. Nice hint,\*\* Auntie\*\*! I will buy a couple of new ice cube trays just for coffee cubes. I never liked iced coffee until a year or two ago. I discovered that I like it sweet as opposed to hot coffee which I do not sweeten. Additional flavorings and syrups–hazelnut and the like–are not for me. I make mine by brewing a pot and putting it in a jar in the fridge to use over the next few days. Pour over ice, add a little 1% milk and a packet of artificial sweetener, and I’m smiling. I have to stop at one though, or I get jittery from the caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![PeacePlease](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@PeacePlease](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeacePlease)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/8 "2009-07-25T21:35:10Z")
I drink my morning coffee iced but then I live in Arizona so it only makes sense!! I just use a big cup filled with ice, flavored creamer to taste (I prefer Hazelnut or French Vanilla) and pour the hot coffee over the ice and creamer. Pretty simple and tastes fine to me. Nothing fancy that’s for sure! I turn the pot off after the first cup so the rest is room temperature and I use as I like throughout the remainder of the day! ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/9 "2009-07-26T00:06:31Z")
I make iced coffee with the [Toddy cold brew coffee maker](http://www.amazon.com/Toddy-T2N-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW/ref=sr_1_1). It’s $30 for what amounts to a bucket with a filter and a hole in the bottom (plus a glass carafe, I guess), but it does a good job making concentrated “coffee juice”. It takes a few hours for the coffee to slowly drip through, then you just stick the carafe in the fridge and mix it at a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio with hot or cold water as needed to get your daily fix. No more half-full pots of coffee going to waste on the kitchen counter anymore. I like that the coffee remains cold (or at most room temperature) throughout the process, so the taste is milder (maybe less acidic) than with the brew-hot-then-refrigerate approach. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/10 "2009-07-26T00:14:12Z")
Huh. I’d never heard of such a thing. I’d like to try a cup of it. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/11 "2009-07-27T21:42:46Z")
I used to have one of those. The cold brewing leaches less tannin out of the beans for a milder taste. I lost mine in a move, though, and never replaced it. Now I just brew hot coffee and stick it in the fridge. A dash of flavored creamer and I’m all set. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/12 "2009-07-27T22:34:41Z")
Fill plastic glass with ice cubes. Pour in coffee to fill glass. Drink coffee while I work outside, and when the coffees gone eat the softened ice cubes. It’s my favorite drink, but I’ve got to suspect that’s due to the caffeine rather than the flavor. If the coffee is cold in the pot that’s good. If it’s brewed extra strong to stand up to ice, that’s good. The idea of frozen coffee cubes is very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/13 "2009-07-27T23:38:56Z")
I love iced coffee. I put in either vanilla or almond extract, and ground cinnamon. I need milk and sugar, as well. I enjoy iced tea, but iced coffee is just so much more…decadent? I dunno, I just like it better. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/14 "2009-07-27T23:45:23Z")
I’ve fallen in love with Vietnamese cafe sua da. They make it by mixing espresso or very strong coffee with canned sweetened condensed milk until the mixture is the color of peanut butter or darkish caramel, and then pouring it over lots of ice and shaking it up vigorously. Damn, that stuff is good! And San Jose has the biggest population of Vietnamese in the United States, so of course it’s to be found everywhere here. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/15 "2009-07-27T23:48:48Z")
I like iced coffee that I buy. The home-made kind is somehow lacking. I brew it extra strong and pour into a tall freezer mug with milk and sugar or Equal and drink that in the morning, in summer. If I drink more than one, I have to take another freezer mug out, though. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/16 "2009-07-28T00:07:35Z")
Coffee ice cubes are a good idea! I’m definitely going to try that. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/17 "2009-07-28T00:21:01Z")
I just had to break down and go get a McD’s hazlenut iced coffee. Why, oh why must you be so _good_!? Fortunately, a large is only about $2.50. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/18 "2009-07-28T00:24:09Z")
I’m still trying to figure out if half a factorial is a really large number or a really small number. ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/19 "2009-07-28T01:12:03Z")
Pah, you don’t need a cold-brewer to make cold-brewed coffee! You just need a couple of biggish vessels and a fine-mesh sieve. This is what I drink, year-round: 6 cups cold tap water 1-1/3 cups ground coffee (well, I do heaping scoops with my 2/3 cup measure) Stir them together and let them sit out at room temp for 8-12 hours. Filter through the fine-mesh sieve (I pour it twice through the sieve alone and then a third time with a coffee filter in the sieve). Put it in the fridge until it’s nice and cold, then drink! This makes enough for me to have 1 cup of coffee daily for 4-5 days. I start the batch in the morning, filter it at night, and then I’m good to go in the morning. I add milk and flavored creamer and stuff to it, but YMMV. It is SO GOOD - much less bitter than regular coffee, and a lot faster in the mornings, too! ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242/20 "2009-07-28T01:43:30Z")
Or you can eliminate all that triple filtering and just use a french press. Put in your coffee, fill with tepid water and stick in the fridge overnight. In the morning press the little strainer down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iced-coffee-anyone/504242.md?page=2)