The insanely hot summer is back in full force and we would all love to see each other on the terrace with an Aperol in hand. However, many of us "work-bound" have to impatiently watch the clock as it crawls towards six at a snail's pace, just so we can celebratory raise a dewy glass to our parched mouths.
But before you finally give up on the heat, know that there is a helper who will definitely get you back on your feet in the unbearable heat.
Together with the guys from Brew Bar cafe in Bratislava's Fresh Market, we'll show you that iced coffee doesn't have to be just a can from the gas station cooler, but a great way to forget about the cold radler for a moment. Not only will it pleasantly refresh you, but it will also give you that caffeine kick that each of us undoubtedly needs in the morning after those evening drinks.
Method 1: Cold Brew
Cold Brew, or cold brewed coffee, is a great option if planning ahead is your style. It takes 24 hours to prepare, but it's worth it, and it will last up to a week in the fridge. Anyone who's tried it knows.
Battle plan
Prepare cold water, freshly ground premium coffee in a ratio of 1:15, i.e. 1 gram of coffee to 15 ml of water. If you want to prepare 1 liter of coffee, you will need 66 grams of coffee for this volume of water. It is ideal to grind the coffee coarsely.
Find a container that fits comfortably in your refrigerator and add freshly ground coffee to the cold water. Stir, put it in the refrigerator, and forget about it for exactly 24 hours. Because you're steeping the coffee in cold water, it takes so long to extract.
The next day, take any coffee filter and strain the coffee through it. Don't worry if it takes a while, it's normal for one liter of coffee to take more than 10 minutes to filter.
Serve with ice and enjoy.Method 2: Filtered coffee on ice
If you don't have time or forgot to make Cold Brew the day before, there's an instant fix: filter coffee on ice. This method is a little more complicated, but it's also faster.
Battle plan:
Prepare 150 ml of boiling water, 20 g of freshly ground premium coffee, medium coarse, and ice.Place large ice cubes in the carafe where the coffee will flow, all the way to the top. Smaller ones will melt and dilute the coffee unnecessarily, making it taste too watery.
Take your favorite dripper (V60, chemex or kalitu) and slowly pour in the coffee. First pour in 30 ml of coffee and let the coffee breathe for 30 seconds. Then gradually add the rest of the water. The whole process should take about a minute and a half so that the hot coffee does not melt the ice too quickly.
Ideally, serve coffee without ice, or with fresh ice that doesn't melt as quickly.
Method 3: without robots
If you would like to start one of the preparations, but you are missing great coffee or other tools, you can find them at brewbar.sk . Or, if you want to refresh yourself immediately, visit them at the Brew Bar in Freshmarket. You can also find us sitting there every day after lunch.
