The Secret To The Perfect Iced Coffee

As temperatures start to climb, many people find themselves switching from hot to iced coffee for their morning cup of joe. It's easy to understand why, as we can totally relate to not wanting to bring anything warmer than room temp anywhere near your body once it hits 80 degrees outside. 

For many people, this means spending more money at coffee shops and cafes than they normally do the rest of the year, when they are able to brew at home or take advantage of that free pot of coffee in the work break room. Making good iced coffee can seem like a daunting, time-consuming process that frequently ends up with mixed results, from way watered down brew to iced coffee that's insanely bitter and strong. 

To help you save some money and not have to literally leave your house to get your morning pick-me-up, we found some expert tips on how to make the perfect iced coffee at home.

According to The Kitchn, the absolute best method for making iced coffee is never heating it up in the first place. Using a cold brew method ensures you never have to deal with lukewarm, watered-down coffee because you didn't wait long enough to add ice to it. They suggest you make your at-home cold brew by steeping coffee in a French press in the refrigerator overnight — that way when you wake up you can simply pour your coffee concentrate over ice with some added milk to dilute it. The Kitchn notes that this is even the way many coffee shops use to make their cold brew year-round. Just be aware that this method makes extra strong coffee, so it will need to be diluted with another liquid to make it palatable. 

Self states that another way to ensure perfect iced coffee is to use ice cubes made from coffee instead of plain water. This will stop your drink from becoming watered down as the ice melts. You can even use any leftover coffee from your morning pot to make the ice cubes for the next day, so you don't have to make and cool a fresh pot specifically for this purpose. If you want to get even fancier with your morning brew, Chowhound recommends mixing simple syrup, mint, or chocolate into your flavored ice cubes, topping your drink with ice cream or whipped cream, or trying out the viral TikTok recipe for Dalgona coffee.