Suppose you want a refreshing and flavorful iced coffee on a summertime day, but the weather is too sweltering to get out of your home and even place an order from your local café. Also, making your own cold brew coffee would take up to 24 hours. So, what is the best answer?
Truth to be told, it would be helpful if you tried a Japanese-style pour over coffee.
Our guide will describe a unique brewing method of an authentic Japanese-style iced coffee, also known as iced filter coffee. We will compare this drink to your casual cold brew, meanwhile highlighting the good, the bad, and the ugly side of this renowned iced coffee-making technique.
What Exactly Is Japanese-Style Pour Over Iced Coffee?
Japanese-style iced coffee is a form of hot brewing pour over coffee, but it is brewed instantaneously upon the ice. Given such a method’s name, it apparently received much attention in Japan.
This popular pour over iced coffee is an easy, simple, and inexpensive method to get a delicious cold coffee while engaging the aromas and attributes of the beans. It is auspicious if you like the quality of single-origin coffee beans more than anything else. Since this brewing technique is so familiar, it is indeed a terrific idea to give without further due.
People’s most common pour-over drippers include Chemex, Hario V60, and Kalita Wave. In fact, a regular drip coffee maker may also be used to produce a Japanese iced coffee, just brewing hot coffee directly into a glass full of ice cubes.
Therefore, such a coffee-brewing approach prompts the question, “Is it the same as boiling a cup of coffee and chilling it with ice cubes?”
The answer is, its final result is pretty similar. Meanwhile, there are some serious elements and methods to keep in mind that different techniques will enhance flavors, aromas, and sensations differently. Let’s have a look at our brewing preparation and practice.
How To Make Pour Over Coffee At Home: Japanese Coffee Recipe You Should Try
Ingredients And Equipment
- 30g medium-roast of finely ground coffee
- 180g ice cubes
- 270ml at 205 F (96 C) hot water
- Pour-over drip brewer of choice
Instruction
- Fill the ice cubes into the cup.
- Bring water to a boil.
- Prep the dripper over the cup, then place the paper filter on top.
- Put ground coffee into the filter. Then, bloom the coffee by boiling water (a few times thicker than the coffee). Use 60 grams of water to bloom the ground coffee for about 45 sec. To ensure efficient circulation, stir the coffee with a spoon regularly.
- Pour the rest of the water leisurely in a circular movement and stir the coffee with a spoon simultaneously. Let the brewing time finish within several minutes.
- Swirl the cup to guarantee the coffee and ice cubes mix well.
- Transfer the freshly brewed coffee to a new cup, add more ice, serve and enjoy immediately.
Fundamental Tips To Make A Perfect Cup of Japanese-Style Pour Over Iced Coffee
Getting your ratios right is the ultimate secret to brewing superb Japanese-style pour over coffee. Since you will be processing the coffee directly onto the ice, which will dissolve and dilute coffee and ice together, you must be aware of the importance of using the correct coffee ratio.
For instance, to make 16oz of brewed iced coffee, you should use 1oz of ground coffee with 8 oz of hot water and 8oz of ice. This procedure will make the coffee dilute into the water sufficiently. That being the case, measure the ratios by associating a double-strength batch of coffee and chilling it with just enough ice.
The best method to accomplish this coffee is by using a scale. Indeed, using a scale is the most straightforward method, which is how the formula is given here. With a bit of experimenting, you should come up with a bucket list of recipes that works for you.
As mentioned earlier, making Japanese iced coffee is nearly identical to making pour-over coffee. Nevertheless, some aspects must be considered because it is not just your typical coffee poured over ice.
As the coffee cooled down, some of its fragrant strength evaporated. Simply put, it has a milder flavor. This phenomenon not only happens to specific coffee but also applies to any cold beverage. Furthermore, since a brewing service is performed right onto the ice, melted ice dissolves the coffee, thus reducing the flavor. Thus, we must extend the extraction time before the hot coffee reaches the ice.
Finer Grind Size
We typically use medium grinds for Japanese pour-over iced coffee. But even so, when ice dilutes, a finer size will extract a more robust taste to prevent a poor cup of joe.
Right Coffee-To-Water And Ice Ratios
Coffee to water ratio and vice versa are the two main components of making superlative Japanese pour over iced coffee. Achieving these proportions creates a clear distinction between a tasty and a dreary drink.
For Japanese iced coffee, you’d better practice a 1:15 to 1:18 coffee-to-water ratio, which is close to the proportions used for making a hot cup of coffee. Besides, since this coffee contains both ice and boiled water, we must also determine the ideal ice-to-water ratio.
To make 450ml of coffee, we require 30g of coffee, combining 40% ice and 60% boiled water in the coffee. So, 180ml of ice and 270ml of hot water is enough to receive this coffee proportion. At the same time, 180ml of ice is also a good-to-go amount; otherwise, somewhere between 35% and 45% of total ice is also adequate.
When you use too much ice, the extraction will be weak, and the coffee will be excessively watery. What is more, if you have some ice left in the brew after brewing, you might have used too much ice.
Prolonged Blooming And Brewing Time
We utilize a prolonged bloom and brewing time for Japanese iced coffee than we often do for traditional pour-over. This happens because the extended interaction will result in more substantial coffee extraction.
Sufficient Circulation And Proper Extraction
The key to brewing the ideal coffee is sufficient circulation and proper extraction. For example, while brewing, we mix the coffee two times.
First, we stir it during blooming to assure that the ground coffee becomes fully wet and suitable for extraction. And after that, once the brewing is finished, we mix it again to achieve an even extraction.
As previously stated, Japanese pour over iced coffee needs slightly less hot water than ordinary pour-over coffee as it is diluted with ice. This is why it is critical to boosting extraction time whenever possible to obtain a more profound, bolder, and more nuanced aftertaste. In short, appropriate circulation, longer blooming with brewing intervals, and finer ground coffees all assist us in reaching satisfaction.
What Makes Japanese Pour Over Iced Coffee So Unique?
Most coffee drinkers understand that Japanese coffee provides a tasty cold coffee quickly compared to other cold brewing methods. Of course, there is a drawback with this brewing method–You can brew just one cup at a time; unlike regular cold brew, you can make a large batch of coffee and preserve it for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Another minor downside is that you need testing to determine the correct degree of circulation, brewing ratio, blooming, and brewing time. If you make any mistake on these simple ingredients and instructions, the ice will significantly dilute the coffee, resulting in a poor cup of coffee.
When you want an uplifting cup of iced coffee, Japanese iced coffee is a great alternative. But what distinguishes it from casual cold brew? Several motives below will explain why it is prominent.
Raw Coffee Flavor Preservation
Hot brewing keeps the beans’ qualities and the original flavor, even when in contact with ice. This means the coffee’s distinct taste and depth remain.
Interestingly, brewing coffee in this cooling method may lose much of its natural flavor and aroma from the beans. For this reason, the cold brewing process always has a less bitter taste bud and lower acidity content, which is an excellent characteristic for most drinkers. On the other hand, cold brewing may remove the natural flavor and fragrance quite a bit.
That is why many promising specialty coffee roasters try to obtain high-end beans from every corner of the world and take great care to roast the beans so that their inherent qualities and flavor are perfectly maintained. No wonder these kinds of beans are more expensive than other randomly unknown beans.
It is worth remembering that most of these subtle tastes will disappear if you use these premium beans in the cold brewing method. In this respect, Japanese iced coffee is obviously made in such an exceptional way that both tastes and fragrances are well-preserved, just as they are in hot brewed coffee. So, you can sip and appreciate cold coffee without sacrificing flavor.
Quick Brewing Time
This Japanese pour over coffee requires approximately five minutes to prepare, which is slightly longer than a traditional pour-over. But, it is enough that you don’t need to wait long hours for slow drip coffee, otherwise 12 to 24 hours for cold brew. Anyone is in a hurry and seeking a pick-me-up caffeinated drink; this is the utmost iced coffee-making technique you can’t miss.