quick and easy iced coffee

At the latest in June, when the days are getting very long and the temperatures are rising, you often long for a cool refreshment.

The sun literally invites you to sit down on the terrace or balcony in the afternoon and simply enjoy life.

A cup of coffee would go perfectly with this, but this can quickly become problematic when the sun shines so strongly that all you can think about is ice cubes and an outdoor pool.

In a café or restaurant, you would order a classic cold drink or even an iced coffee, eh to be able to cool down. Many people think that making iced coffee at home takes a lot of effort, but there are many different recipes that you can use to make the perfect iced coffee at home in no time.

The iced coffee itself is already a classic.

Refreshing and invigorating, the drink not only attracts people to ice cream parlours or cafés but is also becoming increasingly popular at home. Classic describes it exactly right because the recipe for the original iced coffee goes back to 1840.

The French fought in Algeria against the Arabs and the Berbers in the Battle of Mazagran. During the 17-year battle, the French ran out of milk, so the soldiers first replaced the milk with water. However, as the North African heat weighed heavily on the mood, many soldiers put ice cubes in their coffee to better deal with the unfamiliar temperatures.

When the war in Algeria was over, the soldiers returned to France, bringing their new habits with them.

The veterans have explained to the operators of the cafes that they would like to drink coffee with ice in tall glasses. In memory of the place of origin, the drink was called Café Mazagran. In Portugal, the Mazagran is an espresso with lemon and almost every country has invented its own version.

What remains the same is the refreshing effect of the coffee speciality.

Nowadays, the use of fully automatic coffee machines or the Thermomix makes it child’s play to brew the popular summer drink yourself.

It doesn’t always have to be the classic iced coffee with vanilla ice cream, but you can also easily make various ice-cold coffee specialities in just a few steps. With a few extra ingredients, coffee becomes an absolute must-have this summer.

We’ll show you how to make a delicious iced coffee quickly and easily.

With the recipes, you always keep a cool head in summer and can enjoy the sunshine carefreely.

The classic

If you want to make a simple iced coffee, all you need is:

• 200ml of coffee
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 150 ml vanilla ice cream
• whipped cream

Simply let the coffee cool down after brewing. It is best to brew the coffee a little stronger than normal so that the iced coffee can develop a full-bodied and invigorating taste.

Add the sugar and ice to the cold coffee and stir briefly. Finally, you can garnish the iced coffee with whipped cream and enjoy it ice-cold.

With this variant you can just as well use filter coffee or espresso; it just comes down to personal taste.

The iced coffee without ice

If you don’t want to do without the iced coffee but don’t feel like the many calories, you can also use a slightly different method to keep a cool head. For this you need:

• 200ml espresso
• 200ml milk
• 2 tbsp sugar

After you have freshly brewed the espresso, you let it cool down, put it in an ice cube mould and let the coffee freeze into ice cubes.

You can then simply pour the milk over the coffee ice cubes and stir in the sugar.

Especially on very hot days, this is a very good alternative to the classic iced coffee. The ice cubes only gradually release their flavour into the milk, so the flavour gets more intense with every passing moment. If you like your iced coffee a little stronger and more intense, you can also add equal parts cold coffee and milk to the coffee ice cubes.

Hazelnut milk is also very suitable in this coffee, as you can still notice a light note of nuts in the finish in addition to the full-bodied, tart coffee experience.

The exotic

If you want to make your own iced coffee but don’t want to be satisfied with the normal ingredients, you can change the taste completely with vanilla and coconut milk. For that you need

• 400 ml coconut milk
• 2 vanilla beans
• 5 spoons of sugar
• 400ml of coffee

After brewing the coffee, let it cool down. Meanwhile, cut the vanilla pods lengthwise and scrape out the vanilla pulp with the back of a knife.

This is mixed with the sugar and coconut milk and poured into an ice cube mould. Pour the coffee over the frozen coconut milk ice cubes and you can enjoy the iced coffee straight away.

If you don’t want to wait until the ice cubes have completely melted, you can also prepare the iced coffee in a blender or eat the ice cubes like ice cream afterwards.

 

This iced coffee is more reminiscent of one Frappuccino especially if you prepare it with whipped cream and various toppings.

Summer can come with these recipes. Of course, you can also use iced coffee powder or ready-made solutions to make iced coffee, but once you’ve had iced coffee made from good beans, you’ll never want to do without it again.

With various syrups and toppings, you can quickly and easily transform basic recipes into unusual coffee specialities. The most popular additives are caramel, hazelnut, chocolate or vanilla.

But even more, exotic ingredients such as tonka beans or coconut milk can give the iced coffee a very special touch.

It doesn’t always have to be white sugar either. You can also use agave syrup or honey to sweeten the iced coffee for an even creamier taste.

No matter which of these iced coffee recipes you decide to try, nothing beats creamy refreshments on a hot summer day.

FAQ

Q: Is iced coffee suitable as a soft drink?

A: Especially in the warm summer months, iced coffee is very suitable for refreshment. It is important that the iced coffee has a higher milk content and is really well chilled.

Q: How many calories does the iced coffee have?

A: The nutritional value of various coffee beverages rises and falls with the benefit of sugar and milk. The recipe for the classic iced coffee has 500 kcal, the iced coffee without ice has 104 kcal and the exotic iced coffee has 272 kcal.

Q: Can you also use filter coffee or just espresso?

A: In general, you can use any coffee. It is important that you use high-quality beans and that the coffee is not brewed too hot. If the water is too hot, more bitter substances will form.

Q: Can you also use lactose-free milk or vegan alternatives?

A: You can make iced coffee with any kind of milk. Hazelnut or almond milk are particularly suitable, as they have a slightly sweet and nutty aftertaste.

Q: Does the coffee become bitter if I let it cool down?

A: No, the coffee will only become bitter if brewed too hot. If you use good beans or good ground coffee, the coffee does not become bitter and develops a full-bodied aroma even when cold.

Q: Can I get one Coldbrew to use?

A: Cold Brew is great for making an iced coffee. The gentle process produces 70% less acid and bitter substances than in classic coffee, which is great for iced coffee.

Q: Do I need special coffee beans for iced coffee?

On a. As long as you use good quality coffee beans, you can use the ones you use for regular coffee. Which beans you use, is up to your own taste.