Terri Ramsey Beavers Do you enjoy going to Starbucks for their delicious cups of joe? During the pandemic, do you want to avoid risking your health for a fantastic cup of coffee? Do you want to learn how to make iced coffee like Starbucks makes?
The US is famous for its widespread coffee culture. The United States is the second-biggest coffee consumer in the world. It ranks after the top coffee producer in the world, Brazil, which also has a high demand for its product.
Everybody loves Starbucks since it makes high-quality products. The problem is that not everyone can go out to buy or afford a pricey Starbucks coffee. In this guide, we’ll show you how to make a Starbucks iced coffee at home.
1. Prepare What You Need to Make Starbucks Coffee at Home
Before we learn how to make iced coffee like Starbucks, gather everything you need. Like any recipe, you first have to prepare what you need to make a Starbucks-style iced coffee. Consider how many cups you want to make or the number of people you’re preparing iced coffee for.
For this guide, we’re going to prepare a pitcher of iced coffee. Are you planning on only having one cup for the day? Don’t worry because we’ll also include a recipe for one cup of iced coffee later.
The items you need to make iced coffee like Starbucks are:
- 5 and 1/4 cups of ice (for pitchers)
- Ground coffee of your preference
- Sweetener
- Coffee press (Good for 12 cups)
- Milk (optional)
Note that you don’t need to have all the equipment that a typical Starbucks branch has. All you need is a functional coffee press. If you’re considering getting an espresso maker, check out this guide from Espresso Canada.
2. Brew Your Coffee
Once you have everything ready, assemble your coffee press. Take your ground coffee and place 16 scoops of a 2-tablespoon coffee scoop. For a 12-cup press, Starbucks recommends 32 tablespoons, but half is all you’ll need for this mix.
Let five and one-fourth cups of water brew in temperatures between 195 F to 205 F. That range is the ideal brewing temperature for most coffees. The only exception is espresso coffee.
Remove the water and pour it over all the ground coffee on the press. Place the plunger for your press on top and seal it to keep the heat in. Let the coffee brew for four minutes.
If you only need a lesser amount of coffee, prepare your coffee in the same way. You may have to use fewer measurements of water and ground coffee.
3. Pour Your Coffee
Next, add ice to your pitcher. Make sure there’s only enough to fit in all the coffee and ice. The following step is to pour the fresh coffee into a pitcher. Make sure you press the plunger down so the grounds remain in the press.
What if you’re only preparing one cup of iced coffee? When preparing iced coffee from the press straight to a cup, you want to put in the ice first as well. This is so you don’t end up splashing or spilling coffee about when you add ice.
Everyone has different preferences on how much ice they want in their coffee. If you like your cup filled halfway with ice, go for it. If you enjoy iced coffee with the ice only reaching one-thirds up the cup, do your thing.
4. Add a Twist
This step is about customizing your cup to your liking. Do you like your iced coffee sweet? Do you like to add milk to your brew?
If you want to add a refreshing taste to your iced coffee, slice up an orange, and add a few slices. Do you want a creamy iced coffee? Top off your coffee with a cup and a half of milk.
Your sweetener can be anything that you have at home. It can be honey, regular sugar, brown sugar, vanilla syrup, agave, or honey. Try experimenting or use the kind of sweetener that works best for your taste buds.
You may also want to add milk to your iced coffee. This can be any type of milk that fits your preferences, be it soy or non-fat milk. Like the sweetener, some milk types have a different impact when consumed cold, so don’t be afraid to test out different kinds.
You may be reading a guide on how to make Starbucks coffee. However, you don’t need to limit yourself to Starbucks ingredients. Be creative with how you make your coffee because you never know what you’re missing out on.
5. Enjoy Your Iced Coffee
The last step on how to make coffee like Starbucks at home is to enjoy it. Take a seat on the porch and take the time to appreciate your creation. If you’re sharing, use iced coffee as an icebreaker or as a way to bond with friends or family.
Tips and Things to Consider When Making Iced Coffee
Sometimes, the heat or cold brings out the unadulterated flavors of a coffee roast. What is the best coffee at Starbucks that will best fit the iced variant? Coffees with fruity or chocolaty flavors taste best iced.
Do you want to drink coffee with a fruity flavor without having to add orange slices in the cup? Ethiopian coffee beans are famous for their fruity flavors. With a little research, you can find the right flavor of coffee that you’re yearning for.
While iced coffee is the perfect way to beat the heat, try to limit your coffee consumption to five cups per day. Studies say that if you go past that, you put your health at risk. You increase the risk of developing heart disease by 22% when you go overboard with your coffee.
Now You Know!
That ends our guide on how to make iced coffee like Starbucks. We hope you enjoyed reading this guide as much as you’ll enjoy your iced coffee. We also hope this guide gave you new ideas on how to prepare your coffee at home on a hot day.
Are you looking for other useful guides on coffee-related topics? We’ve got you covered. Check out our other content now for more posts on everything coffee and then some.