Cold Brewed Iced Coffee

This recipe is a great twist on a common summer drink. I do have to say that I have always thought that iced coffee, while refreshing on a hot day, is always a bit too bitter for my taste. I generally drink coffee without any sugar, but find myself adding it to iced coffee to offset the bitterness.

This recipe overcomes that bitterness naturally, and even has a hint of chocolate in it as an added bonus. When brewing coffee the conventional way, with hot water, certain chemicals are released that can have a bitter taste. That bitterness is most pronounced when the coffee is served cold. However, this method does not require any heat, fancy machines, or additional equipment for that matter. We all know that some of the simplest dishes are also the most delicious, and this is no exception.

Cold Brewed Coffee

1/4 Pound ground coffee
2 1/2 Cups cold water

Combine the coffee and water in a non-reactive container with a lid. Gently stir the mixture to ensure that all of the grounds are moist. Let the mixture steep, covered, at room temperature for 12 hours.

In order to ensure that all of the grounds are removed from the mixture, this will require two bowls and two rounds through a strainer. Begin by straining the coffee into one of the bowls through a sieve to eliminate the bulk of the grounds. Rinse the grounds from the sieve and place a regular coffee filter inside. Slowly pour the coffee through the coffee filter, moving from the first bowl into the second bowl. I found after about half of the coffee had been strained the second time that I needed to replace the coffee filter in order to strain the remaining coffee.

The coffee should be free from most all of the grounds after the second round of straining. You can store the coffee in an air tight jar in the refrigerator for a few weeks. This recipe will make about 1 1/3 cups of coffee, which is about enough for 5 servings.

Iced Coffee

1/4 Cup cold brewed coffee
3/4 Cups milk
Ice

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add the coffee and milk, then stir.