An iced coffee seems to be the most popular accessory this summer. But coffee can be an expensive endeavour to pursue and more than ever people are turning to at home machines to ease the pain on their wallets. Brewing a hot coffee is much easier than making a cold one, especially if you have a fancy machine. There are so many pitfalls and mistakes to make. To help you navigate this I asked my friend Luke Murnane, a barista in Three Fools Coffee to give me all the most helpful tips and tricks.
According to Luke, the biggest mistake that most people seem to make is pouring the hot coffee straight over the ice. Luke says this can really affect the taste of your coffee. Pouring your hot espresso directly over the ice can shock the coffee, and bring out a bitter taste in your coffee. Adding hot coffee can also cause the ice to melt rapidly, which is to be expected, this is what makes your iced coffee watery before you ever get to drink it.
Also, Luke says he often sees people brew their shot of espresso directly into their plastic iced drink cups, this is a big no. Putting a hot liquid directly into plastic releases more microplastics into the drink. Of course this is undesirable.
Instead Luke recommends brewing your espresso as normal into regular espresso cups, not plastic. Luke gives the shot a couple taps on the counter to release any bubbles, and help the flavour. For an iced latte, prepare your ice and milk in a separate cup, plastic is fine for this. Before pouring the espresso over the milk and ice, add some of the milk into your espresso. This helps to cool the coffee a little bit, and makes integration with the milk seamless. Once you’ve made your mini coffee milk mixture, go ahead and pour it over your milk and ice.
You can use the exact same technique for an iced americano, simply add a little bit of water to the brew before pouring it over your full size glass of ice water.
For those who like an extra strong dose of caffeine or a more concentrated flavour, try freezing coffee or milk into cubes instead of water. This way your coffee won’t be diluted by extra water as the ice cubes melt. This hack is for die-hard coffee fans.
For lots of people the amount of milk in an iced latte can be a bit daunting. Three Fools recognised this, and has introduced a flat white sized iced coffee to give people a taste of the refreshing beverage without the full force of a milky latte. These smaller coffees are very popular with Three Fools customers, and come highly recommended by Luke.
The most popular iced coffee this summer is the vanilla iced latte with oat milk. Different milks and syrups can be intimidating but Luke tells me you really can’t go wrong. For syrups, it’s really a personal preference. Most people prefer their coffee on the sweeter side, flavours like vanilla and caramel are most popular. The same goes for alternative milks, most coffee shops, and supermarkets have massive ranges of alternative milks, the most common being oat, almond, and coconut.
If you are using syrups, the time to add them is at the very beginning. Put your chosen syrup into your espresso cup, before you brew the coffee. The coffee is steeped over the syrup for the best flavour payoff.
If you’re getting into iced coffees this summer, it’s a great idea to invest in a proper cup. Glass and stainless steel are useful alternatives to plastic cups, better for you and the environment. If you do happen to venture outside with your cups, most coffee shops will give you a small discount for bringing your own cup. Always a win, these discounts can stack up very quickly. Better yet, you could invest in a cup with insulation that will keep your iced coffees cool in summer, and your hot coffees hot in winter.
If you’re new to making iced coffees, don’t be afraid. The process is much simpler than it seems. The key is not going too fast, take your time adding the milk to the espresso before going all in with your glass of milk. If home brewing is not your style, why not pay Luke a visit in Three Fools and see what all the fuss is about.
Three Fools locations listed here.
Discover more from All About Cork
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
