3 Rules for Making Iced Coffee at Home, According to an Expert

If you, like loads of us, enjoy swapping out your morning cappuccino for an iced brew during the warmer months, listen up. During a recent launch event for Nespresso and Virgin Active’s Sip & Breathe sessions at Sydney Harbour (free yoga by the water), Nespresso Ambassador Mitch Monaghan shared three hacks for mastering iced coffees at home.

If you want to get a beautiful, creamy iced coffee at home every time. Here are the rules you need to consider.

3 rules for making iced coffee at home

If you want a coffee expert’s opinion, there are three things you really need to keep in mind when making iced coffee at home.

You need to choose the right coffee for chilling

Monaghan shared that not every coffee bean is going to work when served cold. He explained that some coffee varieties, “even when you let them cool naturally, become incredibly acidic and almost impalatable”. So, you need to find beans from the right origins with the “right roast and the right grind,” so that they’re “at their optimum” when served cold.

Nespresso has a range specifically intended for iced coffees, but you can always ask your local coffee producer which bean and grind they recommend, too.

Use more ice than you think

If you’re intending to chill your coffee, Monaghan explained that you need to be using “more ice than you think [you need]”. This is because once you pour the hot coffee over the ice, it will begin to melt, causing the drink to become watery.

Using more ice means the glass is kept colder, and the ice will melt more slowly and will give you “a better taste and flavour profile”.

Plant-based milk should be paired with a strong coffee

If you’re a lover of plant-based milk, you may notice that sometimes your coffee doesn’t want to play nice with your milk of choice. Monaghan suggests using stronger coffee varieties to help with that (with both iced and hot coffee).

“If you take a coffee that’s a little bit lighter in roast, or not as strong, that coffee naturally has more acid, and that does not pair well with plant-based milk,” he said.

If you’re keen to check out the Sip & Breathe sessions at the OpenAir Cinemas in Sydney, they are slated for January 19-20, January 28-29, February 2-3, February 11-12, and February 15-17. Classes can be booked 14 days in advance, but you’ll need to sign up as a Virgin Active member (for free) to view the timetable and book your spot.