Start Cold-Brewing Iced Coffee at Home

Forget french pressing or the pour-over method: there's a different type of coffee brewing that's sparking the attention of java-lovers. It's called cold-brewing, and it's a lengthy (but easy) process.

Cold-brewing involves saturating 1 1/2 cups of ground coffee beans in 2 1/2 cups of cold, filtered water, covering the container and letting it sit out at room temperature for 12 hours, and then straining out the coffee grounds using a paper filter. The efforts are by no means immediate, but the end result might win you over: cold brews are lighter and thinner, and their flavors won't be weakened by ice. In contrast to brewing a hot cup of coffee, which draws out the acidity and bitterness of beans, a cold brew slowly extracts the bean's flavorful oils.

Food Network chef Jeff Mauro has a penchant for blended iced coffee drinks, and a cold brew is his preferred method. He adds, "I just think, as far as for the iced coffee application, there is no better way, because you are not brewing it over ice and diluting it. It takes time to do it, but the payoff is great."

Twelve hours may seem like a lifetime, but this method really just involves remembering to combine the two ingredients while prepping dinner, so you can wake up to refreshing, invigorating cold-brew coffee in the morning. The brew is concentrated, so dilute it with filtered water to your liking, and then serve over ice along with your choice of creamer. Take a look at Jeff's complete recipe for cold-brew coffee, or watch a video to see how it's made.