Iced Coffee for the Summer

by Amanda Neely

It's almost summer and time for having iced coffee. To save your budget and to spoil your taste buds, here are some instructions for making coffee-shop-tasting iced coffee at home!

1. Brew your [Brazilian] coffee as you normally would. You do NOT need to make it overly strong.

2. Put it in a plastic pitcher or cup and cover it. Do NOT use glass as it may crack with the drastic temperature change.

3. Place the pitcher or cup in an ice water bath so that half of the outside of the cup is soaking in the cold water.

4. When the coffee has cooled to room temperature or below, it's ready to enjoy over ice and with your preference of milk and sugar. Drink through a straw for maximum satisfaction.

5. Refrigerate the leftovers but enjoy them within the next day or two before they get stale.

To make the iced coffee extra special for you or for summer guests, use sweetened condensed milk instead of regular milk or half and half.

MOST IMPORTANT: Do not pour hot coffee from your brewer over ice. This will just dilute your coffee.

Overflow Coffee Bar has a new coffee for the summer that's perfect for making iced coffee: Brazilian! This coffee is from the Mountain Mogiana region, one of the best coffee producing regions of Brazil. Its aroma is reminiscent of sweetened chocolate; its flavors are citric with a hint of nuttiness. The coffee has a full body and creamy, savory aftertaste. In 2008, the farm this coffee was grown on received a Sustainability Award from the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Buy some by clicking here and help get Overflow Coffee Bar one step closer to opening in the South Loop.

Amanda Neely is a South Loop resident who along with her husband, Brandon, are the owners of Overflow Coffee Bar.