How To Make Iced Coffee At Home

It may seem like a no-brainer: To make iced coffee, simply pour hot coffee–or even yesterday's leftovers–over ice. But doing so will result in a diluted, bitter cup of cold joe.

To get you through the warm season, here are a few essentials to help you make delicious iced coffee:

Iced Coffee Beans A good cup of coffee–hot or cold–starts with the bean. Brooklyn-based Crop to Cup has released an Iced African blend developed especially to be brewed for iced coffee. Made with beans that have a natural sweetness, the resulting glass has hints of chocolate and fruit that preclude any additions.

Hario V60 Fretta This is the preferred brewer for aficionados like Craig Min, owner of L.A.'s LAMILL coffee boutique. Like a manual drip coffeemaker, this sleek contraption (pictured) uses hot water for extraction, but the brew flows into a bottom chamber filled with ice, creating a full-flavored, viscous cup in less than five minutes.

Toddy Café The cold-brew camp eschews hot water altogether, so as not to release the coffee's acids and oils (which can result in increased bitterness). The Toddy's slow (usually overnight) cold-brew process renders a less acidic, smooth, concentrated coffee that can keep for days.

DIY Cold Brew Forgo the fancy machinery by creating a simple cold-brew system at home: Combine coarse coffee grounds and cold water in a jar, let it sit overnight, then strain through a filter-lined strainer. The resulting brew is delicious, and it lasts for days. Here's our foolproof recipe (click here to download).