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Wanting an iced coffee, but cold brew just doesn't do it for you? You're not alone. Cold brew has its benefits, but one thing lost are the volatile aromatics that require hotter brew temperatures to fully extract. Enter the Japanese Iced Pour Over method, a style that captures the flavors and nuances of hot brewed coffee, but delivers them iced.

    What you need
  • V60 cone (Chemex, Kalita, or similar will work just as well)
  • V60 filters
  • Grinder
  • Scale
  • Gooseneck Kettle (recommended)
  • Hot water just off the boil (195-205F)
  • Timer
  • 120g ice cubes, the larger the better
  • Carafe or mason jar
Let's get started

It's Grind Time

Set your water to boil and measure out your coffee. Grind this one slightly finer than you would for your normal pour over method (think the texture of fine sand). This finer grind in concert with the high ratio of coffee to water (1:10) will give us a higher extraction level (or, in other words, a stronger brew). We want our brew to be more concentrated since our final cup will be slightly diluted by the melted ice. 

Prep for Success

Place filter in cone and rinse with hot water (to avoid paper taste). Discard the water used for rinsing. Fill the glass (or Chemex, or carafe) you're brewing into with your ice cubes. Remember, the larger the cubes the better, as you'll be brewing directly onto them, melting them as you go. Place the V60 cone on the glass, pour your ground coffee in there, and set the whole thing on a scale. Tare scale and get excited.

In Bloom

Start your timer and slowly pour in 20-40g of water. Start with a few quick pulses, allowing just enough water to fully saturate the beans, without letting any under-extracted water run through to the glass. Too heavy a pour at this stage and the water will just blitz through the grounds, essentially watering down your beautiful cup of coffee. Let your coffee sit for 30 seconds. This phase is referred to as "the bloom." 

Go Slow With That Flow 

Once we've hit that 30 second mark, we can begin the pour. Begin in the center and work out in a spiral, maintaining a slow and steady rate of flow. Be careful not to pour too close to the edge of the filter, as this can lead to water running down between the filter and the cone, wholly bypassing the coffee grounds. We're aiming for 240g of water to be poured by the 1:30 mark. 

What's cooler than being cool?

Brewing directly on to the ice will chill the coffee instantly, and lock in some of those volatile aromatics that we so love talking about (admit it, it's a pretty legit sounding phrase). After you've finished the pour, let the water drain through for about a minute. The finer grind will slow the movement of water through the coffee grounds, but with less overall water this should still be enough time to complete the extraction.

Ice Cold

Remove the filter here and give the cone a good rinse. You should have about 300g (10oz) of room temperature coffee remaining in your vessel (some water will have been absorbed by the coffee grounds). Simply add ice or pour over fresh ice, and enjoy a delicious cup of hot-brewed cold coffee!

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