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Iced coffee is one of my weaknesses. If there was one thing I could totally destroy my budget on it would be iced coffee… flavored iced coffee specifically. Even with my home made coffee I try to spruce it up. I want to want to make my own coffee, so if I needed to spend a few extra dollars at the grocery store on a syrup or extract I usually do…. but here’s the thing… Syrups can be expensive…. so can extracts… and some are good… and some well just aren’t. Also sometimes the flavors can taste very artificial… not such a good thing.

And here’s the really big thing guys… I just embarked on a spending freeze. So all things unnecessary are a go. For me coffee is pretty much an essential, but I also like to drink it just because (I buy decaf for this reason) so while my one cup.. maybe two in the morning is essential… everything after that really isn’t.

I also love having iced coffee on to go. I drink hot coffee in the morning, but when I’m in the car and out and about there is nothing like an iced coffee. I don’t know if it’s a Massachusetts thing but it doesn’t matter if it’s January or July… I love iced coffee.

I have been making iced coffee at home for a long time. I purchased the best cold brew maker … so easy to use and super cheap! Nothing fancy or complicated which was good for me. I decided to step it up a little and try to make my own version of gourmet home made iced coffee.

I was in my kitchen trying to decided what kind of coffee to make. What are some of my favorites? I looked over my tea/ coffee area in my kitchen and immediately the box of peppermint tea caught my eye. Peppermint coffee is amazing… especially if you make it peppermint mocha. Then the idea came… what if I blend my peppermint tea with my iced coffee?? I decided to give it a try…. and boy am I glad I did!

I tried this recipe twice before sharing it to make sure it wasn’t a fluke that it worked so well the first time. It wasn’t… it’s amazing.

What you need:

Cold brew maker

A large mug

3 peppermint tea bags

1 cup coffee grounds of choice ( frugal tip – even cheap store brand coffee works just fine.. because you aren’t heating it up it doesn’t get bitter!)

Water (my iced coffee maker is 1000ml or about 34 oz)- about 16 oz hot 16oz cold

Directions:

In a large mug brew 2 of the 3 peppermint tea bags in hot water. let sit for 20 minutes

While tea is steeping start  to prep your cold brew maker. If you are anything like my to do this over something that can catch any coffee grounds you may spill. Much easier to clean up after.

Add one cup of coffee grounds to the filter of the cold brew maker. This is something you can adjust to taste if needed.

 

This is how high it was on the cold brew maker if you prefer to eyeball things.

Now here is what I believe is the secret to the wonderful peppermint flavor. Add the 3rd peppermint teabag on top of the coffee grounds in the filter.

 

It is a good idea to tag off the tag of the tea bag so no paper breaks down in your coffee since this will be sitting submerged for awhile.

After the 20 minutes is up take out the 2 tea bags and pour the tea over the coffee grounds and tea bag. Technically this is still warm, and it is cold brew, but I figure between the tea cooling down and the cold water I’m adding it still is cold brew.

 

Add the remainder of the water over into the filter. This takes longer than just filling up the pitcher and putting the filter into it, but I feel like it mixes the grounds better for a deeper flavored coffee.

This is what it will look like when you finish filling it up. Do not drink it yet!

This is the hardest part…. you need to leave the wonderful pitcher of coffee alone at least overnight… for best flavor for about 24 hours. I know this isn’t going to be easy, but your patience will be rewarded. This part is very hard for me. Fortunately this makes a good amount of iced coffee and as long as I start another batch as soon as one is ready I never have to wait too long. It might be time for a second cold brew maker!

This is what it looks like after you patiently wait 24 hours.

The iced coffee in this pitcher smells amazing. You can taste the peppermint but not in an overwhelming way.

Take out the filter and empty the coffee grounds. I like to pour myself a glass (or two) and then transfer the rest into a smaller storage container so I can start my next batch of iced coffee.

For some reason I think my iced coffee tastes better with a straw. Since I’m trying to be more environmentally friendly I purchased a tumbler with a lid and straw… it’s like an adult sippy cup!  <– frugal tip… check out the different color options before you buy on Amazon. Not all the colors are always the same price. I noticed when I was buying mine the Teal one was the cheapest, and I happened to think it was a pretty color. Not sure why this happens but it is always a good idea to look at all the options before picking which color to buy.

I like to enjoy my peppermint cold brew coffee as a peppermint mocha. To make this I add ice to my tumbler, a little chocolate syrup or powder depending on what I have, and then cream (milk works well too but cream gives a better flavor/richness), and then for a little more sweetness some sugar free vanilla syrup. Then I stir the milk and flavoring before adding in the iced coffee. After it’s mixed well I add the cold brew and mix again.

I hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know if you try it!

Thanks for reading!