When it’s 90-something degrees outside, no one wants to drink a freshly brewed steaming cup of coffee. But people still need their caffeine supply.
Most people just buy an ice coffee when they’re out for the day. The plastic cups are so convenient, the coffee is already cooled down, and you can add just the right amount of sugar in your cup. Right?
Okay, so maybe those things are true, but it’s also true that if you buy one ice coffee a day, for about $3 (although it can be much higher if you go to Starbucks, for example), then you’re spending over $20 a week, $90 a month, and almost $300 for the summer. Yeesh!
A cool alternative is to make ice coffees at home, and I have a few tips that can make iced coffee delicious and easy.
1. Brew a cup of coffee in the morning like you normally would, but don’t put the hot coffee right in the fridge.
Putting hot coffee right into the cold makes it turn bitter and yucky. If you let it sit on the counter for an hour or so, then it has time to cool to room temperature and is smooth and delicious. You can at that point, put it in the fridge, or just throw some ice in and drink away!
2. You should put in extra ice, because you know you made the ice yourself, so it’s fresh clean water–unlike when you get a coffee out and it starts to taste gross as the ice melts. Putting extra ice in stops it from melting as quickly because the drink is colder.
You can also try making ice out of coffee itself, so when it melts, instead of watering down your ice coffee, you just get more of that delicious java.
3. There are a bunch of reusable ice coffee cups in the stores these days. If you want to buy one of those, definitely look for a doubled walled one, so when your drink starts to condensate, it doesn’t get wet on the outside of the cup.
If you already have a travel mug for hot drinks, you can always use that too. The insulation keeps your drink cooler for longer, and you can usually fit a straw (which I recommend buying–straws are half the fun!) through the hole that you would normally drink the hot coffee out of.
4. If you like flavored ice coffee, you can either buy flavored beans, so the coffee itself is flavored, or you can buy small creamers that are flavored. These are like the creamers you see at a restaurant.
You put almost all of the milk or cream you want in your coffee, and then put in one or two of the creamers and voila! You get a deliciously flavored drink. You can even get a couple different flavors and mix-and-match!
5. If you put sugar in your coffee, another good idea is to get sugar packets. You can buy a box of them at your grocery store. That way, you can meter out how much sugar you’re using, instead of just dumping a bunch in. It’ll keep you healthier and keep your coffee more refreshing.
By making coffee at home, you can make it the way you want, save money, and help the environment by using less disposable plastic. But it doesn’t mean you have to compromise flavors or fun. It’s the perfect thing to try for the summer!
Do you have any good tips on how to make iced coffee at home?
Let us know in the comments!
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