Cold coffee sounds great!! But Hot liquid+Glass Jar+Ice cubes = Cracked glass :( .. Any suggestions to prevent that in the future??

the glass will not crack. the pour over method drips slowly down over the ice. the coffee cools almost instantly as it comes in contact with the ice. we have experimented with this at my coffee shop and it works beautifully.

the link is above, but here it is again:
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/ristretto-on-the-rocks/

@food-lover, I was a little nervous about that happening to my Chemex, but since the dripping coffee is so slow and goes directly onto the ice cubes, it seemed the cool the coffee quickly enough to prevent cracking.

Maybe try putting a metal spoon in the jar and pouring the coffee onto that? I've done that before to cool coffee down -- the spoon absorbs a lot of heat quickly.

My opinion: WAY too much effort for a cup of coffee.

also, you could pour fresh brewed coffee into an ice cube tray, and use those coffee cubes as the ice. so you either get an extra blast of coffee flavor, or you could then brew the regular ratio of coffee to water.

Chemex coffee makers are made to withstand the heat of the coffee they make. You can rest easy that the glass will not break.

Trish1980: to each their own, but personally, I've always found that doing that leads to an undrinkable, bitter cup of coffee, and I don't think I'm alone in that! Cold-brewing when I want iced coffee produces a drink I find much tastier.

@danielboc - that's exactly what I do. Today's "leftovers" get thrown in the freezer on the way out to the door this morning and become beautiful, flavorful ice cubes to use tomorrow morning. Hot, fresh coffee + coffee cubes + dressing of choice = happiness

You don't have to worry about your Chemex breaking using this method. Chemex pots are made from a type of glass called borosilicate. Borosilicate is the same type of glass used in laboratory glassware and what Pyrex branded kitchenware was made from prior to Corning's divestment.

Borosilicate can withstand far greater thermal stress compared to "regular" soda-lime glass. I remember seeing a picture of an old borolicate/Pyrex baking dish that had had one half frozen in a giant block of ice and the other end was heated using a propane torch.

But that negates my favorite part of iced coffee - having a whole jug of it in the fridge, ready to pour out with zero effort in the morning.

Like danielboc and meghie, I freeze my coffee, but I make a thick coffee shake by putting the cubes in my mini blender along with agave nectar and milk or half and half. Quick and easy. Yum.

One Word... frappé......(done the Greek way though.. non of this Starbucks rubbish..).

I'm not sure if this is necessarily a "Japanese" method of making coffee. I've seen it done primarily at Vietnamese places, where the ice cubes are often sitting in a lovely bit of condensed milk, for a great sweet/milky flavor.

i will just stick with making strong hot coffee...cool it overnight and add some ice and cold milk...yummm..good every time.

What about using an ice t maker?

Making cold brewed coffee with a toddy is very, very easy, especially since once batch can last up to a two weeks (depending on how strong you like your coffee, since it makes a concentrate that can be diluted with water). I haven't tried this method but to me the beauty of the cold brew is that it removes the acidity caused by burning the coffee grounds with scalding water. I just love the way it tastes. Toddy was one of the best kitchen purchases I've made.

I agree with owlchick.. i've ordered vietnamese coffee at pho places and its like the same method with the condensed milk and it's DELISH!!

This is my favorite by far (tastes just like coffee shop version): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/easy-iced-coffee/detail.aspx

I always have instant granules on hand (widely used in Indian-style coffee making), and I just add them to a glass jar with the sugar and water, put a lid on it, and shake until I can't hear any more liquid. It's amazing how thick and frothy it turns--very similar to whipped cream. Pour over your milk and ice, and magic happens.

Wow, this sound almost like how they make it at any coffee shop.

Make an espresso shot or two, and pour over ice. Mix with milk, sweetener and or flavoring as necessary.

Nothing special.
No ancient Japanese secret.
Magic not applied.

Fresh brewed and or then chilled will always be better than cold brew. Cold brewing allows all the bad parts of coffee to come out simple due to the long brewing time.

I used to use leftover coffee. Then I tried cold brewing. It was so much smoother and richer, with chocolate overtones. It's amazing how much better it tastes.

We make a carafe of coffee, then toss it in the fridge.

Agree with seeking perfection above: Greek frappe is the way to go. Going to make myself one now. But the secret is using Greek-manufactured Nescafe, because American Nes is nasty. I think the Euro versions are better because they're meant to taste more like espresso.

Actually, what AmandaSW is describing is the Greek frappe trick. We have a dedicated whizzer, or you can do it in a blender too, if you don't feel like manually shaking.

This sounds like a great idea and I think I have a little tool that would make it easy. It's this plastic single cup coffee drip thingy. Haha I don't know what it's called but you've probably seen them.

I always end up making too much espresso in the morning with my stovetop percolator. So I just dump the remains into a mason jar in the fridge. Stays fresh tasting for a few days-- just add milk and sugar and ice. Instant happy.

*OR*

If I have none on hand, I do it Vietnamese style- pour the hot coffee over ice and stir in a big heaping spoonful of sweetend, condensed milk. Delish and decadent.

One thing I really miss from the Japanese grocery stores in Honolulu (I moved to Maui last year) is the iced coffee from Japan in a carton, it was $1 for about 4 or 5 cups, just refrigerate, open and pour. Unsweetened, smooth, not bitter. Could be kept in the pantry until ready for use.

modestalmond - that sounds great, thanks. I'm not supposed to drink too much coffee so that will make my cup a bit "bigger" without adding more caffeine.

I thought the whole point of making the cold-brew coffee (the over night method) was that it didn't activate the oils that make coffee bitter (like when it is brewed with hot water). It seems like this method of cooling down hot coffee would negate the benefits of the less bitter cold brew.

I use my aeropress to make iced coffee when I just want a single. In the summer when I drink a lot more of it, I use the Pioneer Woman's recipe to make a gallon and keep it in the frig. I've never had a single complaint. In fact, most say it's the best they've ever tasted! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/