Flavored Iced Coffee

The temperatures are climbing, but the urge for a coffee fix is hard to ignore. Rather than brewing a pot of hot coffee or settling for iced tea on hot summer days, why not enjoy a delicious glass of iced coffee? Making flavored iced coffee is easy and inexpensive. A little advance planning and a few special ingredients are all you need to whip up a frothy treat.

1. Brewing Coffee for Iced Coffee Recipes

Obviously, iced coffee requires coffee. For best results, pick a quality coffee with lots of flavor. Coffee made from freshly roasted coffee beans is exceptionally flavorful and smooth, especially when the coffee is brewed using a French press. If home roasted coffee beans are not an option, that's okay. The next best choice starts with freshly ground coffee beans.

Once you have your coffee brewed, it needs to chill. This is where advanced planning is important. In the morning, brew an extra pot of coffee specifically for iced coffee later in the day. Pour it into a glass pitcher, add your flavors, and chill.

2. Picking Iced Coffee Flavors

Before we move on to the ice itself, let's pick our iced coffee flavors. The easiest choice is to start with a flavored coffee bean in the first place. For example, hazelnut flavored coffee or macadamia nut coffee make delicious flavored iced coffees with little effort on your part. If you roast your own coffee beans or don't have flavored coffee beans on hand, add a few drops of your favorite extract such as almond or vanilla extract. Love mocha coffee? Use chocolate syrup or cocoa powder.

3. Preparing the Ice

We all know how to make ice cubes. However, we're not going to make ice cubes for our easy iced coffee treat. Instead, we will make coffee cubes. Using plain old ice keeps your iced coffee cool, but it also waters it down as the ice melts. Who wants watered down coffee? Take an empty ice cube tray (or two) and fill it with your pre-flavored coffee. Freeze.

When the time comes, serve your flavored iced coffee on the rocks or crush the coffee ice in a blender. If you prefer cream and sugar with your coffee, add it to taste. Garnish your iced coffee with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of chocolate shavings or cinnamon.

Yes, it's hot outside. Get your caffeine fix and cool down at the same time with an easy flavored iced coffee treat.