Iced AeroPress
How to make iced coffee with an AeroPress: brew hot coffee straight onto ice, with AeroPress’s own recipe, the grind, why less hot water, and iced vs cold brew.
Contents
- Method
- The short version
- How does iced AeroPress work?
- What is AeroPress’s iced coffee recipe?
- What grind size should I use?
- How do you make iced AeroPress, step by step?
- Is iced AeroPress the same as cold brew?
- How do you clean up?
- Should I make iced AeroPress?
- Iced AeroPress vs other cold coffees
- Words in this guide
- Questions & answers
How do you make iced coffee with an AeroPress?
Brew a stronger AeroPress straight onto ice. Swap part of your hot water for ice, put the ice in the mug or carafe, and press the hot coffee onto it so it cools instantly. AeroPress's own recipe uses 16 g of coffee, ground a bit finer than usual, with 150 g of hot water at about 94°C and 100 g of ice.
At a glance
- Ratio
- 16 g : 150 g + 100 g ice
- Grind
- Medium-fine (table salt)
- Water
- 94 °C
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Origin
- Global & Modern
Method
Ice in the cup
Put 100 g of ice in a sturdy glass or carafe. The ice stands in for part of the water.
Fit a filter
Put a paper filter in the filter cap, screw it onto the chamber and stand the AeroPress on the glass or carafe.
Add the coffee
Add 16 g of coffee, ground a bit finer than you would for a hot AeroPress. You can measure it with the scoop that comes with your AeroPress.
Add hot water and stir
Pour in 150 g of water at about 94°C and stir.
Wait2:00
Leave it to brew for 2 minutes.
Press onto the ice
Press slowly and steadily, so the hot coffee lands on the ice and cools straight away.
Swirl and serve
Swirl to melt the ice into the coffee, then pour over fresh ice if you like.
Iced AeroPress is the AeroPress brewed hot, straight onto ice. You use less hot water than usual and let the ice make up the rest, so the coffee cools instantly and ends up the right strength, not watery. It takes a few minutes, not the many hours cold brew needs. Here’s AeroPress’s own recipe, why it works and how it compares with cold brew.
The short version
- Brew hot onto ice: ice in the glass, AeroPress on top, press.
- Swap part of the water for ice. AeroPress’s recipe is 60% hot water, 40% ice.
- AeroPress’s recipe: 16 g coffee, 150 g hot water at about 94°C, 100 g ice.
- Grind a bit finer than for a hot AeroPress.
- It isn’t cold brew: it’s ready in minutes and tastes brighter.
How does iced AeroPress work?
It’s flash brew with an AeroPress. Normally all the water goes in hot. For iced coffee you hold part of the water back as ice and put that ice in the glass. You brew a stronger coffee with the hot water, press it onto the ice, and it cools straight away. As the ice melts, it dilutes the coffee to the strength you’d get from a normal brew.
What is AeroPress’s iced coffee recipe?
AeroPress’s own Japanese Inspired Iced Coffee recipe uses:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Coffee | 16 g, ground a bit finer than a standard AeroPress brew |
| Hot water | 150 g, at around 94°C (201°F) |
| Ice | 100 g, in the carafe or glass |
| Total water | 250 g: 60% hot water, 40% ice |
If you don’t have scales, you can measure the coffee with the scoop that comes with your AeroPress, though the recipe itself is written in grams.
What grind size should I use?
A bit finer than you’d use for a hot AeroPress, AeroPress says, because you’re brewing with less hot water. If it tastes sour and thin, go finer; if it’s bitter or hard to press, go coarser.
How do you make iced AeroPress, step by step?
- Put 100 g of ice in a sturdy glass or carafe.
- Fit a paper filter in the cap, screw it on and stand the AeroPress on the glass.
- Add 16 g of coffee, ground a bit finer than usual.
- Pour in 150 g of water at about 94°C and stir quickly.
- Wait 2 minutes.
- Press slowly and steadily onto the ice.
- Stir gently to melt the ice into the coffee, then pour over fresh ice if you like.
AeroPress’s own recipe uses the Flow Control cap, which stops coffee dripping onto the ice during the 2-minute brew. With the standard cap, a little will drip through before you press.
Is iced AeroPress the same as cold brew?
No. They’re two different drinks:
| Iced AeroPress | Cold brew | |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Hot, then cooled on ice | Cold or room temperature |
| Time | A few minutes | Many hours |
| Taste | Brighter, more aromatic | Smoother, mellower |
| Best for | One glass, made fresh | A batch kept in the fridge |
AeroPress also publishes a quick cold-brew-style AeroPress recipe: finely ground coffee stirred with room-temperature water for a minute, pressed, then topped up with ice water. It’s a shortcut, not the same as a long cold brew steep.
How do you clean up?
Push out the used coffee and filter over the bin and rinse the parts, the same as after a hot brew.
General guidance only. Always follow the instructions that come with your AeroPress, and take care with hot water and glassware.
Should I make iced AeroPress?
- Make iced AeroPress if you want one fresh iced coffee in minutes, with bright flavours.
- Make cold brew if you’d like a smooth batch that keeps in the fridge.
- Try Japanese iced coffee if you’d rather do the same idea as a pour-over.
More on choosing in the AeroPress kit guide.
Iced AeroPress vs other cold coffees
- Cold brew: steeped cold for hours; smoother and mellower.
- Japanese iced coffee: the same brew-onto-ice idea, as a pour-over.
- AeroPress Original: the hot version.
Explore every cold coffee in the cold chapter.
What you’ll need
Words in this guide
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Total dissolved solids (TDS) measures how much coffee is dissolved in the cup, shown as a percentage.
- Flash brew
- Flash brew is a way of making iced coffee by brewing hot coffee directly onto ice, so it cools instantly.
- Pour-over
- Pour-over is a way of making filter coffee by hand: you pour hot water over ground coffee in a filter cone and let it drip through into a cup or jug.
- Steeping
- Steeping is leaving ground coffee to sit in water so its flavour dissolves out, as in a French press or cold brew.
Questions & answers
How do you make iced coffee with an AeroPress?
Brew it hot, straight onto ice. Put ice in your glass or carafe, brew a stronger AeroPress with less hot water than usual, and press it onto the ice so it cools instantly. The melting ice makes up the rest of the water.
What is AeroPress's own iced coffee recipe?
AeroPress's Japanese Inspired Iced Coffee recipe uses 16 g of coffee, ground a bit finer than a standard AeroPress brew, 150 g of hot water at around 94°C (201°F) and 100 g of ice in the carafe, for 250 g of water in total.
Why use less hot water for iced AeroPress?
Because the ice melts into the coffee. AeroPress's recipe splits the water 60% hot water and 40% ice, so the drink ends up the right strength once the ice has melted, rather than watery.
Is iced AeroPress the same as cold brew?
No. Iced AeroPress is brewed hot and cooled on ice in minutes, which keeps more of the bright aromas. Cold brew steeps in cold water for many hours and tastes smoother and mellower.
Can you make cold brew in an AeroPress?
AeroPress publishes a quick cold-brew-style recipe. It stirs finely ground coffee with room temperature water for a minute, presses, then dilutes the concentrate with ice water. It isn't the same as traditional cold brew, which steeps for hours.
What grind should I use for iced AeroPress?
AeroPress suggests a bit finer than you'd use for a standard hot AeroPress, because you're brewing with less hot water.
Sources
- Japanese Inspired Iced Coffee recipe. AeroPress, Inc.
- The ultimate guide to making Japanese iced coffee with AeroPress. AeroPress, Inc.
- AeroPress cold brew. AeroPress, Inc.
- AeroPress releases cold brew coffee recipe. BeanScene
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.