Sip Smarter: Make Flavored Iced Coffee at Home

Choose flavors wisely. Buy your favorite flavored coffee beans or grounds, but keep in mind that strong, fresh flavors will ensure the tastiest iced cup. “Fruit flavors are the best-selling because it’s the summer and those kinds of things are in season,” says Dante McCleery, manager of Pitman’s Casa de Coffee, who notes that coconut cream, caramel, chocolate raspberry and chocolate cherry are customer faves.

Brew ahead of schedule. The coffee should cool in the fridge for at least three to four hours before pouring over ice. If you want it ready to drink first thing in the morning, brew the coffee at night before you go to sleep, let it cool overnight, and wait until it’s lukewarm before putting it in the fridge. Your coffee can last for about two to three days before you should make a new batch.

Make coffee cubes. Use any leftover coffee to make coffee ice cubes, which you can then use in your next iced coffee. Simply pour the coffee into an ice cube tray and place it in the freezer. Using the frozen coffee cubes will prevent iced coffee from being watered down, like it may be if you use regular ice.

Up the strength. If you find yourself without frozen coffee cubes and have no choice but to use ice, don’t worry. Simply add a few extra spoonfuls of grounds when you brew to make the coffee stronger so it won’t be diluted when the ice melts.