We've reached the point in the summer when even the breeze makes you sweat. It's times like these you find yourself needing a nice, refreshing beverage, stat. Here's how to make the perfect flash brew (aka Japanese iced coffee) to cool down your morning routine.

Compared to a typical cold brew recipe that requires 12+ hours of patience, flash brew happens in - well, a flash. Brewing hot coffee directly over ice may sound counterintuitive, but this is precisely what makes it so delicious. Hot water molecules move quickly, extracting the soluble compounds that create an aromatic and flavorful cup. Rapidly chilling that freshly brewed coffee preserves those flavors and produces a clean, well-balanced cup in just a few minutes.

You’re going to need:

• Pour over dripper + filter
• 16 ounce carafe
• Kettle
• A grinder (or coffee pre-ground medium-coarse)
  
• Coffee or kitchen scale (needs to be able to weigh grams)
  
• Ice

GET READY

1. Select your coffee. We like a nicely developed medium roast that can provide chocolatey base notes and body, as well as some fruity/floral high notes. Banshee is a great choice for that kind of balanced cup. If you enjoy brighter, more vibrant coffees, a single-origin light roast or natural process (like Space Cowboy) might be more your thing. 
   
   
2. Grind 30g of coffee at a med/coarse grind.  
   
   
3. Set your kettle for 205°F. (If your kettle doesn’t have a temp setting, use water about 1 minute post-boil.)
   
   
4. Wet your filter with ~ 100 grams of hot water - enough to remove any papery taste from the filter and warm your carafe. Discard the water.
   
   
5. Add the ground coffee to the dripper. Lightly shake the dripper (or use a WDT tool or toothpick) to level the grounds. 

BREW

1. Set your carafe on the scale, zero it out, and add 240g of ice. 
   
   
2. Place the dripper filled with grounds on the carafe and zero out the scale again.
   
   
   
3. Once your water has reached temp, gently pour about 40 grams of water over your grounds, ensuring they're all wet. Let sit for about 40 seconds. This part of the process is called “blooming." This initial contact releases trapped carbon dioxide gas and prevents uneven extraction.
   
   
4. After 30 seconds, resume pouring water at a steady flow rate in a circular motion until the scale reaches 240g. 
   
   
5. Let the water finish dripping for about 1 minute and then pour into the drinking vessel of your choice. Flash brew is best served fresh, so add a little milk and sugar (if you’re into that) and enjoy!
   

FINE TUNING

Grind size & flow rate: If the water runs quickly through the filter as you brew and your cup tastes sour or sharp, try a finer grind. If the the water is slow to drip through and your cup tastes bitter or harsh, try a coarser grind.

Brew ratio: We're using a 1:16 brew ratio here: 30g coffee and 240g hot water + 240g ice (480g total water weight). You can scale that ratio up or down depending on how strong you like your coffee and how many cups you want to brew.

Happy sipping!