Fall is upon us, meaning it’s time for beautiful sweater weather, pumpkin spice and everything nice… except that you live in Florida, and it’s still a sweaty sauna outside. Good thing iced coffee, the sweet nectar of the gods, exists. But you know what’s uncool? The lines at any coffee place around campus to get some iced coffee. What if I said there was a way to skip that line and make your own refreshing coffee without a coffee machine? You heard right, collegiettes! Read on to find out how.
There is a way to make coffee that doesn’t involve buying any sort of contraption, and it’s called cold brew. The only catch is that this cold brew coffee takes half a day to make. You may be thinking, Why don’t I just make the hot coffee and wait the three hours for it to cool down in the fridge? Well, the problem is that science makes that perfectly good hot coffee turn acidic while chilling in the fridge. The benefits of cold brewing your coffee include smoother, sweeter coffee, all while you sleep. Let’s face it — it might be September, but cold coffee is still totally relevant in Florida. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get in on this cold brew coffee trend.
What you’ll need:
- coffee beans
- water
- a container (I prefer mason jars, personally)
- Nine to 12 hours of your time
How to make it:
1. Coarsely grind up your coffee beans.2. Place the grounds in any sort of container with water in a 1:3 coffee-to-water ratio.3. Let it sit, covered, for 9-12 hours, depending on how strong you like your coffee.4. And that’s it. Go to sleep, study at the library or watch Netflix until your alarm rings.
When you wake up, your first thought will probably be, Ah, yes, my own cold brew coffee is ready to be iced. Wait. How do I sweeten it? If you know basic chemistry, you know that you can’t just pour sugar in there because it won’t dissolve fast enough. In a 1:1 ratio, boil sugar in water until it dissolves, and that’s what you use to sweeten. Bonus points if you use coffee ice cubes!
Or maybe you’re waking up only to realize you forgot to make a batch because you were too busy watching the entire last season of Game of Thrones. Um, I mean studying. Same thing, right? That’s when you walk over to Know Where Coffee, where you’ll find good vibes, and most importantly, great coffee. More importantly, they have amazing cold brew! Know Where Coffee is all about knowing where your coffee comes from. If you drink coffee from there, you know you’re getting fresh, high-grade coffee. You can stay up to date with their products, hours and events by liking their Facebook page! This adorable shop hosts coffee cupping events where their roasters come in to talk about their coffee, and they bring samples! The next one is September 25 at 2:30 p.m., so check it out if you’re interested in their products.
Photo credit:www.gimmesomeoven.com