The Nespresso Tip To Ensure Your Iced Coffee Isn't Watered Down
Creamy, cool, and refreshing, a great iced coffee hits differently from a hot cappuccino. And if it's mixed with sweet syrup, topped with a frothy cold foam, and sprinkled with cocoa powder, this chilled caffeinated beverage is almost as dreamy as dessert. However, the robust flavor of an iced coffee can weaken as the ice cubes it's been poured over begin to melt and dilute its intensity. Luckily, there's a Nespresso tip to ensure your next iced coffee isn't unduly watered down. Simply chill your brewed espresso in the fridge first, before pouring it into a larger cup containing your milk and ice.
Nespresso stocks a coffee capsule specifically blended for coffees served over ice, called Ice Leggero. Made for Vertuo machines, it has a light fruitiness, subtle aroma, and delicate flavor. The classic way to make iced coffee with this capsule is to pour 80ml of the espresso over 6 ice cubes placed in a glass before topping with more water or milk as desired. The problem with this technique is that as soon as the hot coffee is poured over the ice cubes it instantly starts to melt them. This extra water dilutes the flavor of the coffee, which is annoying if you like a gutsy cup with a robust personality. The solution? Make your espresso in a small cup first and refrigerate it. This allows your cup of joe to chill to the perfect temperature before the ice cubes hit the scene.
Decant your chilled espresso over your milk and ice
Once your coffee is cold enough, decant it into a larger glass containing your preferred milk, flavorings, and ice cubes. This breezy method hampers the ice cubes from liquefying prematurely because there isn't hot coffee in the glass to trigger the melting process. Better yet, while the coffee cools in the fridge you can prepare your milk with extra flavor from syrups such as vanilla or caramel, or whip up a dash of heavy cream to make a luscious topping. If you have a coffee machine that can make cold foam, like an Aeroccino 3, this period of time is also perfect for prepping a delicate froth to sit atop your coffee once it's chilled.
Want to slow the melting rate of your ice cubes further? Select bigger shapes over smaller ones because the larger the cubes, the longer they will take to melt. Spherical cubes are particularly useful because they have a low surface area-to-volume ratio, which will keep your coffee uber-cold without diluting it too much. If you're a cold coffee fanatic, you could even make ice cubes with extra espresso instead of water. That way your chilled coffee will taste even richer and more concentrated as your frozen caffeinated cubes thaw.