I'm curious to know how roasting for iced coffee may be different from hot coffee. I prefer my iced coffee to be brighter and fruitier. In general, what beans would make ideal iced coffee for me, and what sort of a profile is recommended? If anyone can speak specifically about the Quest M3, that would be a bonus.

I prefer a clean crisp lemony bright Kenyan c-c+ getting all the sweetness I can and avoiding any scorching or roast flavors. Quicker ramp and finish on the shorter side, closer to 3min than 4min. A clean WP Ethiopian can be good and I had a El Salvador a couple years ago that had a nice candied orange but I can't remember the estate or varietal. Can't help with the Q3.

It may be more a brew issue than a roasting issue. When making an iced coffee or espresso I brew the coffee a little stronger than usual. I also let it sit and come to room temperature before I ice or blend it. Putting hot coffee or espresso into cold water or over ice will shock the brew and force some of the dissolved solids out of solution making it bitter. Same thing happens with iced tea. Make a glass, let it cool to room temperature then add ice. It will stay clear. Dump ice in a cup of hot tea and it gets cloudy and bitter.

If you let coffee cool to room temperature, darker roasted ones with distillates taste horrible, and lighter roasted ones shine. After icing, however, a little caramel helps pop the flavors. So for me, the best roast is fairly fast City-plus, to about 5 degrees below the start of the second crack, so there's still lots of sugars and acids, but also some caramel development.

I like an iced Kenya with milk and sugar (great for a float, or for Vietnamese style using a coffee that'll get the attention of people used to Robusta); but find it a little to dry for my taste straight. I go with a Central, or a sweeter East African coffee for that.

Never actually tried Ethiopian coffees iced.

cannonfodder wrote: shock the brew and force some of the dissolved solids out of solution .

Shocking!
No, seriously, how does that work?
(if you're not up for a chemistry lesson--feel free to skip the query)

Actually, my near-exclusive iced coffee drink is a tall, sweetened (where's that bottle of DaVinci vanilla syrup?) milk drink----decaf, late on a hot summer pm. I'm ready. If it's coffee I crave, I go to bed and wait for morning.

What about cold brewing, do you guys have any cold brew tips? I'm a big fan of iced coffee in the summer too, and have been experimenting with cold brewing with mixed results.

If you brew below about 185F (85C), you are preferentially extracting the sugars, and leaving behind both the acids and bitters. This results in something pleasant and bland. If the coffee itself is lousy, this is the way to go.

If you brew between 185 and 195 (85C-90C), you preferentially extract the acids and sugars and lave behind the bitters. This is a good idea for iced coffee, room temperature drinking, and any time the roast tastes are too bitter.

Brewing in the normal zone of 195F to 205F (90C to 95C) gets a balanced extraction, and is best if you like to drink the coffee hot and without letting it sit, or if it is a very light roast.

BTW, I steep coffee in a thermos without stirring, then filter it (think insulated Eva Solo, or cupping in heavy ceramics); if you brew in a different manner, these temperatures will need to be adjusted upwards to cope with the added heat loss.

Thanks, everyone. This gives me a better place to start.

another_jim wrote:So for me, the best roast is fairly fast City-plus, to about 5 degrees below the start of the second crack...

What sort of time frame do you mean when you say "fairly fast"? Also, since I have the same roaster--less the insulation modification--what approximate heat and fan settings are you using?

Fast means keep both the heat and fan high, subject to drum temp limits. About 10 to 12 minutes, depending on load.

cannonfodder wrote:Make a glass, let it cool to room temperature then add ice.

I'm finding this a big help. Thanks.