Top Tips For Making The Absolute Best Batched Iced Coffee

Humankind has been enjoying tea for more than 2,000 years (andperhaps even longer), which makes coffee a relative newcomer on the world stage. Depending on the sources (and whether or not the truly fascinating stories around the ancient history of coffee are true), people have only been brewing up a cup of joe to start their days for between 500 and 1,000 years. It's only fairly recently that iced coffee has seen a surge in popularity, and honestly, we're wondering why it didn't happen sooner, but it could be because people are intimidated by making it at home.

Daily Meal reached out to Jee Choe, the coffee and tea specialist behind the blog Oh, How Civilized, for advice on making a batch of iced coffee and keeping it on hand. She gave us some invaluable tips — starting with some words of wisdom that will help you avoid one of the biggest pitfalls of iced coffee.

"When it comes to making iced coffee from a French press or a drip, the biggest mistake is not making a strong enough coffee," she told us. And it makes sense! Because you're serving it over ice, there's the potential for turning your delicious cup of iced coffee into some vaguely coffee-flavored cold water. Fortunately, she's shared more tips to help you make the best batch of iced coffee.

Iced coffee is brewed hot and then chilled before being typically served over ice, which brings us to the first recommendation from Jee Choe. Simply, she says that it's important to make your iced coffee in advance so that it has time to chill. Your best bet is to plan on giving it at least overnight, so you might want to get in the habit of perhaps making your morning iced coffee around dinnertime the previous night.

She also says that it's incredibly important that when you're making iced coffee you shouldn't make it the same way you brew a pot of hot coffee. "Since the coffee will be added to ice, essentially diluting it, the coffee should be brewed double-strength."

What, exactly, does that entail? There are two main ways to brew a double-strength coffee, and the good news is that they're both pretty straightforward. One method simply entails doubling the amount of grounds that you use. Easy, right? There's another option ideal for pour-over coffee (because you don't want to try this in a coffee machine, it can cause some serious damage). For this method, you're essentially going to brew a regular pot of coffee, then run that coffee through the process again, with a fresh batch of grounds.

While it might be tempting to add just the right amount of milk and sugar to your coffee and pop it in the fridge to chill, it's worth leaving that bit of prep work until the end. According to Jee Choe, "It's always a good idea to store brewed coffee in the refrigerator without milk mixed in to keep it for longer (4 days at most). Once milk is added to the coffee, it's best to drink within 2 days."

What about sugar? It's no secret that sugar will dissolve better with heat, so you might think you should add sugar to your iced coffee before putting it in the fridge. Not so fast! That will also reduce its shelf life in the fridge. Our expert had a brilliantly easy solution. "[Use] simple syrup instead of granulated sugar to sweeten [your] iced coffee. Simple syrup will mix into a cold beverage much quicker than sugar." 

As simple as its name implies (sugar dissolved in water and cooled into a solution) there are many uses for simple syrup and it's easy to make at home. You can even add some flavorings, like vanilla. As a bonus, it also has almost infinite uses in cocktails. When stored correctly, your homemade simple syrup will last for about a month, and it's easy to add to your iced coffee for a dash of sweetness and a burst of flavor.