Pour Over Iced Coffee (Japanese iced coffee method)

Achieve iced coffee perfection using this simple instant cold-pour-over technique.

This Japanese iced coffee is loaded with great flavors, always freshly brewed and will give you a first class iced coffee.

The technique is simple, yet genius. It calls for the same coffee grounds to water ratio like when making regular coffee, with one difference: we use half of the water for brewing, and half as ice cubes. Our goal is to make double strong coffee and use ice to cool it down and dilute to its ideal strength. The ice literally locks all the flavors, which results in fresh, sweet and lively iced coffee.

For 1 serving 8 fl.oz, I use 2 full tbsp coffee (1 c. scoop) coffee, 4 ounces water and 4 large ice cubes. For 2 cups I need 4 tbsp coffee and 16 ounces water (8 oz water and 8 oz ice cubes) and so on. The ratio of coffee grounds to water is a personal preference, just remember to replace half of the water with the same amount of ice cubes. Normally, one large ice cube equals 1 oz water.

What’s great about this recipe, is that the coffee is always brewed fresh and you don’t have to let it rest overnight like with cold brewed coffee. Also, you can easily adapt the recipe to make more servings or to make stronger/weaker brew.

To make Japanese iced coffee, you will need some manual pour over tool, like Chemex or pour over filter. I use Hario V60 dripper #02.

This iced coffee is so good, it’s so worth it to invest in good pour over filter. Not to mention that using a pour over is a simple and convenient way to brew an excellent (hot) coffee at home. But you don’t need to go crazy with several items: pour over dripper, coffee grinder, a scale, hot water kettle (some brew kits can go up to $250!). Hario V60 is high in quality with a very budget-friendly price – and, it’s the only one you’ll need! It comes with paper filters & a scoop so you can easily measure out your coffee. Get some good, fresh coffee and that’s it. Regular electric kettle works great, there’s no need to buy a special one right away.

JAPANESE ICED COFFEE RECIPE

You will need:
4 tablespoons fine to medium ground coffee
8 ounces water
8 large ice cubes

Directions:
1. Place a paper filter in the dripper and pre-rinse with hot water to remove any paper flavor. Discard rinse water.
2. Heat up 8 ounces of water in a kettle.
3. While you’re waiting, prepare everything. Put 8 ice cubes in a server/carafe, place a filter on top and add 4 full tablespoons (2 c.scoops) ground coffee. Use fine to medium (pour over) grind.
4. When the water comes to a boil, remove from heat, let it sit for a moment and start pouring. Cover the coffee grounds with a double amount of water and quickly stir to make sure all the coffee gets wet. The optimal time for this is around 10 seconds. Give the coffee another 15 seconds to bloom before moving on to the second pour.
5. Pour remaining water evenly in slow, concentric circles. The total brewing time should be around two-and-a-half to three minutes. Need more details?! I’ve fully explained the pour over method here.
6. When it stops dripping, remove the filter, pour the coffee between two cups and add sugar and milk (or half and half) to taste. Or, add 1-2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk and a splash of half and half for the best Vietnamese coffee!

Makes 2 servings (8 fl ounces each).

Enjoy!