With the Titan Grinder Project eating up coffee like there was no tomorrow, Larry from Rocket Coffee sent out a 5lb bag of Classic Espresso. After the grinders moved on I had a couple of pounds left over.

With the extreme heat so early in the year, my desire for a hot double after riding home from work on a motorcycle, in 92F heat on a 160f highway is just not there. In those instances I go for an iced coffee. I must say that the Classic has been making some wonderful iced drinks. Most blends get a little bitter or harsh when they cool, this one does not.

I have been pulling a 16 gram dose for almost 2oz into a glass and then letting it cool for a half hour. Then I add a little liquid sugar, an ounce of chocolate syrup, 12 or so ounces of cold 2% milk and a hand full of ice cubes. Give it all a stir and enjoy. Very good stuff.

If anyone is wondering why I let the shot sit and cool first, it is to avoid shocking the drink. If you take a hot liquid (such as coffee or tea) straight from the brewer and drop in cold milk or ice, the rapid temperature change will push the dissolved solids out of solution. That gives you (or at least me) a harsh, bitter cup. If you frequently make iced tea and find that you nice clear tea gets cloudy, that is why. Let it cool to at least room temperature before you dump in the cold goods, or try tempering it to shorten the wait.

Great suggestion! I have been on an "iced" kick since we had a few days of really warm weather here about a month back. Right now the idea of any kind of hot drink has lost its appeal.

If you're going to let the shot cool down do you still suggest pre-warming the demitasse cup (anything larger wont fit under my cremina well)?

Cheers!

I do not use a demi at all. The shot is bound for a regular drinking glass so I just pull the shot in it. The Elektra A3 has a spacious group to drip tray opening, but the cup is still too large to fit under in its upright position. So I just hold the cup under the spout and let the shot run down the side of the glass.

I hear you - after mowing the grass @ 95'f - last thing I want is hot coffee! If it's too early for a beer - then iced coffee is the next best! I take one of my illy freddo glasses, fill it with ice. Pour in a little simple syrup or even a little caramel syrup. I pull a shot into a non-heated espresso cup, which helps to cool it off, dump it in the glass and fill with whole milk. Good stuff Maynard! It is interesting that some of my normal favorite beans are terrible as iced coffee... and others are great - ymmv.

Geoff

Thanks for the recipe, Any suggestion for the chocolate syrup?

Have a nice day

Ale

julioale wrote:Thanks for the recipe, Any suggetion for the chocolate syrup?

Many good recipes use gourmet cocoa powder. For a cheap fix, Nestle's chocolate syrup ain't bad. But avoid chocolate flavored syrups (such as Hershey's) like the plague.

Pretty hot here today in the Black Hills:

105F in the shade - great iced coffee weather!

Hot day! It is not that bad in Ohio but still pretty warm (around 90) and the humidity is high. I spent a good part of the day staining my deck (takes 4 gallons of stain, big deck) and smoking brisket. Had another iced coffee to help cool off. When it gets to bad, I have 20,000 gallons of water in the back yard, which is what the deck goes around, to cool off in.

For iced coffee, I'll use whatever 'left over' or 'non-espresso ready' beans which I may have sitting around. Today I made 32oz of coffee in a press pot (1/2 SO India from Metropolis; 1/2 Redline from Metropolis). After the steep time I poured the coffee into another container and allowed it to cool to roughly room temp. Then it went in the fridge to get nice and cold. I served 4 8oz servings in large 16oz glasses with 1/2 tsp sugar, just a little milk and as much ice as the glasses would hold. Very tasty - I think the key is cold coffee to start and ALOT of ice. I have made it this way with all types of different beans/blends and it always tastes pretty good...especially when it's 90+ as it was in Chicago today!

That's right - when I was figuring a way long ago of how to make Vietnamese iced coffee, (pre coffee obsessed days) - I found out that if you skimp on the ice, it just all melts and you get a watery drink. Growing up on the cheap we always ordered soft drinks with light ice, and after you were half done, it was a nasty watery mess. I'm more sofistikated nowadays...

Stuff that glass full of ice, and you don't have to bother letting a shot's worth of iced coffee melting it too much. Mix your chocolate into the hot shot to make it dissolve better too.

One other treat - espresso float! I first had this at an old long gone coffee shop in the U district when I was at University of Washington. Chocolate syrup, full glass of vanilla ice cream, shot of espresso, a little more chocolate syrup, and a dollop of whip cream (or skip if you're avoiding both nails in the coffin... )

Geoff

1. Fill desired glass with ice then 3/4 full with milk
2. Pull shot in regular manner.
3. Stean milk (1/4 of the volume of the serving cup).
4. Pour shot into milk then top off the serving glass with steamed milk or vice versa.