How To Make Iced Coffee Without A Coffee Maker [Tutorial +Video]

If you want to know how to make iced coffee without a coffee maker then this tutorial is for you! In this article I will talk about a number of ways you can make your beloved iced coffee using various techniques and brewing methods with and without a machine and enjoy the delicious results.

Let’s start with making a coffee with milk without a coffee maker. With the end result, you can simply add ice.

How To Make Coffee With Milk Without A Coffee Maker

So you want to make a latte without an espresso machine or something to steam your milk! No worries – let’s get to it!

You simply need a way to either steam your milk or froth your milk and a way of making that shot of espresso.

Let’s get that steamed milk made!

At the very core of it, steamed milk is milk heated with steam. You want to heat your milk just enough, to the point of bubbling without it altering the milky flavor, becoming burnt or scalding hot.

Full fat milk works best. You can get just as good results in the microwave as you would on a stovetop, but with a stove you have greater control over the result.

What You will Need

• Your Favorite Milk.
• A Thermometer.
• A Small Saucepan

Instructions

Pour your milk into the saucepan and put it on the stove. Place your thermometer in your milk and monitor the temperature. If it is not ideal for you to do this, then use the thermometer to regularly monitor and check the temperature of your milk.

Put the stove on a medium to low heat. Depending on which type of milk you are using, watch out for it hitting a certain temperature:

• Almond Milk: 54C (130F).
• Soy Milk: 60C (140F).
• Full Fat Dairy Milk: 65C (150F).

Stir your milk frequently. When it hits the required temperature, take your milk off the heat and pour the milk directly into your coffee.

Alternatively, you can froth your milk using a French press.

At this point, when your milk is ready for pouring, put it into your French press and plunge it a few times. Being careful as the milk is hot. This will aerate the milk and have a frothy effect.

Making The Espresso Shot

Making a good strong espresso shot with the rich crema and strong coffee is much more difficult than making the milk without the use of a machine. An espresso shot depends on water pressure to get it spot on.

What you will need is a French press, Moka pot or Aeropress at the very least. All of these three brewing devices depend on pressure to brew coffee. The pressure from these devices doesn’t quite match an espresso machine, but you can still get acceptable results.

You will also need a grinder or finely preground beans. To make a good espresso for a latte, you will need to use a dark roast and a very fine grind setting on your grinder. The grind should be almost powder like.

Once your espresso shot is ready, pour the milk on top and, viola, you are ready. If you want an iced latte, simply pour the espresso shot and the milk into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until it is cold, or your cocktail shaker feels cold.

Then serve in a glass with ice. Your latte will be frothy, cold and delicious.

How To Make A Flat White Coffee At Home Without A Machine

A flat white, often nicknamed the hipster latte, can be made easily at home without a machine. You will need a French press, your favorite milk, be it oat milk, almond milk, soy milk or regular milk. Any type of milk works well.

You will also need good quality ground coffee of a medium to coarse grind that is sea salt size.

The Technique

Measure 6 teaspoons of coarse ground coffee and put them into your French press. A good quality dark roast will work well.

Now, boil your water to a 96C (205F). While the water is boiling, shake your French press lightly until the grounds are even. Pour the hot, almost boiling water to just wet the ground and stop for 30 seconds to allow them to bloom.

Then fill to the halfway point as you want a strong coffee that is full-bodied and espresso like. Stir the coffee and water mix gently. Slowly press the plunger until it is just below the water line and let it brew for 3 to 4 minutes.

When it is brewed, press the plunger to the bottom and pour your coffee into your mug.

Clean and rinse your French press and prepare and make your milk in it by pouring in hot simmering milk. You can heat the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Pump your French press for 30 seconds slowly to make it bubbly and frothy and then slowly pour it into your mug of coffee. Typically, serve it with a milk to coffee ratio of 1:2 That is twice as much coffee as you have milk.

Read: Most popular type of coffee

Can You Make Iced Coffee With Drip Coffee?

Yes,

by far the best way to make iced coffee with drip coffee is to first focus on what type of filter you are using and try to avoid using a paper coffee filter. Paper coffee filters filter out the coffee oils resulting is a lesser flavor.

Always try to use a stainless steel filter combo or make your own metal mesh filter.

Metal filters will not filter out the coffee oils and result in a full-bodied coffee. If this is not possible, use a cloth filter.

The technique here for making a great iced coffee with a drip coffee machine is to intentionally make your coffee more focused and stronger than you normally would by heaping in more coffee grounds.

With a normal drip coffee you would use a 17:1 water to coffee ratio. 17 parts water and 1 part coffee.

When making Iced Coffee, aim for a stronger 12:1 ratio. 360 ml (12 ounces) water and 30 grams (1 ounce) of coffee and fill your carafe with ice. As the coffee drips onto the ice, it melts and dilutes the concentrate. Ensure you have approximately 3 to 5 ounces (90 to 150 grams) of ice cubes per 12 ounces of coffee made.

When your drip coffee is ready, it will already be cold. Simply serve with ice and enjoy.

How To Make Barista Coffee At Home Without A Machine

When it comes down to the art of making barista full of flavor coffee from home without a machine, you have two choices. The French press, which is a method that I have already touched on, or full immersion cold brew.

Both of these methods pull out the full flavor from the coffee beans and results in truly great coffee.

Let’s talk about cold brew since we have already detailed the French press method.

The cold brew method requires a lot of time and patience.

Despite being very time consuming, one of the bonuses is that you don’t need any equipment at all. Not even a kettle. The cold brew method is very simple to follow.

To make your cold brew coffee you will need:

• Water.
• A Spoon.
• A large container.
• Ground Coffee beans.
• A coffee filter.

How To Brew Cold Brew Coffee

Brew your coffee adhering to the coffee to water ratio of 1:5, 5 parts of water and 1 part coffee. To make 1 litre of coffee you will use 200 grams of coffee grounds.

Your grounds should be coarse grounds. And put in your water mixture, stir well and left to brew for 14 to 16 hours.

I suggest that you use cold water and store your brew in an airtight container in your fridge while brewing. Once your coffee is ready the following day, or the following morning, filter out the coffee grounds using a cloth or coffee sock filter and filter into a suitable container for storing your brew.

Your cold brew is now ready for drinking and can be served as it is or with your favorite sweetener, milk or even with ice on a hot summers day.

How To Make Iced Coffee At Home With Hot Coffee

One of my favourite ways of making iced coffee at home, with or without an espresso machine is to use the Italian Shakerato method. Simply pull a double shot of concentrated espresso, a ristretto, using an espresso machine.

If no machine is available, use an Aeropress, moka pot or French press to make a focused espresso type double shot and pour it into a cocktail shaker with ice.

Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds and strain into a glass with ice. This will be very frothy. From time to time I like to add some orange peels for an orangey coffee flavor.

Is Cold Brew The Best Way To Make Ice Coffee?

Without a doubt, cold brew coffee is the best way of making iced coffee as it reduces the bitter flavor when you are making iced coffee using hot coffee. Due to already being cold it stays colder for much longer, the taste does not dilute with the ice cubes.

A very good alternative is the Italian shakerato method, as you can make any coffee from the espresso base, and instantly have a great iced coffee.

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Make Iced Coffee Without A Coffee Maker

Can You Make Iced Coffee From Regular Hot Coffee?

Yes, you can make iced coffee by using regular hot coffee as long as you take into consideration the melting ice and make your coffee stronger to compensate for the dilution effect.

Can I Just Pour Hot Coffee Over Ice?

If you pour your hot coffee over ice, it will water down your coffee and won’t get your coffee cold either; it will still be reasonably warm…and watery.

Pro Tip: When calculating out your coffee to water ratio, weigh your ice and take that into consideration when making an iced coffee.

Is Iced Coffee Just Coffee Over Ice?

The perfect iced coffee is made by calculating out the ideal coffee to water ratio and taking into consideration the weight of the ice and the dilution effect that it will have on the coffee that you are brewing.

This is why an iced coffee is always brewed in a slightly more concentrated way. Iced coffee is normally cooled first and then iced is added. The hot coffee is never poured over the ice.

How Do You Cool Hot Coffee For Iced Coffee?

One of the easiest ways of instantly, or very quickly cooling your hot coffee for iced coffee is to use a cocktail shaker.

Simply pour your hot coffee into a cocktail shaker and then add a couple of ice cubes and shake with vigor for a minute or two and then pour it. Then add ice and enjoy your ice cold coffee.

Do You Add Water To Iced Coffee?

It is fairly common for baristas to add a measured amount of cold water and ice to make an iced coffee. It is not something that is always done.

Other techniques include intentionally brewing a much stronger coffee and brewing over ice. The melting ice while it is brewing compensates from the stronger coffee diluting it and the remaining ice helps to keep the drink cold is either left in the drink or removed with fresh ice added.

What Kind Of Coffee Works Best For Iced Coffee?

The kind of coffee that works best for iced coffee are full-bodied dark roasts which help to avoid tartness. If you want an iced coffee with a sweet, chocolate and creamy taste, consider coffee from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala or Honduras. 

If you want a refreshing taste that is similar to tea and with fruity notes, consider a Kenyan or Ethiopian coffee. 

Frappé-Ing It All Up! – How To Make Iced Coffee Without A Coffee Maker

You no longer have to be curious or wonder how to make iced coffee without a coffee maker. Just follow the techniques in this article, and you will be able to make great hot or cold coffee and no need to splurge out on an espresso machine and still hit that flavor spot. Just add ice and you are good to go. Be sure to try the Italian Shakerto for a very exotic coffee.

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Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location