How to make iced coffee at home (with pods or beans)

Iced coffee is one of the easiest café drinks to recreate at home — and one of the most overpriced to buy. Here's how to make the classics with the pods or beans you already have.

The golden rule: brew strong, pour over ice

Ice melts and dilutes, so always brew your coffee stronger than usual and pour it straight over a full glass of ice. A high-intensity pod or a short, strong shot is perfect. (More on intensity here.)

Iced latte

Pull a strong espresso, fill a glass with ice, add cold milk, and pour the coffee over. Sweeten if you like. Done in a minute — for a fraction of the coffee-shop price.

Iced americano

Even simpler: a strong shot over ice, topped up with cold water. Clean, refreshing and virtually calorie-free.

Cold brew (plan ahead)

For the smoothest, least bitter iced coffee, steep coarsely ground beans in cold water in the fridge for 12–18 hours, then strain. Makes a concentrate you can dilute over ice all week.

Make it fancy

Add a splash of vanilla or caramel syrup, a scoop of ice cream for an affogato-style treat, or cold foam on top. Once you've mastered the basics of milky coffee, iced versions are easy.

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