Better than cold brew: How to make iced filter coffee

Here's a quick overview of how I make iced filter coffee, and why I think it is the best way to make a seriously tasty ice-cold caffeinated beverage.

I'm not a huge fan of cold brew, and if you love cold brew then I hope I can convince you to try something else - let me know what you think?

Links:

[langzhi]

32.5g coffee/500ml
200g ice
300g hot water
Step 1: 97g bloom (45sec) stir bloom
Step 2: pour remain water in 2:30 to 3 minutes
Step 3: stir once circular motion once in opposite motion
Step 4: after drawdown, swirl canister to melt ice
Step 5: serve on fresh ice

[MrTurnip]

In retrospect, it's really amazing how James is so often ahead of the trends in coffee. Japanese iced coffee is a massive thing now, and here's James, 5 years ago, with a fantastic video.

[andrewching]

Holy Crap, it works and tastes great!
32.5g -- 500ml
200g ice
300g 90degree water
90ml bloom (45sec)

[ughghost]

I never thought I'd reach the point of wanting to take the temperature of my ice cubes, the scientific energy of these videos are contagious

[ubstnks]

I tried this, and it's pretty much the best ice coffee I've had. I made a couple of tweaks though. I used James's aeropress technique, but with the same ratio of ice/hot water/coffee grounds from this video. Also, I found that instead of brewing straight over ice, I brew into my cup. My cup has a wet paper towel wrapped around it with a fan blowing on to the paper towel. This drops the temperature of the hot coffee very quickly. Then I add the ice after a minute or two of letting the coffee cool. The benefit of this is that the evaporative cooling from the wet paper towel and fan suck out a lot of heat before adding the ice. This means you can use less ice and more hot water to get better extraction.

[CobaltArcher]

The re-watch value of these videos is amazing. I learn a lot the first time, but then it really pays off to come back after I've learned more and experimented myself. Wow.

[DonSWG]

James, I am an avid watcher of your channel. I partially attribute it to me recently getting a job as a Head Barista at a specialty cafe after being in the industry for only a year, so thank you so much. I’d love to see an updated recipe for an iced pourover. Your other video is great, but I’d totally love a 2021 Hoffmann’s take. You’ve grown so much as a YouTuber and especially as a coffee professional since this!

[local_chemist]

Is it me or does it always sound like the Hoff is doing these videos while a new born baby is trying to nap beside him?

[Juice]

I have a small cafe and we have a cold brew that we serve which I think is quite good. I just tried this method and agree that this method is more tasty overall. Thanks for the great video!

[philcurry]

I just tried this for the first time and I was blown away. I used to love cold brew but I never realized how one-note and stale the taste really is until I tried both side by side. I did the same loght-roast coffee made as a 12 hour french press cold brew vs. a hot pour over into ice. The cold brew was fine - pleasant and sweet - but just tasted like a generic light coffee with a touch of oxidation. The V60 iced coffee was entirely different, with a lovely cherry taste that was entirely absent in the cold brew. Definite game changer for somebody who prefers cold coffee.

[GardenerCami]

Ratio- 65g per liter
40% ice and 60% water

Grinder- “finer than you usually would”

Rinse paper in sink

Bloom- 2x-3x more water than coffee
At least 45 seconds
Stir bloom

Duration- 2:30-3:00

Stir after last pour. Once in one direction and once in the other.

Swirl decanter to melt

Pour into a glass with ice

[kaiahartsfield]

I am about to open my own off-grid bicycle coffee cart here in sunny Florida and I cannot express how happy this video just made me. Not sure why I haven't come across this video yet because I've been watching your videos for few weeks now, but I have to say thank you so much, you have no idea how grateful I am for all of your tips. You are such an inspiration. Thank you for being so wonderful, I'll pass the knowledge along through my coffee making. 🌠☀️

[goblgob]

Hello everybody!
Now I got a couple of insights to share with you after two years of tinkering with the v60 and making some delicious iced coffee. I would be very happy if you would share some of your thoughts and ideas about how you go about it as well as what you think about mine.
So here we go: I have found that instead of going 4:6 on the ice to water ratio I would change it up slightly to 7:13. As James himself said with more brew water easier it is to get a smoother extraction, it is not without another slight modification though; you should chill your serving glass in the freezer right about or before you weigh and get to grind your beans. I use the Hario Skerton to grind my beans so I do it manually and it takes a bit of time so keep that in mind, if you have an electric grinder or use pre-ground coffee do it earlier in the process.
The result is, I find a more throughly extracted coffee with a much more forgiving brewing process, that in theory should open up the chance to introduce more variation. (to the grind size, roast profile etc. etc.)

Thanks for taking the time to read. 😀😃

[bartgeemoto]

Just did the iced filter coffee and it tastes awesome, much better than an ordinary cold brewed coffee. Here is what I've used:

- 65 g of freshly ground LAVAZZA QUALITA ORO on my GRAEF CM702 set to 15 grade
- 350 g of ice -33 degrees Celsius
- 650 g water at 95 degrees Celsius
- ordinary pour over dripper with two small holes (I've got Hario V60 V2 but the lower diameter was too small for my glass pot)
- 1.5 l glass pot

Almost all ice have melted and the coffee taste was very much similar to my ordinary pour over with Hario V60 :). Per 200 ml cup I've added one ice cube and 3 teaspoons of a cane sugar. Delicious!

Thanks James for your recipe! :)

[GeonQuuin]

I just made this. Followed the directions to the tee. And I can definitely tell the difference between the cold brew I made and this method. This method definitely brings out the characteristics that I like about the specialty coffee that I like. Best part is you don't really need to add more ice. The brew is already cold and good!

[pilotashish]

This is the right format for making such videos. If you dont want to see the explaination or are watching it again, you can just skip the later part. The coffee is delicious. Thanks for the brew guide.

[TheB]

This water-ice ratio is spot on and yields a very refreshing brew! Easily one of my favorite ways to enjoy coffee. Highly recommended!

[damienhallsworth]

This is, hands down, the best iced coffee recipe on the internet, especially for those aromatic, fruit-forward coffees. It's very well thought through, all the steps make sense and play a role. I'm tasting limes in my Ethiopian, oranges in my Peruvian, and none of that weird stale muddy bitterness I often get from my old cold brews.

Filtron... Mizudashi... French-press-in-a-fridge.... frankly they all suck when compared to this elegant method.

And the beauty of it is, if you can make a pourover, you can make this with no extra equipment or skill. A plastic V60 brewer costs about 5 quid. Just add ice and off you go.

Thank you James for this wonderful addition to my super drink repertoire!

[kathtalaman]

If only all my teachers back then were this passionate and interesting, I would have been a better student. Lol. I am so engrossed in his videos and never knew coffee was so complex. Never settling for low class iced coffee ever again

[payola]

I scaled down this recipe for just 250ml and it was truly great. To serve I used half a cup coffee and half a cup milk with ice and the result was truly lovely