Life after coffee

Because there is no life before coffee!

True isn't it? I think I wouldn't be wrong if I say I sleep just to wake up for coffee! (Oh what a loser that makes me!)
But seriously, how many of us can wake up without our caffeine kick? Anyone, anyone?
Yeah, I thought as much.

Some of my fondest memories of college are just hanging around at the coffee shop and chat away into the evenings like nobody's business. It is no different now - I usually go for at least 2 coffee breaks during the day. After all without coffee breaks, there will be no accomplishments now, would there?

I can't even imagine to start writing on the options or preferences to making the perfect cuppa. Automatic drip or French press? Ground or whole bean? Fiery or frosty? Regular or decaf? Americano, cappuccino, espresso, macchiato, mocha, or latte?

For me the type of coffee depends on the mood and the time of the day. A strong espresso does it for the morning, a mild sweet one after a meal and a cold one for those rare hot afternoons. Here is my version of Iced coffee, which I make using the cold brew method which also is less acidic.

I will not touch on the various methods, beans, ways, machines to make coffee. A single post would never really be enough for it all - and it wouldn't be fair either to this elixir. More posts to come in the future. Share

Iced coffee

Coffee! Can your day be complete without the caffeine? (And you thought your decaf coffee was sans any caffeine? Well, think again ). No kind of weather can ever put me away from my beloved beverage - not even a scorching summer afternoon! Just that how I drink it is different - with a lot of ice!

Iced coffee - that is what I had at around mid-day today, instead of my usual espresso or cappuccino ( the latter served with some milk froth and chocolate powder for extra goodness :-)). Everyone has their favourite way of brewing their coffee - the kind of beans used, the kind of coffee grinder, how you store your coffee, how it is brewed..blah blah..there is a whole world out there when we start talking coffee. Let us not get there. I'll just share with you how we make our tall glass of iced coffee.

I prefer making it with what is also called the 'cold brewed' method. Nothing fancy here - just that you stir your ground coffee in water and let it sit a couple of hours (preferably overnight) before you strain, add equal amount of water, and serve it with ice - as opposed to pouring it piping hot onto a glass full of ice (and a plastic or steel one please - you'll most likely break your 'glass' otherwise!).
But this time I used the easier method - I had some left-over coffee from the morning, so I let it cool off and turned it to iced coffee. This isn't the healthiest way because it is more acidic that the cold-brewed method, but it's ok once in a while.

So here is how I made it
Brew your cup of coffee the way you like it. I use a moka pot and use the following for 1 glass of iced coffee
- 2 tablespoons of your favourite ground coffee
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- ice cubes
Once the coffee is brewed, I transfer it to a pitcher. Add in the sugar so it dissolves while still warm. Allow it cool for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Then add in the milk and stir - this is optional of course! Pour it in a tall glass filled with ice cubes. And enjoy! Share