Coffee coffee coffee coffee coffee

Motto of independant coffee shops everywhere.

I really am a fan of coffee.

I had my first sip of coffee around age 11. It was mostly milk and sugar, but boy did I feel fancy. Plus Mama let me drink the coffee out of one of her fancy tea cups.

The summer after 9th grade, I began to spend all my money and free time at The Coffee Beanery (now closed) in downtown Greenville. I was hanging out with people 2-6 years older than me, and I loved it. I was like their little puppy, but that was ok. I had a huge crush on the barista, who was a senior from my high school.

I loved chocolate espresso, but would mostly stick to cappuccino.

*Sob*

In college, I found a decent little coffee shop a mile from the school. I would go there to study on occasion. Or, you know, not study at all. The coffee shop at campus was consistently crowded, but I'd stop in when classes were in session (never between classes, oh god the chaos) to grab a white chocolate mocha in the winter or a bottled Frappuccino in the warmer months.

On road trips, I love to get gas station french vanilla cappuccinos. Yeah yeah, they don't really taste like coffee at all. But they're hot and sweet and keep me going.

That's right. I drink AND enjoy this stuff. Go ahead, judge.

Now, in my own apartment, I have a decent coffee maker and we prefer to buy whole beans and grind them at home. I don't go out for coffee much, especially not during the summer. In fact, I haven't been drinking coffee lately. I'm terribly lazy, you see. It doesn't make much sense that we prefer to buy whole beans, but they really are tastier.

Today I discovered cold brew coffee, via one of my favorite Youtubers (I discovered her as XSparkage, now I follow both her makeup channel and her random/life stuff channel). When she poured her beverage, it looked so tasty. It made me want to go out and buy a Frappuccino that instant.

There are many things about cold coffee that appeal to me. Not least of which is the ease factor. Once you make your coffee concentrate, you can leave the pitcher in the fridge. Pour and mix the coffee each morning and you're good to go. No measuring out beans and water.

In addition, cold brew coffee is both less acidic and less caffeinated than traditionally brewed coffee. This might not seem like the best thing for many people, but if I have too much caffeine, things go hay-wire. It's just a cherry on top of the smoother, more basic* coffee.

I've included Leesha's video below for your convenience, but I will detail what I have done to make my delicious Cold Brew Frappé

In a pitcher, combine one cup of coarse coffee grounds (medium is acceptable, finely ground is not) with 4.5 cups of cold water. Stir and let sit for at least 12 hours. No more than 24.

After 12 hours of steeping, strain the coffee through a coffee filter twice.




Store the coffee concentrate in the fridge until you're ready to use it. (That's right, we didn't just make coffee. We made CONCENTRATE.)

When you're ready for a tasty beverage, fill your glass with ice. Fill it roughly half-way with the concentrate and half-way with milk. Add any sugar or flavoring as you choose.

I made vanilla simple syrup so I didn't need additional sugar. (1 cup water, 1 cup sugar. Bring to boil. When the syrup is clear remove from heat and immediately add 1 tsp vanilla extract. Voila.)

If you're feeling really fucking fancy, go ahead and add some whipped cream.

Or don't. Whatever.

Notes:

I have french roast because the SO likes coffee very strong and very dark. Still works just as well.

Leesha calls for 4.5 cups of water, but I actually used almost 5.5. I got distracted.

My coffee sat for only 11 hours because it was getting late. It was still pretty good.

I first strained it through a small mesh strainer to remove the bulk of the grounds.
For ease, I put a filter in my coffee machine like normal, and just poured the coffee into there to strain it. Do that twice. This will take a couple minutes.

*Basic as in not acidic