For my birthday recently, I was given quite a bit of cash, so I spent it wisely and used a portion on a new French press. I was deeply in love with my old French press when, alas, it fell off the counter and onto the floor, shattering in a million pieces. I promptly ordered a replacement online, not realizing that my replacement was only large enough to make one (espresso-sized) serving at a time. Oops. Not wanting to waste anymore money on my addiction, I settled for a regular old drip machine that I acquired at a swap party. I was happy enough, but you can bet the first thing I bought with my birthday money was a nice, brand-spanking-new large French press.
It’s a beautiful thing.
And with my beautiful new coffee press, I decided to try something new, at least new to me: cold-brewed coffee. One of my favorite hot-weather drinks is iced coffee (iced tea is a close second), which I usually make with chilled regular coffee and milk. It’s much easier, though, if the coffee is cool to begin with! Cold-brewed coffee can be kind of a tricky process, but not if you have a French press! Using a press eliminates the need for multiple jars, strainers, spoons and what-have-you and really simplifies the process.
Here’s what you do:
1. At night, before you go to bed, place ground coffee in the French press. The amount depends on how much you want to make and how strong you want it to be, but the general rule is 1 part coffee to 4 parts water.
2. Add lukewarm water to the ground coffee. Gently stir the coffee grounds and water together, and place the plunger on top (don’t push it down).
3. In the morning, push down the plunger. Pour the coffee over ice and add milk or cream to taste.
The only trouble with cold-brewed coffee is that there is no way to dissolve sugar in it. Many people find that iced coffee doesn’t require sweetener, and you might also find that the cold-brewed method results in a less acidic and less bitter coffee that doesn’t rely on sugar to render it more palatable. If it’s really not sweet enough for you, here are a few options:
1. Try stevia. It’s now sold in regular grocery stores under several different labels. It’s a natural calorie-free sugar replacement that dissolves easily in cold liquids.
2. Honey will dissolve to a certain extent in cool or lukewarm liquids, but you will probably still end up with a small pile of it at the bottom of your glass.
3. Simple syrup (try this lavender flavored kind), which is often used in iced tea, can also be used in iced coffee. It’s also easy to make: just boil equal parts water and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the desired amount of syrup into your coffee.
4. Use sweetened condensed milk to both replace the milk or cream and to add sweetness. It will also add an additional taste to your coffee, so you may not like this if you’re a coffee purist. However, many people all around the world drink coffee with sweetened condensed milk as a matter of course, so it’s a very popular option.
Is it QUICK? Well, certainly in terms of time, cold-brewed coffee is not as quick as any hot-brewed method. However, because you can put it together and let it sit overnight, all the work is done while you are sleeping, and you can wake up with a nice refreshing glass of iced coffee. If you forget or can’t set it going at night, just keep in mind it needs at least 3 hours to steep, just in time for an afternoon pick-me-up.
It’s certainly EASY! It is just as easy as making regular hot-brewed coffee in the French press. Even easier, because you do not have to heat the water. And as I mentioned, using the French press eliminates the need for dirtying extra dishes and the messy process of straining.
It’s just as CHEAP as any kind of coffee. It’s certainly cheaper than purchasing iced coffee at your local coffee shop.
The eternal debate: Is coffee HEALTHY? I have read reports of numerous studies about the affects of coffee and caffeine on the body, and despite the arguments that persist, they all seem to arrive at the same conclusion: coffee (and caffeine) in moderate amounts (no more than 2-3 cups a day) has no negative effect on the body and in some cases may have a positive effect. To your health!
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