Introduction:Iced pour over coffee is widely loved for its refreshing taste, but the timing and method of adding ice during brewing can greatly affect the final flavor and strength. This article delves into whether ice should be added before or after brewing, whether unmelted ice needs to be filtered out, and provides practical ratio suggestions and techniques to help you master the brewing essentials of this summer coffee.

Although autumn is approaching, high temperatures persist, and iced pour over remains a top choice for many coffee enthusiasts. However, a common question during the brewing process is: should the ice be added before brewing or after it’s done? And if there’s unmelted ice after brewing, should it be filtered out? These details not only affect the final concentration of the coffee but also directly influence its flavor profile. Understanding the correct way to handle ice allows you to brew a rich yet refreshing iced pour over at home.

Even though it's already autumn, the weather remains hot, and the demand for iced pour over stays high. Before discussing when to add the ice, it’s important to first understand the bean selection strategy for iced pour over. Since ice dilutes the coffee liquid and the low temperature reduces our perception of flavor layers, it’s recommended to prioritize beans with pronounced aromatic qualities when making a selection.

If you prefer a refreshing taste, you can choose medium to light roasted beans, such as those with distinct citrus and floral notes; if you want a richer fruit character, go for beans with berry or tropical fruit flavors; and for those seeking a bold, low-acid coffee with layered complexity, dark roasted beans are recommended. These choices can still deliver rich flavor profiles even after being chilled.

The cooling in iced pour over mainly relies on ice cubes, rather than direct extraction with iced water. Because pure iced water isn’t cold enough to effectively extract aromatic compounds from the coffee, hot water is still used during brewing, while the ice cubes are responsible for steadily lowering the temperature throughout the process. However, this also brings a side effect — dilution of the coffee liquid.

Assuming the common hot pour over coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15, if ice is added only after extraction to cool the coffee, it will inevitably lead to a decrease in concentration. For example, 15 grams of coffee grounds with 225 milliliters of hot water, if you then add about 150 grams of ice to cool it down, the melted ice increases the total liquid volume, resulting in a coffee-to-water ratio greater than 1:15, which dilutes the coffee and makes the flavor thin.

Therefore, the key to making a well-balanced iced pour over is to calculate the amount of ice in advance, ensuring it can effectively cool the coffee without overly diluting it due to excessive melting.

Taking practical experience as an example, some brewers use a coffee-to-water-to-ice ratio of 1:10:7. If using 15 grams of coffee powder, this means combining it with 150 milliliters of hot water and about 100 grams of ice. Some readers might worry that such a ratio would make the coffee too weak, but that’s not the case.

The ice used here is typically large solid cubes, each about 25 grams. Just four cubes weigh 100 grams. In practice, not all the ice melts completely, and the final coffee liquid is about 200 milliliters, with about 20 grams of unmelted ice remaining (some hot water is absorbed by the coffee grounds), resulting in a well-balanced taste that is suitably concentrated and pleasantly refreshing.

So, at what stage should the ice be added? There are mainly two methods: one is “adding ice before brewing,” where the coffee comes into contact with ice during the brewing process to cool it down; the other is “adding ice after brewing,” where the brewed coffee liquid is poured into a container with ice to mix and cool down.

Under the same grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and ice quantity conditions, the difference between these two methods is not significant. But upon closer comparison, coffee made with “ice added before brewing” tends to have a more refreshing taste and fewer off-flavors; whereas “ice added after brewing” can retain more concentrated aromas, with a clearer flavor profile. Both methods have their unique characteristics and can be chosen based on personal taste or occasion needs.

Finally, whether to filter out unmelted ice depends on the degree of melting and the need for stability. If there isn’t much ice left, it may melt before you get a chance to filter it; but if the ice pieces are large and remain visibly present, filtering does help prevent further dilution. For professional shops, maintaining consistency in every cup is especially important, so it’s recommended to conduct preliminary tests and establish standard procedures to ensure quality stability.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.