It's officially Summer time and ya know what that means? FLIP FLOPS! Oh and Iced Coffee. There's a lot of mystery surrounding Iced Coffee and the number of brew methods can be overwhelming. We're going to try to break it down over the Summer into a few guides on our favorite methods and recipes. Today we're going to be focusing on Japanese Iced Coffee, which is also called Flash Brewed Iced Coffee. Whatever you'd like to call it, we're gonna break it down real easy as well as give you some more in depth info should you choose to experiment!

 

What You'll Need (Simple)

- Pour Over Brewer - We used a Hario for this guide, our favorites are the Beehouse Brewers!

- Hot Water Kettle - Most any kettle will do though the best ones for coffee have thin "goose necks"

- Coffee - 1 heaping Tablespoon (20 grams). We recommend a bright, sweet coffee for this brew method, such as Costa Rica La Alianza. Light to Medium roasts work best.

Additional Tools if Desired (Complicated)

- Scale - Smallest Measurement being 1 gram

- Thermometer - For measuring water temperature

 

1. Rinse Filter

Simple & Complicated: Start by rinsing your filter liberally. This removes any paper residue from the filter and prepares it for optimal brewing. Be sure to toss the hot water after rinse!

 

2. Prep Ice

Simple: Fill a 8 - 12 oz glass with Ice!

Complicated: For a 10 oz glass, weigh 150 grams ice. Feel free to experiment here, some folks like using more ice and less hot water or vice versa. For this guide, we did equal parts. More ice will mean your coffee will start strong and even out as it melts, less ice means you'll hit optimal brew strength right away, but you won't have as long to enjoy it while cold. Remember: Coffee to Water (+Ice) ratio is a major determinate of brew strength.

 

3. Grind Coffee

Simple: Medium-Fine grind is great, just as you'd normally do for a pour over.

Complicated: Medium-Fine to Medium grind. Finer grind will require less extraction time, more coarse grinds will require more. This can range anywhere from 2 minutes to 4 minutes, so feel free to experiment with your time/grind ratio! For this guide, we did medium-fine with a total extraction time of 2:30. Remember: for stronger coffee, use a finer grind with a longer extraction time, but beware of over extraction unless you prefer a more strident cup!

 

4. Add Coffee to Pour Over and Bloom!

Simple: Add coffee to the pour over after placing it on top of your glass full of ice. Now add just enough hot water to saturate the grounds and allow 30 seconds for the coffee to "Bloom." Water should be just off the boil.

Complicated: Add coffee to the pour over after placing it on top of your glass full of ice. Add 20 grams of hot water, saturating grounds. Water temperature should be 190-205 degrees F. Allow 30 seconds for bloom. This is also a great place to experiment. For instance, if you want a longer extraction time, say 3:30 total, you can add 15 seconds to your bloom time and make up the rest with slow pours. Also feel free to experiment with your water temperature, some coffees extract more fully with hotter water, some folks prefer coffee extracted with slightly cooler water. For this guide, our water was at 200 degrees F.

 

5. Pour Remaining Water

Simple: Pour remaining water being sure to saturate all grounds. You may have to do 2 pours if your pour over has small openings at the bottom. Stop when you're 3/4 of the way to the top and it should finish extracting right at the top of your glass!

Complicated: Pour remaining water, ensuring to saturate all grounds evenly until you have added a total of 150 grams of water. Depending on how large the opening(s) is in your pour over, you may have to do this over 2 pours instead of one steady, slow pour. We did this brew using a 2 minute extraction time after the bloom. Once again, feel free to experiment with any of the aforementioned variables including extraction time, water/ice ratio, water/coffee ratio and more! Keep a detailed log of each brew so you can replicate your favorite recipe.

 

6. Enjoy!

Simple: Add cream, simple syrup and enjoy!

 

Complicated: Enjoy! True coffee geeks don't add cream and sugar. (JUST KIDDING!) Be aware that depending on your water/ice ratio, your beverage may start strong and even out as the ice melts. The ratio in this guide was a great compromise, so start there!