Wednesday, July 18, 2007


Best thing since Bubble Tea.





When the weather heats up, I find myself craving a nice iced latte or a ‘Tall Espresso Frappuccino blended beverage’ (as they refer to it at Starbucks) after work; that is, if I have already had my allotted Bubble Tea for the week. I have tried not to make this a daily thing, as it adds up, and really, do I need all that extra caffeine, huh? do I, do I???

A few weeks ago, I came across an article in the New York Times about the New Orleans iced coffee. Typically, when coffee is brewed in the normal way, with hot water, there is a bitter flavor that accompanies it, most likely as a result of the hot water releasing the coffee beans bitter components. (similar to how tannins are released from Black Tea if steeped too long) The New Orleans style of brewing is called cold brewing, where the coffee is ground, soaked in cold water for 12-24 hours, then strained, leaving you a more concentrated coffee, with a sweeter flavor, not a bitter one.

I was intrigued so I tried this out last week, and let me say that this coffee is really tasty. So tasty, that I may have kicked my store-bought-iced-beverage habit for the summer. I was really surprised how much cold brewing actually changes the flavor of the coffee. The flavor was surprisingly sweet, untarnished by any bitter undertones.

You MUST try this!!

New Orleans Iced Coffee

8 oz freshly ground coffee (your favorite robust blend)
5 cups cold water

Mix the coffee and the water together to just combine it then let it sit covered in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
Then, pour the mixture into a fine sieve or through a permanent coffee filter. Let the mixture drain for a few hours. You will have about a 3-4 cups of coffee concentrate.

Then, fill a glass with ice, add ½ cup milk and ½ cup of coffee. (I like this ratio, although the traditional ratio is ¼ cup coffee, ¾ cup milk)

Sit on your porch and enjoy!
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3 comments:

mindy said...

just bought some local stumptown..."hairbender" and i'm going to try this today.

Sara said...

wow, sounds potent! let me know how it turns out!

Anonymous said...

How would I make a hot cup of this coffee? dad