Ice, Ice, coffee...

{I'll save you from any further attempts to be a rapper... Wiki, wiki.}



When the temperatures rise I celebrate a good iced coffee. What I don't celebrate is the dinero one of these creamy delights can cost at a coffee shop. Solution? DIY, kitchen style!

Here's what you need:
-any ground coffee your heart desires. I like decaf so I can enjoy anytime.
-good ole H20
-a jar, pitcher, or any kind of device to hold your "sludge." I used my always stylish vintage aqua ball jar. {everything is better in aqua.}




Step 1: Place 1/2 Cup of coffee in your vessel of choice. Top it off with 2 Cups of cold water. Put a lid on it. Leave it on the counter. Now you wait 10 or so hours. Or sleep. I highly recommend letting the sludge hang overnight.


Step 2: The icky part.


Use a strainer lined with a traditional coffee filter or some cheese cloth. Let gravity do its work. You may need to change out the coffee filter a time or two. I like to do this over a large measuring cup for ease of transport. Once all the sludge is filtered out, pour the liquid gold into crockery that is fridge friendly. I add another 1-2 Cups of water to this concentrate before chillin it vanilla ice style {in the fridge for an hour or so, until cold.} I like mediumly strong coffee so I usually add about 1 & 1/2 cups of water. {its my blog, I can make up words if I want to!}



Step 3: Enjoy!


Oh the many ways you can enjoy.... If you're being good, some skim milk and a little simple syrup is tasty. To up the gilt factor try a little sweetened condensed milk. The beyond-a-doubt-better-than-the-stuff-the-green-lady-from-Seattle-makes... Mix 1 can of sweetened condensed milk with 1 can of evaporated milk and a few teaspoons of vanilla extract (homemade is the best if you've got it!) Put this nectar of the gods in another fridge friendly jar and use the concoction as creamer. I use a little of this and a little skim milk and I promise it will make you kiss your fingers with perfection. Your pocket book will cheer wildly at your savings and your taste buds will dance in delight.

Note: The coffee concentrate will keep in your fridge for about a month when properly sealed.