How To Make Iced Coffee With Less Ice Melt
In the US, we love our iced coffee all year long. An iced coffee from a coffee shop always tastes great. Why is it so hard to replicate that great taste when you try to make iced coffee at home? A lot of coffee drinkers who have tried complain that the ice melts too quickly so their coffee tastes watered down. I have some solutions for you! Keep reading to learn how to make a good iced coffee from hot coffee.
Caution: Do Not Use Glass To Make Iced Coffee From Hot Coffee
Before I get into the four different ways you can make iced coffee, I want to remind you should only try these methods using a plastic or steel tumbler. Never use glass. The reason is that the rapid temperature change from cooling the hot coffee can cause the glass to crack.
Method 1: Add Milk First
A simple thing you can try is adding your milk or creamer to the coffee BEFORE adding the ice. If the milk is cold, it will cool the hot coffee down. Stir with a spoon for a bit to let some of the heat escape. Then fill it up with ice. This isn’t perfect, but it is the fastest method. It is likely that the ice will still melt pretty quickly if your coffee started piping hot. You could try brewing the coffee extra strong knowing that it will get a bit diluted.
Method 2: Chill In The Refrigerator
If you have time, you can brew your coffee into a tumbler and then let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. When the time has passed, take it out, add your ice cubes and then any milk and sweeteners.
Method 3: Get The HyperChiller
Have you heard of the HyperChiller? I use it at home to make my iced coffees with my Nespresso machine. You can use it with any coffee machine you have. It can chill coffee in two minutes or less with zero dilution. The HyperChiller uses just regular water (no gels or chemicals). Fill it with water and then store it in the freezer. Clean up is easy too since it is dishwasher safe. See my related post on a complete review of the HyperChiller.
Using the HyperChiller is super easy. Brew your coffee into a glass or thermal carafe like you normally would. Then pour some of it from the carafe onto the lid of the HyperChiller. The lid slopes down so that the coffee will enter the inner cooling chamber. Swirl it for 60 seconds and then let it sit for two to three minutes. If you put 10 oz or less, two minutes will be enough. If you put in 12 oz, give it an extra minute. Then pour the contents into a glass full of ice. Add your milk or sweeteners if desired.
Method 4: Make Coffee Ice Cubes
If you have the time to plan ahead, then you can make coffee ice cubes for a stronger cold drink. Brew coffee and pour it into a large plastic or steel tumbler. Let the coffee chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. After that, take it out and pour the coffee into an ice tray. Let it freeze for several hours. When you go to make your next iced coffee, use these cubes instead of regular ice. They will melt, but you’ll be adding coffee to coffee instead of water to coffee from regular ice cubes. It may make your drink taste extra strong, which could be good or bad depending on your taste preferences.