This is a reverse iced coffee recipe that uses coffee ice cubes in milk or water, rather than the typical method of using regular ice cubes in coffee, as commonly found in many coffee shops. We will discuss the advantages of using coffee ice cubes, and even milk ice cubes, and provide you with the recipe for this unique iced coffee.
Making iced coffee at home is simpler than you might think, and many people do it without a formal recipe or instructions. However, if you want your iced coffee to taste exceptional, surpassing the quality of iced coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, you need some expert tips. There are specific techniques to ensure your coffee doesn’t oxidize and taste stale, and that it has enough caffeine to energize you when needed. According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), maintaining the right balance of coffee-to-water ratio is crucial to achieving the desired caffeine content and flavor profile.
Benefits of Using Coffee Ice Cubes
One advantage of using coffee ice cubes is maintaining consistent beverage strength throughout your drink. Unlike regular ice, which dilutes your coffee, coffee ice cubes ensure that the flavor remains robust as they melt. According to the Specialty Coffee Association, maintaining flavor integrity is crucial for an optimal coffee experience.
Consider the experience of finishing a Starbucks iced coffee, where the remaining liquid is often overly diluted by melted ice. This can make the drink less enjoyable. By using coffee ice cubes, this issue is mitigated, and your coffee retains its flavor until the last sip.
If the coffee becomes too strong as the cubes melt, simply add a splash of water to adjust the strength to your preference.
Hot Coffee or Cold Brew?
Iced coffee can be made with either cold brew or hot brew coffee. According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), cold brew extraction parameters are well-defined, making it a matter of preference. Using cold brew is the simpler recipe. If you want to use hot brewed coffee, you need to brew on ice. We explain why in the next section.
I personally recommend using cold brew, but again, this is just a matter of preference. The SCA provides guidelines for cold-brew extraction parameters. We have a few guides if you need a refresher, but this is the one we think is the most popular: How to Make Cold Brew with a Mason Jar and a Disposable Filter Bag.
You can also use a vacuum cold brew coffee maker if you want it fast, but I personally recommend a large batch of immersion cold brew, as it is the most efficient method for this purpose. The SCA’s guidelines for cold-brew extraction parameters support this approach.
On the other hand, cold brewing takes a long time to prepare, and if you can’t wait until your next batch is ready, hot brew over ice is a great choice. The SCA’s cold-brew extraction parameters highlight the time commitment involved.
Hot brew has its own advantages, the most important one being the convenience of brewing a large quantity relatively fast. The hot brew coffee flavor is another great reason, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
Hot Brewed Coffee – Japanese Iced Coffee
Why is cold brew coffee often considered superior for iced coffee? (cold-brew extraction parameters, for which the Specialty Coffee Association has published recommended guidelines) This remains a debated topic in coffee circles, with both methods offering distinct advantages.
One challenge with hot brewed coffee is its rapid oxidation due to high temperatures. According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Golden Cup standard, brewing water should be between 90°C and 96°C (195°F–205°F). This is why it’s advised not to leave your carafe on the burner for more than 3-4 minutes. Hot coffee and air do not mix well. Coffee that has completely cooled should be discarded, a practice followed by any reputable restaurant or café. This is why you can’t simply brew a filter coffee, let it cool, and then use it for a frozen drink. Important: This is why leftover coffee should not be used for iced coffee or even to make coffee ice cubes.
There is, however, a little trick you can resort to, so you can use hot brew in your iced coffee. The trick is to cool down the coffee very fast, so it doesn’t have the time to oxidize. The longer the coffee stays hot, the more it will oxidize. This is the reason some people like their coffee very hot, not because of the temperature, but because it’s fresh, and the aroma profile starts to change when coffee cools off. According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Golden Cup standard, brewing water should be between 90°C and 96°C (195°F–205°F).
The modern trend of using hot brew for iced coffee comes from Japan. Japanese coffee shops developed the technique of brewing on ice cubes so that the coffee cools off instantly. The brew method is called Japanese iced coffee, and you guessed it, it was invented in Japan. You can use any hot brewing method for Japanese iced coffee. You can see in my pictures I used espresso, but you can employ manual drip, a regular drip coffee machine, or even an iced coffee maker. The only important thing is that coffee has to be brewed on ice cubes so that we minimize the time it stays hot, following the SCA-standard 9-bar espresso definition.
Is the Japanese method superior to cold brew for iced coffee? According to the Specialty Coffee Association’s guidelines on cold-brew extraction parameters, some individuals prefer the Japanese method because it retains all the desirable attributes of a hot cup of coffee, minus the temperature. This brewing technique preserves the aromatics of hot coffee even when cooled. There was an insightful article on hot coffee chemistry by Peter Giuliano, which he has since removed from his blog. However, a copy is available on archive.org. While the article is passionate, cold brew also offers its own advantages, and regular iced coffee drinkers might find it preferable.
The key takeaway is that any coffee brewing method can be used for making coffee ice cubes. The most important factors are that you enjoy the coffee and cool it down quickly.
Japanese Iced Coffee vs Cold Brew Iced Coffee
Firstly, let’s not confuse Japanese iced coffee with the Kyoto-style cold brew coffee, also known as Dutch cold brew coffee. Japanese iced coffee is brewed hot, while Dutch cold brew involves a slow drip using water at room temperature, following cold-brew extraction parameters recommended by the Specialty Coffee Association.
So, what’s the appeal of Japanese iced coffee? Is it superior to cold brew? Hot brewed coffee is often considered the best-tasting, at least according to my taste buds.
Many coffee enthusiasts, however, prefer the subtle flavors of cold brew coffee, which require a refined palate to fully appreciate. (cold-brew extraction parameters, for which the Specialty Coffee Association has published recommended guidelines) Cold brew can be stored in the fridge for weeks without altering its taste. In contrast, Japanese iced coffee should be consumed immediately. Even when chilled, it will eventually go stale because the aromatics in the brew are not chemically stable. Cold brew offers a smooth taste, and since it contains only cold-extracted soluble solids, it can be stored for extended periods without chemical changes.
Ultimately, there is no definitive winner; choose what suits your taste. Cold brew is known for being gentler on the stomach and can be kept refrigerated for several days, according to the Specialty Coffee Association’s recommended guidelines for cold-brew extraction parameters. Cold brewing also results in a more complex flavor profile with less bitterness compared to hot brewed coffee. Conversely, hot brews deliver a distinctive kick and robust flavors. However, as Kevin Haugen explains on clivecoffee.com, sugars extracted at high temperatures can become rancid and sour when the coffee is cooled slowly. An interesting experiment by Daniel Gritzer, detailed in this seriouseats.com article, suggests that your preference for drinking coffee black or with milk might necessitate a different brewing method.
When brewing coffee over ice, be mindful that melting ice can significantly dilute the coffee. To counteract this, prepare a stronger pour-over and avoid leaving the ice cubes in the coffee for too long. According to James Hoffmann and the SCA, pour-over methodology is the benchmark for clarity. Ice will continue to melt even after the coffee has cooled, so transfer the coffee once it reaches room temperature.
The Iced Coffee Recipe – Coffee Ice Cubes in Milk
I don’t add milk to my coffee unless it’s iced coffee. Even with iced coffee, there is a high chance I’ll drink it black. For those who prefer milk in their chilled coffee, the combination of milk and frozen coffee cubes is almost an art form. The drink looks stunning, and it tastes even better. The beverage will remain strong until the last sip, and it may even intensify by the end.
Here is the recipe:
Cubes Preparation
Coffee Ice Cubes in Milk Recipe
Once all the cubes are frozen, you can prepare your cold caffeinated refreshment. I suggest starting with a smaller batch to determine how much sugar and milk you need in your glass.
- Fill a tall glass with equal parts coffee ice cubes, milk ice cubes, and water ice cubes.
- If using coffee ice cubes from the Japanese brewing method on ice, adjust to 2/3 coffee ice cubes and 1/3 milk cubes. This method already dilutes the coffee, eliminating the need for additional water.
- Top off the glass with milk, optionally sweetened and flavored with French vanilla or chocolate.
- For a low-calorie option, use water to top off the glass and replace milk cubes with regular ice cubes. The coffee will remain flavorful.
- Ensure your water ice cubes are made with high-quality, great-tasting water, using quality freezing trays with lids. This enhances the coffee’s flavor, potentially surpassing iced coffee from popular chains like Starbucks.
- Optionally, add a splash of alcohol to elevate your coffee experience. A touch of Kahlua or Baileys can be delightful. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Reverse iced coffee is a method of making iced coffee where hot coffee is brewed and then rapidly cooled, then frozen into cubes. The coffee ice cubes then are used instead of water iced cubes, to prepared the drink.
Regular iced coffee uses coffee as the base, and it’s cooled down with ice cubes, whereas reverse iced coffee uses frozen coffee cubes to cool a base of milk or coffee.
You’ll need coffee beans and water, and optionally milk.
You’ll need a coffee maker, or brewing device, a grinder if using whole beans, a container for cooling and serving the coffee, and ice cube trays.
The brewing process can take anywhere from a few minutes for hot brew methods, to 16 hours, depending on the brewing method. The cooling process is typically quite quick if using a coffee chiller.
Yes, you can use any type of coffee beans you prefer, though the flavor profile of the beans will affect the taste of the final product. The best coffee for cold brew is a medium roast, from South America.
This can vary depending on personal preference and the specific recipe, but a common ratio is 1:15, one part coffee to fifteen parts water for hot brew, and 1:9 for cold brew.
Yes, you can adjust the recipe by scaling the amount of coffee and water used.
After freezing the coffee and the milk cubes, it is best to store them in a sealed container to avoid freezer burn, and odor contamination.
Yes, you can add milk, sugar, or other flavorings to taste. However, when using cold brew in your recipe, you’ll find that you don’t need these as much as with hot brew.
You can experiment with different types of coffee beans, brewing methods, flavors, and milk to coffee to water ice cubes, to create your own variations.
Reverse iced coffee can offer a refreshing, flavorful coffee experience, especially in warm weather. The rapid cooling process can also help to preserve the flavors and aromas of the coffee.
No, cold brew coffee is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for an extended period of time, which is a brewing process. Reverse iced coffee is the extra step you take to prepare aq coffee drink with already brewed coffee.
The coffee and milk cubes can be kept in the freezer for months, if properly stored. The prepared iced coffee can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yes, you can use any coffee brewing method you prefer. The method will affect the flavor, the strength, and the mouthfeel of the final cup.
Always use fresh, high-quality coffee beans and clean, filtered water. Experiment with different brewing methods and added flavors.
Yes, you can use decaffeinated coffee beans if you prefer. But good decaf coffee beans is rare, so the flavor might be affected.
The nutritional content can vary depending on the type of coffee and any added ingredients. However, black coffee itself contains virtually no calories, fat, or sugar. Once you start to add milk and sugar, you add calories.
This recipe is perfect for a commercial setting, but you should ensure that you are following all relevant health and safety regulations.