This past weekend, we had a bit of a coffee emergency. I realized that all my normal Starbucks coffee beans were gone, so I opened up new pack of beans that I had picked up at a specialty grocery store. It was a summer blend, and I had assumed that meant it was a blend of lighter-roasted coffee beans. Turns out, it was a peaches and cream-flavored coffee. It was completely vile. I am generally not strongly opposed to flavored-coffees (even though I don’t usually make them), but the scent of this coffee brewing literally had me gagging for fresh air.
I scooped up baby T (still in his Mickey Mouse pajamas) and we headed to our local Starbucks, stat. I picked up some two Venti Iced Coffees to go and a couple of bags of coffee beans. I noticed this particular flavor Starbucks Iced Coffee blend and decided to buy this bag as well.
I had seen a number of bloggers make their own cold-brewed iced coffee at home and I have been meaning to try an iced coffee recipe for awhile. In the past, I have sometimes put hot-brewed coffee in the fridge until it was chilled and served it over ice. This process did not result in the same flavor as a Starbucks iced coffee. However, I am pleased to report that this cold-brewed iced coffee recipe comes very close to the real thing. I am planning on making this iced coffee recipe a lot this summer:
- 6 oz. ground coffee beans (I used the Starbucks Iced Coffee blend and had them grind the beans in the store)
- 3 quarts cold water
- Combine the ground coffee beans and cold water in a large container (I used a large Rubbermaid-type container.) Stir so that all of the coffee grounds are moistened. Cover and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.
- Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Pour the coffee-water mixture through the mesh strainer and cheesecloth into a large pitcher to remove the grounds. Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and store the iced coffee in the refrigerator to keep chilled. To serve, fill a large cup with ice and pour coffee mixture over the ice. I prefer to also add half & half and sugar.
Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats
Please note that I have decided to take a week off from Fresh Produce Tuesday this week. I will be continuing the series next Tuesday, July 3rd with a post about chard. For past weeks of this series, please be sure to check out the Fresh Produce Tuesday tag. We have a large assortment of recipes for Asparagus, Artichokes, Spring Onions, Peas, Garlic Scapes & Spring Garlic, Rhubarb, Fava Beans, Radishes, Lettuce, Morels, Strawberries, Kale, and Carrots.
