Summer is here and for many of us that means we still want our coffee but we want it to be a cool and refreshing boost. There are several ways of preparing iced coffee. Many coffee shops use a cold brewing technique. Some coffee shops prepare iced coffee by freezing coffee, making coffee "ice" cubes, rather than using water ice cubes. Others brew the coffee stronger than hot coffee and pour it over ice. Without a stronger brew, the iced coffee quickly becomes weak and watery. In our shop we prefer to make iced Americano; freshly brewed espresso poured over ice and water. The customer can then add cream, sweetener or flavoring to their liking. The strength and body of the espresso holds up well to the water and ice making a full flavored cool coffee.

Companies such as Caribou Coffee and Starbucks in the past few years have produced ready to drink iced espresso and chilled blended beverages that have opened up a whole new market for  Specialty Coffee, allowing the customer to enjoy a high quality coffee beverage on the run. For purists in the coffee industry this kind of coffee beverage is frowned upon as being inferior to high quality coffees and looked upon as low grade. My philosophy is that the only wrong way to prepare or enjoy great coffee is to not drink it at all! The more customers are aware of great coffee the better we all are as producers, roasters and consumers.

Iced coffee is nothing new to the industry having been served since the turn of the century in many countries around the world. Often served with ice cream and or flavored milk, iced coffee has been a favorite beverage in Australia, Britain, Greece, and even in Italy. In Thailand, iced coffee is brewed using strong black coffee, sweetened with sugar, heavy cream (or half-and-half) and cardamom, and quickly cooled and served over ice. Some variations are brewed using espresso. Thai iced coffee can be served with whipped cream on top for a layered effect, and garnished with cinnamon, vanilla and/or anise. It is a common menu item at Thai restaurants and works well after a spicy Asian meal. In Japan iced coffee has been drunk since the Taisho period (around the 1920's) in coffee shops. It is served with gum syrup and milk. Cold tea was already popular, so it was natural to drink cold coffee. In 1969 UCC Ueshima Coffee released canned coffee, which made coffee available everywhere. Today, Japanese canned coffee is drunk both cold and hot, but it was usually drunk cold when first introduced. I had the pleasure of working with Asahi Brewing and Kauai coffee to produce Hawaiian Ice, a canned Hawaiian coffee produced for the Hawaiian and Japanese market.  What great fun.

For those who are unable to travel to an exotic location for a cool refreshing coffee, you can prepare iced coffee easily at home. Fresh brew a full bodied coffee from your favorite local roaster. Transfer the coffee to a carafe or pitcher and chill it in the refrigerator for about two hours. Fill your favorite glass to the top with ice and pour the chilled coffee or espresso over the top. Stir to equalize the temperature and then add milk, cream and sweetener. You can also add your favorite flavored syrup to create any flavor profile you would like. Most local roasters and coffee shops make their syrups available for retail so be sure to ask for your favorite brand and flavor to give your iced coffee that extra touch!

About the Roaster

Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. is a roaster of specialty coffees in West Yellowstone, Montana. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we are passionate about the close-knit coffee community from "seed to cup", and are proud to roast and provide some of the best coffees in the world on our website catalog and at our West Yellowstone, MT Coffee House.  At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we feel it is important to roast our coffees appropriate to the origin characteristics rather than to a particular roast color.