Baristas Share People's Biggest Mistakes Making Iced Coffee

When you’re craving a quick and easy iced coffee, you can get away with brewing your favorite roast, pouring the java over ice, stirring in your choice of milk or sweetener and calling it a day.

The no-frills method gets the job done, sure. But if you want to get the most out of your caffeinated beverage, you’ll need to put a bit more forethought and effort into your technique. Here, professional baristas share the mistakes you’re making when creating iced coffee at home — and what you should do instead for a balanced brew.

1. You’re Using Too Much Water

With any iced coffee, the ice in your beverage will inevitably melt, leading to a diluted drink that may taste too weak, too watery, too warm or a combination of all three, said Kathleen McCarthy, a corporate trainer at Lavazza. The good news: You can reduce the odds of this unpleasant drinking experience by accounting for ice melt during the brewing process, she said.

To do so, brew your coffee with a stronger grounds-to-water ratio. The typical recommendation is 1 gram of coffee to 16 grams of water, but when you’re planning to drink your coffee iced, use a slightly stronger ratio of 1:12 or a double-strength 1:8, McCarthy suggested. That way, your beverage will still taste strong even when the added ice begins to melt.

Make sure you’re not using too little water while brewing, either, which could lead to a sour cup.

2. You’re Pouring Hot Coffee Over Ice

Compounding the dilution problem is the common practice of pouring a freshly brewed cup of joe directly over ice — without allowing it to cool first. “If your hot brew is poured directly over ice, that simply adds more water to your ratio when the ice melts,” leading to a weaker drink, McCarthy explained.

Instead,