How to Make Frigid Brew Coffee Properly

When the temperature rises, we reach for icy brew. A high glass of icy brew hits the spot in a way that our regular balmy cup of coffee doesn’t. The iced drink is more refreshing and more suitable for steamy summer days, and its flavor is smoother and more nuanced than your regular iced coffee. Learn how to make icy brew coffee at home, including the best coffee beans for this method and how to store your icy brew.

What is icy brew coffee?

Frigid water is less harsh on the grounds and helps the flavors of the beans develop slowly. “Imagine making a stew—would you rather have all the ingredients cook together to release their flavors, or add water just before serving?” says Samantha Rounds of Dillanos Coffee Roastery.

How Frigid Brew is Made

What you need to make Frigid Brew coffee

It’s basic, the main ingredients are more coffee than other brewing methods and significantly more time.

Equipment

You don’t need any special equipment to make icy brew coffee. It can be made in a mason jar or with a French press. If you’re looking to invest in a specific icy brew system, Easto and Rounds are fans Toddy’s House Model“Their equipment is uncomplicated to apply, pristine and extremely affordable,” Rounds says.

Water

Tap water is usually fine for icy brew. Experts say the best type of water is one that has a lot of minerals to facilitate extract the coffee. “Don’t apply distilled water, which has no minerals,” says Jessica Easto, author Artisan Coffee: A Manual.

Coffee beans

While French press or pour-over can shed lithe on high-quality single-origin blends, icy brew doesn’t. This method of brewing coffee requires a lot of grounds (significantly more than your average cup of balmy coffee). “I recommend choosing a less exorbitant blend with dim, sultry, or earthy notes, like chocolate, sultry spices, or nuts,” Easto says.

If you’re in a pinch and don’t have enough coffee to make a icy brew, he suggests combining leftover beans or beans that have passed their prime. “One of the best things about icy brew is that it’s very forgiving. That’s probably one of the best ways to optimize low-quality beans,” he says.

How to make icy brew coffee

Ingredients

To make 1 1/2 quarts of icy brew coffee, you will need:

• 1 pound of coffee beans, ground for a piston brewer or coarser
• Gigantic jug or glass jar (1 1/2 quart capacity) with lid or cover

Method

1. Mix 1/2 pound of ground coffee with 6 cups of icy water in a gigantic pitcher or glass jar. Set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Add the remaining ground coffee and 3 cups of icy water, making sure all the ground coffee is saturated.

3. Cover and set aside to infuse at room temperature for 8–12 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Using Frigid Brew Concentrate

If you want to make icy brew concentrate at home, try our recipe. Easto recommends using a ratio of one part coffee to six parts water.

Frigid Brew Storage

Once you’ve icy brewed your coffee, store it in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, in the refrigerator and consume it within three days for optimal flavor.

If you purchased your icy brew concentrate from a store, read the label for the manufacturer’s recommendations on storage and apply.