Cinnamon Cold Brew

Coffee. The savior of mankind.

What can I say, I like my statements like I like my coffee: bold.

Aid to the weekend warrior, the late shift-er, and other people who forgo sleep for staying out late and/or getting up early. And also normal people. Coffee is great for normal people too. I'd hate to go to work on Monday morning decaffeinated, and I'm sure people would hate to go to work with decaffeinated me there as well.

With all the newfangled coffee fixings out there, you can drink your coffee almost anyway you like. Double tall skinny vanilla latte? Sure. Orange mocha frappuccino? Probably.

Myself? I'm a purist, and straight up black iced coffee is how I roll. Although after trying this recipe a few times, I'm starting to spice it up a bit.

Add a kick to your morning habit with this cinnamon cold brew iced coffee.

Ingredients:

Coffee, 12 tbsp (medium grind)

Water, 6 cups

Ice cubes

1 Cinnamon stick

Mason jars (or non-hipster liquid-worthy vessels of your choosing)

Time commitment: 15min active, 8-12hrs inactive

Estimated cost: 2.50$ (the cost of one grande iced coffee a la Starbucks. Can you say "profit margin"??)

Cold brew coffee is really easy to make. What I mean to say is, it's easy to make the poor man's version described here. Leave the fancy gadgets to the baristas!

It's best if you grind your own coffee fresh from whole beans right before you are ready to use them. But if the ground coffee you're using has been properly stored in an air-tight container, it should suffice (read: coffee snob).

Add all of the water and one cinnamon stick in a pot on the stove and boil for 3-5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and allow the water to cool all the way back to room temperature (about 20 minutes). Your cinnamon water should be brown in color by the end.

Next, pour the cooled cinnamon water into the mason jar containing 12 tbsp of ground coffee. Stir the mixture thoroughly, and seal the mason jar with the lid (or other covering, such as wax paper and a rubber band). Allow the slurry to sit out on the counter for 8 to 12 hours. I recommend getting as close to 12 hours as possible, or else the coffee might taste a little weak. Another option is to add less water to compensate for less incubation time.

When you wake up the next morning, you have a couple options. You can take your coffee mix and pour it into your cup through a fine sieve or a coffee filter. Alternatively, you can press out the grounds in your mix using a french press, if you have one. (You can also do your cold brewing directly in the french press for an even easier time!).

If all of these things sound like way too much work for 7:00 in the morning, just try to carefully pour out your coffee, avoiding the grounds that should be resting at the bottom of the jar. Just think of the grounds that slip through as "coffee nibs".

Drop in some ice cubes, stir and enjoy. Oh yeah, and add milk and sugar to taste, if you're into that sort of thing.

Hopefully your cup of coffee tastes as smooth and cinnamon spicy as mine does. Keep in mind that your coffee can only be as good as the beans you're brewing!

Note: this cinnamon trick is a great way to enhance your tea as well. More on that in the winter. For now, bask in the lingering days of summer! With iced coffee in hand, of course.

Happy Crafting!