all things in moderation ~ cold brewed coffee

i'm a lover of the brew and i feel a serious obligation to share my new iced coffee method with my likeminded friends.  i know not all of my silent readers will pass this one on.

you see, quite a few of my favorite people will argue with me about the health benefits of coffee and while i respect their reasoning for passing on the deliciousness, i can't hear them when they tell me it's "bad for you."   okay, a lot of any one thing is probably bad for you so when i say this, i say it cautiously:

in moderation, coffee offers many, many health benefits (even the caffeinated version).  google it.  benefits such as, lowered risk of diabetes, parkinson's disease, colon cancer, even cavities.  headache?  grab a cup.  mood booster?  yep.  "overall, research shows that coffee is far more helpful than it is harmful."

"drink coffee.  do stupid things faster with more energy."

do i care if you drink it?  no, not all.  do i care why you don't drink it?  no.  do you care if i care? no.  do you care if i drink it?  you shouldn't.

do you drink it?  yes?

then, .... you MUST try this.  especially if you're spending money on cold coffee every day like i used to (you know who you are).

cold brewed coffee

(cold brew doesn't mean brew it with cold water.  no, it means let it sit, brewing for hours, even days to get the best tasting, non-bitter, super duper way strong awesomely delicious coffee for your ice to party with)

off my box now.

here's what you need:

1/2 cup coarsely ground coffee 

(i buy beans and brew supreme-o blend by the bag)

1 1/5 cups water

jar

combine by stirring

let sit for at least 24 hours

now, i bought this awesome jar from ikea.  it was like $3.  it's large enough for me to use 2 cups of coffee and 6 cups of water.  this yields about 30 oz of prepared coffee when all is said and done which doesn't seem like a lot but, like i said before, it's really strong so 1/2 cup goes a long way.  i figured i can get at least 6 servings out of one jar.  cha-ching!

back to brewing.

once it's done brewing, you need to get the grinds out.  obviously.  this part is easiest if you invest in a little cheese cloth.  first, i poured the coffee from the jar through a sieve lined with cheese cloth into a bowl.   then, i poured the coffee from the bowl into a funnel (also stuffed with cheesecloth) attached to an awesome water bottle.  oh, the irony.

this funnel, it was like $1 at ikea.  thank you ikea.

see why the cheese cloth is pertinent? you really don't want to drink coffee grinds.

the fun part is putting it all together.  this is what i use.  a little bit of vanilla soy milk poured over the ice, coffee on top and then a tbsp (or 2) of vanilla syrup.  this happens to be sugar free because it is.  

i've been collecting cups and straws from various coffee shops so my cold brewed coffee experience is as close to the "real thing" as possible.  i don't like to feel deprived.  

seriously, i want one now.  too bad it's bed time.

now, get your coffee on!

and, one more thing you should know (if you don't already), is that coffee really gets "things" moving (if you know what i mean).  i know a lot of nice ladies that drink coffee for this reason alone.  myself included although it's apparent that this is not the only reason.  just a nice perk to the party in my mouth.

over and out.