In summer, or in tropical areas, where the weather is hot all year long, you will long for cold drinks to ease the heat and satisfy your thirst. Or, on the other hand, you are a coffee addict and cannot live without a shot or three of caffeine in your bloodstream. The solution for this problem is cold coffee drink.
On the tropical island of Java, one of the world's first coffee producers, where I live, cafs' most popular drink is cold coffee, served as iced coffee, iced cappuccino, or made into ice blended coffee. There are usually two sections of coffee drinks in the menu: the cold coffee section and the hot coffee section. Drinking ice blended coffee is a lifestyle and Starbucks most popular menu is Frappucinoes, or ice blended coffees.
Of course, coffee is better served hot, and there are several drawbacks to serving cold coffee. Cold coffee is not as fragrant and flavorful as hot coffee, usually you must brew stronger coffee to bring out the flavor in your coffee drinks. The second drawback is cold coffee usually must be served sweet, depending on the type of beans. Some coffee beans produce dark coffee that taste awful when it is served cold. Still cold coffee taste well.
You don't have to waste several precious dollars every time you crave cold coffee. Cold coffee and the variations are very easy to make at home. For basic iced coffee, you only need coffee beans or powder, sugar, and ice cubes. Prepare the coffee no more than 3 hours in advance. The longer you let the coffee stand, the more it loses its fragrance and flavor. Make the coffee in a coffee maker, or manually, whichever you prefer. Wait until the coffee is cooled to the room temperature. Put the ice cube in tall glass and pour the coffee into the glass.
Here is a recipe for Starbucks' frappucino you can easily make at home. You can add flavored syrups, cream, ice creams, caramel,
and other ingredients as variations to the drinks. When you add flavored syrups such as hazelnut, reduce the sugar syrup.
Starbucks' Basic Frappucino:
- 1 shot of espresso
- 1 tbsp sugar.
- cup of milk, or to taste.
- Half cup of ice cubes
- Whipped cream (optional)
Method:
- Make sugar syrup: Put the sugar in a pan, add 2 tbsp of water and dissolve in low heat. Do not let the sugar caramelized. Sugar syrup must remain clear.
- In a blender, mix all the rest of the ingredients including the sugar syrups, except the whipped cream. Blend until smooth. Serve in a glass topped with whipped cream.
Another delicious idea for cold coffee is to serve it with ice cream. In a glass, pour a shot of espresso and let it cool for few minutes. The espresso must still be warm, but not hot enough to scald. Add a scoop of vanilla or chocolate chip ice cream on top of the espresso and serve immediately.
