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I’ve spent a good amount of energyperfecting my homemade espresso recipes using the Aeropress Espresso Maker (Amazon). I’ve actually started to prefer what I make at home over Starbucks. But what’s a latte-loving girl to do when the weather heats up? Put it on ice!
I could make a hot latte and pour it over ice, but I don’t like how quickly the ice melts, leaving me with a watered down drink. I searched the internet and found several recipes to make a cold-brewed coffee that claims to be smooth and less bitter that traditionally brewed java, but I don’t want iced coffee, I want a latte. Sugar, milk, and all.
I decided to just modify the cold-brewed iced coffee recipes and make it a latte! The result is a smooth, rich, sweet drink that is a snap to make and doesn’t require any coffee making equipment! Bonus that it’s insanely cheaper than anything you’ll get at your local coffee shop and, dare I say, better?
This is the ideal recipe for spring and summer, and especially nice if you’re camping and don’t have electricity (or don’t want to lug around a coffee or espresso maker).
RELATED: Tips for an epic family camping trip
The first step is to cold-brew yourself some coffee concentrate.
COLD-BREWED COFFEE CONCENTRATE
Based on the Perfect Iced Coffee recipe from The Pioneer Woman
Ingredients
1 cup of coarsely ground coffee*
4 cups of cold water
If you’re looking for a stronger coffee flavor, decrease your coffee to water ratio from 1:4 to 1:3.
*The best option is to grind your own coffee from whole beans (any variety will do, but the more expensive the coffee, the better it will taste — if you’re new at this and want a coffee-house style latte or mocha, select an espresso or another dark roast — Amazon). Select the french press option (or as coarsely ground as you can) if you’re grinding in the grocery store. You can try using the already-ground drip coffee sold in grocery stores but I think it tastes like coffee-flavored dish water.
If you purchase your whole beans at Starbucks or another coffee shop, they will grind it for you. Again, make sure you tell them you’re cold-brewing coffee and need it to be ground for a french-press.
Directions:
Pour the water in a jar or bowl. Add the coffee grounds on top and stir the grounds into the water. The grounds will float to the top.
Cover and put the container in the refrigerator (or cooler if you’re camping). Let it brew for at least 8 hours (you can leave it in the fridge for up to 24 hours). It can also steep at room temperature. It doesn’t really matter.
After 8-24 hours, layer two pieces of cheese cloth in a colander or strainer. Pour the coffee and grounds through cheese cloth and strainer into a bowl. Press the coffee grounds with a spoon to get more coffee out.
Rinse the cheese cloth off in the sink to remove the coffee grounds and fold it so there’s now four layers. Strain the coffee again. You could also strain it through a coffee filter at this point. The more you strain the coffee, the less “sludge” you’ll have at the bottom of your concentrate. I strained my concentrate three times and it turned out perfect.
Put your concentrate into a jar, bottle, or re-purposed milk jug and store it in your refrigerator. It will be tasty for a couple of weeks.
Now, here’s how to make your iced-latte or mocha!
COLD-BREWED ICED LATTE
Ingredients:
- Ice
- Sweetener
- Coffee concentrate
- Milk or milk substitute
Directions:
Grab a cup and fill it with ice.
Add your sweetener. You have several options:
- Coffee syrup like Torani or Da Vinci (Cash & Carry (now Smart Food Service) has the best prices on bottled syrup, plus they have an enormous selection. You can also buy in most grocery stores or directly from Starbucks.)
- Regular sugar or other granulated sweetener (Truvia, Stevia in the Raw, Equal, etc)
- Honey (heat it up until it’s runny before adding)
- Simple syrup (bring equal amounts of water and sugar to a boil until the sugar completely dissolves; use like regular coffee syrup)
- Chocolate syrup like Hershey’s
I suggest you go light on the sweetener (start at 1-2 tablespoons) and increase it after you’ve tasted the finished drink.
Add your coffee concentrate. The typical recipe calls for 1:1 coffee to milk ratio, so start with filling the cup half way with coffee. If you’re not a regular coffee drinker, use less coffee. If you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum, you might fill your cup almost to the brim with coffee.
Fill the cup with milk or milk substitute (rice, soy, coconut). Unflavored milk will work best unless you’re omitting the added sweetener.
Stir & enjoy!
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If you love cold brew but hate the mess of using a cheese cloth to strain the grounds, consider grabbing this highly-ratedBodum Cold Brew Coffee Maker. Super simple little container, but includes a built-in filter for straining the grounds.
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