Tired Of Watered-Down Cold Brew? Try Coffee Ice Cubes
The secret to the perfect iced coffee doesn't actually lie in the coffee beans or the roast itself. While the quality of the grounds is important for that bold flavor and smooth finish, a great cup of coffee can easily be ruined by adding ice cubes. While some people are able to enjoyably consume cold coffees in the most frigid winter months, most iced coffees are sought-after on those warm days because they are a more refreshing way to get that caffeine fix. However, as soon as the hot sun starts to melt those ice cubes, your drink begins to deteriorate in flavor.
Before you know it, your cold brew will taste watered-down, weak, and sour. While brewing weak coffee can mess up your cup of joe, making your brew extra strong to combat the melting ice isn't your only solution. Instead, making coffee ice cubes will not only prevent that watery and weak coffee flavor, but will also boost the caffeine content in your single cup of cold brew.
Making coffee ice cubes is a very simple process that can actually help you utilize any day-old coffee you may have sitting in your pot. You'll need ice trays, a relatively flat space in your freezer, and a few hours for the coffee cubes to freeze. Then, you'll be able to add them to any cold coffee drink without the fear of them melting.
There are many ice cube options to choose from
Adding coffee ice cubes to your cold brew likely won't enhance the coffee flavor, but it will help the coffee from becoming diluted. If you want to strengthen the taste of your iced coffee or cold brew, you can get creative with what you're freezing. If you own a Nespresso machine or even a Moka pot, you can actually make espresso and use that in your ice cube trays, too.
Espresso ice cubes work really well in iced lattes or coffee drinks with added milk and sugar because their bold, rich flavor gets perfectly balanced out by the creamy sweetness. If you don't like adding a ton of syrups to your coffee but enjoy a subtle sweetness, adding a flavor like caramel or hazelnut to your coffee ice cubes will allow for a subtle flavor infusion that is enhanced with every sip.
Frozen hot chocolate is also a chilled beverage that people love, but it's basically a fancier and more decadent chocolate milk. Adding espresso or coffee to this drink has become a popular item at places like Starbucks, where they have iced mochas and mocha Frappuccinos. If you want to add chocolate to your iced coffee, making mocha ice cubes with a mixture of chocolate, milk, and coffee would pair perfectly and prevent any flavor loss. Plus, if you are feeling extra adventurous, adding coffee ice cubes to a blender can give a coffee-infused note to any smoothie you make.