Pour Over Iced Coffee--Including Some Videos

I just found this video on brewing Iced Coffee using a pour over method much like the one I use for my hot coffee.  It's actually somewhat like the way some folks brew iced tea.  The main difference is that rather than steeping the coffee and then pouring it over ice, the coffee drips from the funnel directly onto the ice and  produces a much cleaner, sweeter beverage.  My only concern is the temperature differential on a glass vessel. I have poured hot tea or coffee over ice in a glass vessel, and it has almost always shattered.  I am waiting to hear back from the fellow in the video on how he prevents this.  The last thing I need is broken glass in my kitchen as a hazard to me and my kids.  I realize their order form *says* this glass container is heat proof, but I've been fooled before.  I don't want to drop $33.00 on something that ends up breaking first use and they won't refund my money.



I've done my own video using my pour over coffee system (Melita Pour Over Funnel with gold plated wire mesh permanent filter), but when I started, I was using paper filter.  I notice in the demo the coffee pro was using a paper filter as well, but rinsed it with cool water first.  Personally, I prefer the gold-plated mesh permanent filter because it is better for the environment and because the natural oils of the coffee grounds flow through it, giving your coffee bolder, more complex flavour and interesting swirls as it mixes with the half and half or creamer.  This was my take using Tim Horton's coffee:



This is Counter Culture's Take using their Kenya brand:


A couple of differences to note:  I was using ground coffee, he was using frozen coffee beans he ground just prior to brewing.  I use a wire mesh filter now and used an UNBLEACHED paper filter originally.  He used a rinsed bleached paper filter.  He let the water go in slowly.  I did as well, but I stirred the grounds in order to release more oils and flavour.  His brewing funnel is ceramic, mine is BPA free plastic.  I brew my water in an open pot, he used a special electric kettle with a gooseneck spout that enables slower pouring.

My Pour Over Setup

I discovered the pour over method  for brewing after Hurricane Ike hit Houston a back in September of 2009.  I wanted to brew coffee, but the power was out.  I had bottled water a camp stove, anda camp pot to boil it in. I improvised a glass funnel  and paper filters to brew the coffee.  I had also managed to get ice to keep my half n half fresh in a cooler until the power came back on a few days later.  With the power out and it being so rough post hurricane, a good cup of coffee made a huge difference for me and my neighbors.  Since then, I've bought the Melita BPA free Pour Over Coffee Funnel and the gold plated wire mesh filter basket, and came up with a system similar to what this fellow has done.

Peter Giuliano is correct though:  some methods for brewing iced coffee can result in a very bitter brew.  There are good acids and bad acids in coffee.  Letting it sit too long can bring out the bad acids that can ruin the iced coffee.  There's even a cold brewing method that is the source of a lot of debate.  However, I am a bigger fan of fresh brewed coffee either poured over ice or allowed to drip over the ice like Peter Giuliano did.  Once I am sure I have a way to do the iced coffee dipping over the ice cubes method safely (i.e. find a truly heat/cold resistant vessel and get the exact way to handle this properly with no breakage), I will try it and post an updated video of my own in this blog post.

And Remember:
Drink your Coffee Happy, just like you Eat Happy!
Zao an, Y'all!