What’s better than a steaming hot mug of coffee on a hot Summer day? A glass of iced coffee. But not any iced coffee. Crisp, refreshing, and delicious iced coffee.
While cold brew coffee is great, there’s another way to make iced coffee that’s a lot quicker. Instead of immersing grounds in cold water for 12+ hours, you simply brew coffee via the pour over method over ice, which only takes 2-4 minutes.
There are a few names for this style of coffee brewing, but most people call it “Iced Pour Over Coffee, “Japanese Iced Coffee”, or “Flash Chilled” coffee.
You can do this with any pour over brewer, but our own JavaPresse Dripper performs very well when used this way. Since our stainless steel dripper acts as its own filter, the natural coffee oils are able to slide right through, boosting your coffee’s flavor and body in a way other drippers don’t allow.
If you’re into iced coffee, this is a brewing method you’re not going to want to skip over.
Why The Flash Chilled Method Rocks
Flash chilling coffee is the quickest way to make iced coffee. Many coffee lovers would say it’s also the best way, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide for yourself.
Normally, aromatic compounds that are unique to hot brewing are released by hot water and fly away. By brewing the coffee and allowing it to immediately drain over ice, you chill some of these aromas before they are able to fly away. This boosts the flavor and quality of your iced coffee dramatically.
Read: Cold Brew VS Iced Coffee Coffee: What’s The Difference?
The old way of making iced coffee had you wait for hot brewed coffee to cool before pouring it over ice. Compared to the flash chilled method, this way fails miserably. Here’s why.
- The natural aromas have long flown away by the time the coffee is cooled, destroying a large source of rich flavor. Even if topped with a lid, the aromas will fly away as soon as the lid is opened.
- It almost always results in watered-down coffee.
- Chemical changes happen rapidly when the coffee's hot. By the time a couple hours have passed and the coffee has cooled, it’s only a shadow of its former self in terms of flavor and quality.
There’s no competition. Flash chilling via pouring over ice wins every time between these two methods.
Iced Pour Over Coffee Recipe
To make iced coffee via the iced pour over method, you’ll need the following:
- JavaPresse Pour Over Brewer
- 20g Coffee
- 200g Water (can also be measured as 200 ml)
- 140g Ice
- Mason jar or glass
- Coffee Grinder
- Gram Scale
To get everything set up, heat your water to 200 degrees F and grind your coffee at a medium-fine setting. Rinse the JavaPresse Pour Over Dripper with a small amount of hot water and toss it out. Pour your coffee in, then set the device on top of the glass filled with ice.
Read: The Ultimate Guide To Pour Over Coffee
You’re now ready to start brewing.
- Start a timer and pour 40g of water over the coffee bed, saturating all the coffee grounds. We call this the “bloom”. Now rest.
- At 0:45, begin slowly pouring water in circles over the coffee. Pour in the center, the outside, and the center again to ensure an even, balanced extraction. You should reach the 200g total between 1:15 and 1:30.
- Allow the coffee to drain until 2:15, then remove the brewer.
- If necessary, top with another ice cube or two. Otherwise, enjoy!
This recipe works well because it follows basic pour over brewing practices, such as blooming and carefully pouring in concentric circles. The coffee to water ratio is still a balanced 1:17, falling within the golden coffee to water ratio range. The only difference is you’re exchanging 140g of water for ice.
Normally, reducing your brewing water like we’ve done in this recipe results in less extraction (associated with sour flavor), but by grinding the coffee at a medium-fine setting, resting till 0:45, and pouring slowly, you draw the extraction out and bring back balance.
That said, slightly under extracted coffee still tastes great when brewed over ice. Yes, it has a bit of a sour tang, but it can seem appropriate when you’re enjoying a crisp, refreshing glass on a warm day.
You now have a stellar glass of iced pour over coffee to compliment the season. And it took you less than three minutes to make.
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If you’d like to get in on this iced pour over coffee action, you need to get yourself a pour over coffee brewer. The JavaPresse Pour Over Dripper is a buy-it-for-life pour over cone. It’s made of durable stainless steel, filters the coffee without the need for paper filters, and brews great hot and iced coffee.
By eliminating paper filters, this dripper allows the coffee’s natural oils to enter your final glass of iced coffee, which boosts the flavor and aroma a surprising amount. Check it out for yourself.
We’re big on brewing coffee that suits your unique lifestyle and preferences here at JavaPresse. To find out how your coffee can taste better, bring you peace, and help you feel gratitude, head on over to our coffee educational area.
Happy brewing!
