How To Make Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

Rarely have I steamed over $2.15. Two-friggin-fifteen! I was craving an iced coffee during a quick meeting at a Starbucks recently, and when I saw a 12-oz. cup listed for $1.95 (plus tax), I cringed. But that wasn’t nearly as bad as the answer I got when I asked if it was cold-brewed.

“Nope,” the harried barista replied, giving me a look like I had asked for a grande-skim-whatever filled with black truffles and fairy dust. It was simply brewed coffee poured into a glass filled to the brim with ice. How does a major coffee chain – purporting to be all about the beans and the grower and the experience – not make cold-brewed coffee?!

It was yet another reason why I’ve been shunning the big coffee chains for years, in favor of my own little system at home. Cold-brewing is actually easier than you think, it just takes a little patience. But the reward is a more focused, more intense coffee concentrate that has a much lower acid level. Just mix in a little sweetener (simple syrup is best) and a shot or two of your favorite dairy, and you’ll never pay $2.15 for it again.