How do I make iced coffee and cold brew?

When summer arrives, few things are better than a cold and refreshing glass of iced coffee. Making good iced coffee is easy, and we've gathered some great tips and tricks to help you get the best result.

Here you'll find brewing theory from the roastery's barista trainer, coffee suggestions for which beans are best suited for iced coffee, and two fun and simple recipes showing you how to make your iced coffee this summer!

The recipes have been put together by our ambassador Maria Hetlelid. Maria has a background from the Creative Barista program at Hedmarktoppen Folk High School, where students receive thorough training in "all things coffee," including trips to coffee farms.

If you want to skip straight to the recipes, you'll find them at the bottom of this blog post.


Different ways to make cold coffee

Iced coffee can be made in a number of ways, but the two most common are either making a hot brew that is then cooled down, or making a "cold brew." When cold brewing, you use cold water, which takes longer because you are adding less energy. This method extracts fewer bitter substances like caffeine and tannin, and the slow brewing process results in a sweet and mild flavor.

If you make a "regular" brew and then cool it down for iced coffee, the freshness will be more prominent, but also some bitterness. Therefore, it's important to use high-quality coffee so that your drink is clean. Many also like to add a little white sugar to the brew to achieve a better balance.

First, a little brewing theory

When we talk about coffee brewing, we always have to talk about extraction. Extraction here means drawing components out of a solid substance, which in our case simply means drawing flavor and aroma compounds out of coffee. To be technical, 28-30% of the coffee bean is soluble in water, but we typically aim for about 18-20% for a balanced and sweet cup of coffee.

We can influence extraction in various ways; the first factor is grind size. The finer you grind the coffee bean, the larger contact surface the coffee particles will have with water, and therefore you will draw out, or extract, flavor and aroma faster.

The second factor we can determine when brewing is brewing time. The coffee particles will brew as long as they are in contact with water. The longer we leave the coffee particles in contact with water, the higher extraction we get.

And finally, we talk about energy, which refers to how hot the water you use is, whether you stir the coffee, and whether you brew with pressure (as in an Aeropress or espresso machine).

Which coffee should I choose?

The simple answer is "Use the coffee YOU like." But as explained above, cooling coffee down brings out slightly different qualities.

A naturally processed coffee with lots of floral notes and fruitiness is very well suited for both iced coffee and cold brew. Many also like to use fresher coffee varieties, such as washed processed coffee from Kenya or Ethiopia. With their fresh and floral flavors, you get a refreshing iced coffee.

Iced coffee recipes

by Maria Hetlelid

Cold brew with HARIO Cold Brewer

Few things beat the feeling of opening the fridge in the morning and remembering you made cold brew the day before. What I like best about this method is how easy it is!

My method:

1. Grind 60 grams of coffee - I use a Krinder hand grinder and grind a bit coarser than for filter coffee
2. Pour the ground coffee into the filter and put on the lid
3. Unscrew the cap and pour 700 g of cold water into the bottle
4. Screw the cap back on, gently turn the cold brewer upside down to start brewing, and place the bottle in the refrigerator.

Tip: Make it before you go to bed and enjoy it for breakfast <3

Iced coffee with HARIO V60

This method holds a special place in my heart and has ever since I first tried it. Much because I find the process fun, but most of all because it tastes so good! If you enjoy making pour-over, this might be for you. The process is quite similar, but you divide it a bit differently.

I use a HARIO V60 brewer for coffee and iced coffee (You can also use a regular brewing set)
This recipe makes 1-2 glasses of coffee

My method:

1. Grind 18g of coffee - I grind the coffee a bit finer than I usually do for regular pour-over
2. Boil water, we will use 150g in the brew
3. Fill the serving carafe with 150g of ice cubes
4. I brew in the same way I usually make V60, but since we are only using 150g of water, I pour very slowly with a steady stream and circular movements.
5. I want the coffee to drip through in about 2.5 minutes.

After that, all you have to do is enjoy the sight of the ice cubes melting and making the coffee cold and clear.

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Happy brewing!

P.S.: If you have any more questions about coffee brewing or cold brewers, send us a message, we'd be happy to help!