I'm a real iced coffee freak and I always look forward to warmer weather, when an iced coffe seems to go down so well. I know it's not to everyone's taste, and may even offend local cutom - I'll never forget the look of utter contempt I got from a waitress one time in Tulsa.
But I've never liked taking brewed coffee and pouring it over ice cubes - the end product is watered down and tends to be bitter. And I hate paying $3 for a glass.
Years ago, I learned about cold-brewing, which is basically letting coarse-ground coffee soak 12 hours or so in cold water, and then straining it (I used folded cheesecloth), and refrigerating the very strong result, which will keep a week or so. Cold-brewing reduces acidity by about 2/3rds, and tastes great. My recipe is about 12 oz. of coarse-ground coffee to 10 cups of water - and don't stir it! But you wouldn't believe the mess it makes.
A while ago, a new company called ToddyCafe started up in Fort Collins, and they make a cold-brewing system that is fool-proof, easy to use, and, even better, easy to clean up. It's uses a plastic tank, a re-usable filter, and a glass carafe. It takes a couple of minutes to start a batch, a couple of minutes to clean up, and the result is excellent. I've been using it for a couple of years now, and I'm more than satisfied. ToddyCafe charges $37.50 for the system, and has a bunch of other coffee-related stuff for sale too.
Check them out at www.toddycafe.com
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