5 different ways to make a refreshing cup of iced coffee

A glass of iced coffee with milk partially mixed into it — Cooling iced coffee quickly is the key to keeping it tasting fresh.
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Iced coffee is easy to brew at home and far more affordable than going to a cafe.
Any coffee maker you already own can be used to make great-tasting iced coffee.
The key to fresh-tasting iced coffee is rapidly cooling it over ice.
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All coffee lovers know that there are stretches of the summer where the weather is too sweltering for hot coffee. In these moments, it's time to turn to iced coffee.

At some point, everyone has likely had some iced coffee that tasted stale, bitter, and sour. That happens when hot coffee is allowed to slowly cool to room temperature. The key is to cool the coffee as quickly as possible, ideally while brewing.

Known as Japanese-style iced coffee, this method of flash cooling helps to seal in all of the delicious flavors while avoiding the unpleasant bitter and sour notes that come from allowing the coffee to cool to room temperature over an extended time. Cold brew avoids this altogether by using cold water and a much longer brewing process.

The great thing about iced coffee is that you don't need any new fancy equipment. Whatever brewing method you use at home can be used to make iced coffee! Below, we'll walk you through how to make iced coffee with whatever brewing equipment you already have on hand.

How to make cold brew coffee

A person pouring cold brew out of a glass pitcher into a clear glass mug — Cold brew is the best way to make a large batch of iced coffee.
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Cold brew has become the most common style of iced coffee in both cafes and grocery stores. It uses cold water and a long brew time to make a sweet and rich concentrate that can be diluted with water, milk, or any milk substitute.

It doesn't require any specialized equipment to make - though you can invest in a dedicated pitcher if you make it often. It can be easily produced in large batches, which makes it perfect to serve at your summer barbecues. It can be kept in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

How to make iced coffee with a drip coffee maker

A woman pouring coffee out of a pot into a travel mug — Reduce the water in the reservoir by half and add ice to the carafe.
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Although manually brewing iced coffee gives you the most control and usually the best results, electric drip brewers are capable of making delicious iced coffee too.

How to make pour-over iced coffee

A chemex pour over coffee maker with ice in the base — Add ice to the base of your pour over to cool the coffee quickly.
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Whether you are using a Chemex, Hario V60, or Kalita Wave, making iced coffee with a pour-over device is simple. Fill your brewing vessel with ice, then use half as much hot water when brewing. As the hot coffee hits the ice, it will melt and dilute the coffee, creating a well-balanced brew.

With manual brewing like this, you can have control over every brewing variable, which means you can customize the coffee to perfectly suit your taste. It's also possible to brew in bigger batches with pour-over devices.

Instructions

Know your brewing ratio. Hot pour-over usually requires a ratio of one part coffee to fifteen parts water. To ice the recipe you'll use about seven parts water, seven parts ice, to 1 part coffee. For a 16-ounce batch of iced coffee, you'd use roughly eight ounces hot water (237ml), one cup ice, and about 4 tablespoons (31.6g) of coffee.
Heat the water. Heat up your water to between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grind the coffee. Most pour-over methods use a medium to fine coarseness. Use the amount of coffee you would normally brew with.
Wet the filter. Thoroughly soak the filter with hot water and allow it to drain. Pour out the water that has dripped into the carafe once it has run through the filter.
Add ice to the carafe. Put ice cubes in the carafe or the glass you are brewing into. Use an equal amount of ice as the water you're brewing with.
Put the grounds in the filter and bloom. Place the pour-over device over the carafe or glass and put the grounds in the filter. To bloom the grounds, pour a small amount of hot water over them and let it sit for 30 seconds. Blooming helps the coffee brew more evenly by soaking the grounds and releasing some of the gasses from the coffee that lead to bubbling.
Pour in the water. Pour the rest of the hot water over the grounds in a circular motion, making sure that the grounds are all soaked evenly. Be patient as the water filters through the grounds.
Discard the filter and grounds and serve. The ice will have melted, diluting the coffee and cooling it to serving temperature.

How to make iced coffee with a Keurig

A Keurig-style coffee maker with a white mug sitting in it and three coffee pods next to it — cagkansayin/Getty Images

The Keurig coffee maker doesn't allow for as much customization as some other options, but it can still be used to make iced coffee. Use the machine like normal, just put ice into the cup you are brewing into. The Keurig is a single-serve coffee maker, so if you're intending to make iced coffee for a group, the cold brew or pour-over methods will be better for a larger batch.

How to make iced coffee with an Aeropress

A pair of hands making coffee using an Aeropress — Aeropress coffee is already highly concentrated, so there's no need to adjust your water ratio.
Peter Amend/Getty Images

The Aeropress is one of the most popular devices for manually brewing coffee on the market today. Like pour-over, it's a manual brewing system. The process is a bit unique, but the basics are essentially the same. These instructions are for making a single serving of iced coffee with the Aeropress using the standard Aeropress brewing method.

Instructions

Heat the water. Heat up your water to between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. The Aeropress makes a more concentrated coffee, so you shouldn't have to adjust the amount of water you use.
Grind the coffee. For Aeropress, use a very fine grind, slightly coarser than an espresso grind.
Add ice to your cup. Fill your cup about halfway with ice. Make sure there is enough room in the glass so the coffee will not overflow.
Prepare the Aeropress. Wet the filter and attach it to the bottom of the chamber with the plastic cap. Put your grounds into the Aeropress and place it on top of your glass.
Bloom the grounds. Pour just enough hot water over the grounds to soak them and allow them to rest for about 30 seconds.
Add the water. Carefully pour in the rest of the hot water and gently stir, making sure the grounds are thoroughly soaked.
Press the coffee. Carefully place the plunger at the top of the Aeropress and slowly push down on it, pressing the coffee through the filter and onto the ice.
Serve. Remove the Aeropress from the cup. Adjust to taste. If necessary, dilute with more ice or milk.

Insider's takeaway

You don't have to be an expert barista or have expensive equipment to enjoy great iced coffee. Most coffee lovers already have everything needed to make iced coffee and cold brew in their kitchen right now. With some simple tools and a bit of practice, anyone can master brewing iced coffee.

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