How to Make Iced Coffee

I am a HUGE fan of Dunkin Donuts' Iced Coffee, especially in the summertime. My husband is also a huge fan of their iced coffee. However, we really can't be purchasing iced coffee at DDs every time we have a craving, so I decided to start making it at home. We love coffee, hot or iced, and purchase whole bean coffee that we grind at home. If you are a coffee lover, and have not joined the "whole bean" party, now is a great time. It is very affordable to buy whole bean coffee, and will bring your coffee to a whole new level of freshness and taste. Coffee grinders are also fairly inexpensive and will last forever. If you don't have one, don't let that stop you from trying this out - use the coffee grinder at the grocery store in the coffee aisle. That is what it is there for. Let's get brewing...ha ha.

Perfect Iced Coffee
recipe from Simple Bites
You will need:
1 quart canning jar, or other jar with a tight lid
1 cup coffee beans, coarsely ground
water
cream, half & half, milk, whatever you like in your coffee
sugar or sweetener (optional)
Measure one cup of coffee beans.
Our favorite brand of coffee is Eight O'Clock Coffee, Original Whole Bean. It was recently on sale at our local grocery store buy one get one free (and I had coupons) so I purchased a stockpile. I will be making LOTS of iced coffee with that stockpile.
Grind the whole beans, pulsing until they are coarsely ground.
That is perfect. For iced coffee, you want a coarse grind. For hot coffee, you want it much finer than this.
Pour into your quart size jar, using a funnel (or a piece of paper like me).
Add cold, filtered water to the tippity top of the jar. Seal and place in the fridge overnight, or for 12 hours.
You can see the jar on the left was the one we just filled and hasn't "brewed" overnight like the jar on the right. This is a cold brew process and will happen as it sits in the fridge.
Once your long wait is over, prepare a mesh strainer by lining with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Place over a large measuring cup or bowl. You really do need to line the strainer with something, because the beans will go through it if you don't.
Carefully pour your brewed mixture over the strainer. The coffee beans will all be at the top, lodging the liquid in the jar. You might want to use a spoon of something to carefully scoop out the top first.
Apparently, I was not very careful. I need to take my own advice. The coffee will take a few minutes to go through the lined strainer, you might want to help it along by pushing it down through.
Now you have your iced coffee concentrate. Pour over ice and add your choice of cream, half & half, or milk. Or drink it black if that is how you like it! Store the remaining iced coffee concentrate in the fridge (I rinse the jar out that it brewed in and store in the jar).
So good. I like it with just a little half & half.
Travis likes his with a little half & half and sugar.
Stir, and enjoy.
Don't forget a straw. It will taste better with one. Promise.

Now you know how to make perfect iced coffee. I'll be making it all summer long. And word of advice - start another jar now so you can have more iced coffee tomorrow. You will be glad you did!

All pictures in this post were taken by Travis.