78 replies to this topic

[The Scream]

I actually like iced coffee made with instant coffee. It's the way my mom made it during the summers when I was a kid and it was the only time she let me drink coffee.

[joiei]

I will brew up a pot of regular (strong to some, like the maids) coffee the night before and put it in the fridge. Then the next day I have a prechilled jug of coffee to drink from. And with the temps in the 100s right now I do this every day. I use Topeca coffee, a local roaster. He brings the coffee in from his familys plantation in Costa Rica so it is a tree to cup operation.

Wow. That's pretty cool.

As for "cold brewed coffee" couldn't I just put coffee and cold water into my French press and let it sit overnight in the fridge?

RE the iced coffee thing... I've always just brewed really strong coffee, poured it over ice, added half & half and a spoon of sugar.

Sometimes a little liqueur like Amaretto or Kahlua.

that works too. If you forget to make your pot the day before.

[OTB]

Bustelo is, like, the easiest, cheapest strong instant (and ground) coffee to get in NYC, and as OTB pointed out, probably wherever there are Caribbean Hispanic populations. I'm not so sure it's available where there are predominantly Mexican Americans. Apart from the fact that the instant occasionally tastes like someone dropped cigarette ashes into it, it's probably the best instant I've had since Taster's Choice stopped making their whatever-they-called-their-strong-version (Malabar something?). Way better than Medaglio d'Oro, imo (both instant and ground).

And for a few years, when we couldn't be bothered to go to Oren's or Porto Rico Importing or one of the other good sources of beans, our "house blend" was equal parts of Bustelo ground and Santa Clara (a brand from Brazil, also from the supermarket in a vacuum-packed brick). The flavor was strong, not bitter, not acidic. No special hints of floral or other fancy stuff, but a decent cup of coffee. Which is all I was looking for.

Now I've got fancy beans again, from New Orleans and Vermont, and have to drink it all by myself since Paul has decided that caffeine is taboo. I've recently figured out how to make a single cup of real coffee with the itty-bitty Melitta cone, but when I just want something that tastes like coffee, Bustelo instant is my go-to. One heaping teaspoon to 8 or 9 oz of water. It's close enough to coffee to be satisfying.

Bustelo and Pilon rock for making iced coffee. Period.

As to whether theres an occasionally cigaratte ash taste I think that's myth, but if it helps you enjoy it...

Fancy coffees in my opinion should be drunk hot and appreciated black. With iced coffee, you're drinking more of the stuff and diluting it with ice and milk and sweetening it up, there's no point in using the expensive stuff at the rate I consume it. Bustelo and Community are fine. Even Medaglio d'Oro which I believe is made by the same company as Bustelo but has a slightly different roast. Probably even the mass market roasted blends like Savarin too, which is made here in NJ. Once you go beyond a full roast a lot of regional characteristics of coffee are destroyed, for the expensive coffees I like medium roasts and those aren't particularly good for iced coffees.

[Stone]

I don't understand this cold-filter methods. I thought coffee had to be brewed at 205* or the artisinal stuff didn't come out of the beans?

[splinky]

did the 12 hours overnight in the french press method. poured half and half over ice in a tall glass, added some coffee concentrate and some homemade chocolate simple syrup and i'm in mocha heaven

[Suzanne F]

Ooh, thanks for reminding me that I have some cardamom-chocolate syrup in the fridge.

[splinky]

Ooh, thanks for reminding me that I have some cardamom-chocolate syrup in the fridge.

that would be real nice in some iced coffee.

[yvonne johnson]

I just make my coffee as usual, but run it through a huge jug of ice very quickly, all the while having a big glass of loads of ice and milk nearby. So complicated?

[Jaymes]

I just make my coffee as usual, but run it through a huge jug of ice very quickly, all the while having a big glass of loads of ice and milk nearby. So complicated?

Doesn't that really water it down?

[SethG]

I have a large electric kettle that I fill with 1.5L water. I turn it on and I boil the water.

You lost me here. Could you please explain this step in greater detail?

I have to try this cold brewing thing with my French press.

[Behemoth]

So, I need to mention this. I've known about the cold brewing method for yonks because that's how my grandmother always did it. She bought her toddy at Abercrombie & Fitch back when it was still a camping outfitters. Anyway, when she found out there was an A&F in the local mall a few years ago, she insisted on going in there and asking if they had replacement filters. (They didn't.)

[Jaymes]

* Use Bustelo instant decaf if you can find it, for drinking at all hours.

We have a wonderful huge store featuring all things Hispanic/Latino. It's Fiesta Mart. Just emailed them and got a very nice reply. They carry a full line of Bustelo products.

So, Suzanne, no rotten tomatoes as of yet, and I've learned about a great new product.

Thanks for taking the risk!

[Suzanne F]

I think I went to a Fiesta Mart in Dallas. It was fabulous. And HUGE. (well, supermarkets just about anyplace else are huge by Manhattan standards.)

[splinky]

picked up a 7oz jar of the instant bustelo for $3.99. cafe caribe brand is even less expensive but i notice it stays on the shelves unless the bustelo is sold out

[memesuze]

* Use Bustelo instant decaf if you can find it, for drinking at all hours.

We have a wonderful huge store featuring all things Hispanic/Latino. It's Fiesta Mart. Just emailed them and got a very nice reply. They carry a full line of Bustelo products.
So, Suzanne, no rotten tomatoes as of yet, and I've learned about a great new product.
Thanks for taking the risk!

I can't remember, is Fiesta where you picked up the Tajin?