This summer, save money by preparing your own cold brew iced coffee at home! All you need are two items, a refrigerator, and some time.

It’s that time of year again when I prepare my own cold brew coffee at home. There isn’t a coffee shop close, and we make the majority of our hot coffee at home anyway (we use our Breville espresso machine for lattes), so why waste time and money having someone else prepare it for me?

It’s a common joke in New England that folks drink iced coffee all year. That’s not even a joke; it’s completely factual. It can be -30 degrees with a wind chill of -50 degrees, and people will still race to Dunkin Donuts for a big iced coffee (which makes me unhappy for a million reasons, but I digress).

Yet, despite having lived in New England for roughly 16 years (holy crap), I’m still not a fan of iced coffee all year. Frankly, I’m not very fond of iced coffee. Since I enjoy cold brew coffee, it is what I prepare at home.

Is it possible to tell the difference between iced coffee and cold brew coffee? Don’t feel guilty; many others are.

What’s the difference between cold brew coffee and iced coffee?

First and foremost, I must tell you about this unrelated tale. There’s a tiny convenience shop in town with a large sign in the window promoting their ICE COFFEE, and every time I see it, it makes me want to scream. It’s iced coffee with a dash of d. I’m not even sure what ice coffee would be coffee in the shape of a massive ice cube? An ice cube shaped like a coffee bean? Oh, my goodness, that drives me mad.

ENOUGH WITH MY GRAMMAR TRIGGER.

The procedure by which cold brew coffee is created distinguishes it from iced coffee.

• Cold brew coffee is just coffee that has been made cold. Cold brew coffee is never heated; instead, the extraction process takes time. Also, its concentrate has twice as much caffeine as normal coffee.
• Iced coffee is made by brewing regular coffee with heat, then cooling it down and pouring it over ice. That tasted just like that to me, but with considerably less flavor.

If given the choice between cold brew and iced coffee, I’ll pick the cold brew every time.

If you’ve been to Starbucks, just think about the different cold coffee orders you can place there:

• When you order an iced coffee, you will be given a plastic cup with ice and a straw.
• When you purchase a cold brew coffee, you will also get a plastic cup with ice and a straw.
• If you request a nitrocold brew coffee, you will be given a different kind of plastic cup that is solely filled with coffee (no ice) and has this weird wide mouth top.

I don’t have any weird equipment to infuse my coffee with nitrogen, but you can bet I would if I could.

I really like the foam.

Preparing cold brew coffee at home is simple and takes very little time! It’s simple as long as you plan ahead of time.

What you need to make cold brew coffee

• Coffee beans in their entirety
• Grinders for coffee (aff link)
• Jars made of glass (that hold at least 32 ounces)
• Sieve mesh (aff link)
• Cheesecloth (aff link) (aff link)

If you like coffee, having many ways for brewing it at home is ideal, particularly when you have company.

My husband and I use our espresso machine (aff link) every day, but when my father visits, we utilize our coffee grinder and french press. Are you new to coffee grinders? They’re compact and simple to use; just plug it in, add some whole beans, close the lid, and pulse the beans. We want a rather coarse grind for our cold brew coffee.

Following that, you’ll pour filtered cold water over the grinds in a jar.

Stir everything up, then leave it in the fridge for at least 8 hours (overnight is even better).

When it’s chilled in the fridge, take it out and sift the coffee grounds out, leaving you with wonderful smooth coffee.

Have you ever used cheesecloth? Hey, dude, you should get a few. They perform a variety of functions, and in this recipe, they make filtering out the coffee grounds a breeze. You may use it later to create cheese! Ricotta, ricotta, ricotta. Be quiet, my heart.

I prefer to drink mine with ice since I want my cold brew as cold as possible.

You may serve it over ice and add milk and sugar to taste. If I’m in the mood for something sweet, I’ll add some cashew milk and maybe some simple syrup. And I believe we can all agree that my personality might benefit from a bit additional sweetness if I can get it.

Remember that cold brew has more caffeine than iced coffee, so don’t overdo it.

Take it easy, friendo, if you’re caffeine sensitive.

Here are some breakfast ideas to go with your cold brew coffee:

• Breakfast Cookies with Bananas and Berries
• The Best Banana Bread
• Cranberry Coffee Cake on a Paleo Diet
• Baked Blueberry Muffins