Here's What To Do For The Best Iced Latte Of Your Life

If you want to start spending less money on to-go coffees, then you need to learn how to make cafe-worthy coffee at home. And, if you're a coffee drinker, then you probably like to enjoy an iced latte from time to time — if not always — so it's a good drink to start with when experimenting at home. However, you need to make sure that you're paying attention to the more minor details, like the beans themselves and the order of operations when building your java, especially if you want to add a little sweetness to your drink.

Really, when is the best time to add the sweetener? To find out the answer to that question and more, The Daily Meal spoke with an expert: Jee Choe, the coffee and tea specialist of Oh How Civilized. Coffee aficionados likely know the general overview of how to make the drink. Start by pouring brewed espresso over ice, filling the glass with your choice of milk, and then give it a good stir. If you enjoy having some sort of sweetener in your iced latte, then you may have added that along with the milk or possibly after the espresso and before the milk. However, according to Choe, to make the best latte of your life, you need to combine the coffee and sweetener first (before the ice) — and pay attention to the age of your beans.

Jee Choe recommends adding the sugar or sweetener directly into the hot espresso and then giving it a big stir. Choe explains, "This will allow the sugar or simple syrup to dissolve or mix in completely."

This means adding the sugar, honey, or simply syrup into the shot glass that you brewed the espresso into before pouring that into your coffee cup. You can also add the sugar or sweetener to the bottom of the glass and then brew the espresso directly over it. Once you have made sure that any crystals have dissolved or the sweetener is fully integrated into the coffee itself, you can pour the mix into your coffee cup, over ice to give it a nice chill.

Some recipes instruct you to combine the milk and the sweetener and pour that into the iced espresso. However, that method isn't as foolproof as Choe's recommendation. For example, if honey is your sweetener of choice, it won't dissolve fully into the cold milk as it will with the freshly brewed, piping-hot espresso.

According to Jee Choe, the other major detail that will improve the quality of your homemade iced latte is the freshness of the coffee beans. Of course, fresh is ideal, but what exactly does "fresh" mean? Choe notes, "I like to use coffee beans that were roasted [two] weeks prior for the best[-]tasting coffee since it gives the coffee time to de-gas properly." The process of degassing refers to when, after the coffee is roasted, the beans begin releasing carbon dioxide.

With that in mind, Choe recommends paying attention to the roast date of the coffee beans that you buy. If there's no date, Choe explains, then "you don't know if the coffee was roasted last week or last year."

Finally, for the best-tasting homemade coffee, Choe suggests grinding the coffee beans just before brewing for "optimal taste." This means that you should buy whole coffee beans (instead of pre-ground coffee) — with a known roast date listed — and then grind the beans yourself. You will have to invest in a grinder — or an espresso machine with a built-in grinder — if you don't already have one, but it will certainly be worth it when your homemade ice latte tastes like it came from your local cafe (or better). Then, once you've perfected a simple homemade iced latte, you can try your hand at a brown sugar caramel latte or a pumpkin spice latte.