What Are Best Beans For Iced Coffee? Coffee is an essential part of our day, and summer is not an excuse to miss our favorite java. For that reason, most of us resort to iced coffee to get our daily caffeine boost.
Your regular brew might not make excellent iced coffee and that’s why choosing the right one is essential. So what are best beans for iced coffee?
Best Brands For Iced Coffee
Here is a table summarizing the best coffee to make iced coffee at home:
Best Coffee For Iced Coffee | Roast Level | Price |
Stone Street Coffee | Dark Roast | $65 |
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe | Light/ Medium | $18 |
Lifeboost Coffee | Medium Roast | $30 |
Lavazza Whole Bean Blend | Dark Roast | $15 |
Stone Street Coffee
New Yorkers’ favorite coffee, Stone Street has started from Brooklyn as a small roastery and became the best one in entire new york.
There 100% Colombian supremo beans blend is perfect for your iced coffee.
Pros:
- Columbian beans
- Superior bean sourcing
- Bold, balanced, low-acid, slightly sweet cold brew
Cons:
- It might not be as flavorful as you’ll hope
Brandywine Coffee Roasters Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Loved by the US coffee championship in Good Spirits Competitions, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is your go-to coffee for iced as well as a cold brew.
Heavy fruity flavor lives up to its billing. You can’t go wrong here!
Pros:
- Single-origin coffee
- Great fruity notes
- Rich and delicious
Cons:
- Dense and over-extracted
Lifeboost Coffee
What’s better than single-origin organic coffee to make an iced cup of coffee on a hot summer day?
All Lifeboost blends are handpicked roasts that are free of Mycotoxin and pesticides free. They have notes of wood and cocoa powder.
Pros:
- Arabica and Maragogipe beans from the mountains of Nicaragua
- Single-origin
- Low acidity
Cons:
- Flavors are good but not up to the price you have to pay due to its low acidic content
Lavazza Whole Bean Blend
If you want to enjoy iced coffee but are not much of a caffeine fan, this next coffee is for you!
Lavazza decaf is made with an all-natural process where coffee is treated with steam to remove caffeine using carbon dioxide. This process retains the bean’s natural flavor.
The blend of the whole bean has a smooth flavor of cream and the exceptional aroma of the best coffee beans.
Pros
- Blended and roasted in Italy
- 100% Arabica beans
- Smooth and well-rounded flavor
Cons:
- Make great decaf but not best for espresso
What type of coffee is best for iced coffee?
Medium to dark roast is best for iced coffee. For selecting beans, always opt for Arabica coffee beans, as they are most popular because of their rich flavors.
If you want your iced coffee to taste even better, iced coffee pairs well with flavors like caramel and chocolate. Adding this to your regular cup will bring your iced coffee to the next level.
To avoid tartness in your iced coffee, use full-bodied coffee. If you prefer tea-like iced coffee, then try coffee sourced from Kenya or Ethiopia.
If you don’t want to go into the depth of the source of beans, then buy medium to light roast from your favorite coffee brand and brew yourself delicious iced coffee.
Why Are Freshly Ground Coffee Beans a Better Choice?
Freshly ground coffee tastes better than pre-ground coffee. Before you decide that only pretentious coffee know-it-alls would say this, hear us out. There are a few reasons to back up this claim. The real deciding factor is the taste, but let’s get into the science of it first.
- Oxidation — When you grind coffee beans, you start the oxidation process, and air molecules and coffee compounds mix. When this happens long before you brew with the coffee grounds, flavor and aroma are released from the beans too early, before the grounds reach you.
- Moisture — Moisture in the air can degrade coffee grounds. Humidity is the enemy of coffee grounds, which is why coffee is best stored in a dark, dry place.
- CO2 Reduction — Carbon dioxide transfers oil from coffee beans to coffee, and grinding creates more room for carbon dioxide to escape. Grinding beans right before you brew reduces this CO2 escape.
For these three very important reasons, creating a cup of coffee at home should ideally begin with grinding beans fresh. The quality of taste and aroma will be superior to any pre-ground beans you can buy.
How to Make Iced Coffee at Home
It couldn’t be easier once you know how to brew java from the best beans to use for iced coffee.
You’ll need:
- a batch of room temperature or chilled coffee,
- ice cubes (water or coffee-based),
- milk, cream, or half-and-half,
- sugar or any other sweetener of your choice.
Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, pour java until the glass is almost full, and top it off with milk or cream. Add sugar or another sweetener. Stir until combined. Take a fancy pic for your Instagram account, and enjoy!
I always keep a tightly sealed bottle of pre-brewed coffee in the fridge throughout the scorching summer months. So whenever I need a caffeine boost and don’t want to suffer through a hot cuppa, I can whip up an iced coffee in under a minute.