Nothing livens up a hot afternoon quite like a cup of iced coffee. Trouble is, a lot of the iced coffee out there is just stale, leftover hot brewed coffee that's been chilled, or cold brewed coffee with a much different taste. Enter Japanese iced coffee - the best of both worlds.

I love coffee, but my mind and body are both easily overwhelmed by caffeine, so I often find myself with a cup or so of leftover java (do people still call it that?) by the time noon rolls around. It's usually too stale for drinking by then, but it still has its uses.

Cold brew coffee has been the frigid ice queen of the caffeinated world for some time now, but I think it's finally safe to admit that it just isn't for everyone. Not only does it usually have more caffeine than other coffee (which is bad for those of us with anxious little hamster hearts), but it has a very distinct flavour that is not appealing to all people, because not everyone likes the same things.

Putting cubes of frozen coffee in your iced coffee -- instead of boring water -- isn't exactly a new coffee "hack", but there are ways to make them a little more interesting.