What is Japanese Iced Coffee? Flavor Profile and Step-by-Step Brewing Guide

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Among the many countries worldwide, Japan stands out for its artisanal dedication to coffee. FrontStreet Coffee recognizes that Japan has long been a country with a rich coffee history and culture. They particularly love full-bodied, rich-flavored coffee, often using medium-dark roasts. Blue Mountain and Mandheling coffee are Japan's favorites! In Japan's hot summers, iced coffee is indispensable. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will teach you how to make a refreshing and delicious iced coffee!

Japanese Iced Coffee Method

The method for making Japanese iced coffee is simple: place ice cubes in your coffee cup, then brew coffee with hot water using your usual method.

Advantages of Japanese Iced Coffee: Quick Preparation

Japanese iced coffee is incredibly fast to make. If you suddenly crave an iced coffee drink, you don't need to wait an entire night or even a full day. When prepared precisely, Japanese iced coffee has an exceptionally rich flavor and bright texture. We've tried making it with washed Yirgacheffe, and the taste was more outstanding than any cold brew of the same variety. Japanese iced coffee made with this method offers rich flavors while taking exactly the same brewing time as regular coffee—isn't that amazing!

The preparation method for Japanese iced coffee is similar to regular pour-over, except you reduce the water amount by half and replace it with ice cubes.

Brewing Process

1. Coffee Beans

You can choose beans with fresh, bright flavors, preferably medium-light roasts. FrontStreet Coffee recommends FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee's Guji, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya tomato, FrontStreet Coffee's Coffee Flower, or FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy—beans with fruity and acidic aromas. Use 15g of coffee grounds and 100g of ice cubes (you need enough ice to keep it truly cold!). Rinse and dry your filter and paper beforehand. No need to preheat the cup for iced pour-over.

2. Temperature and Grind Size

For temperature and grind selection, the editor chose to increase the temperature by 1°C from the normal 91°C recommended for pour-over. Normally grind to fine sugar consistency (Fuji Royal 3.5 setting), but for iced pour-over, make it slightly finer by half a setting to Fuji Royal 3.

This is why we recommended choosing beans you're familiar with earlier. Because of the powder-to-water ratio (1:10) in iced pour-over, the extraction rate is slightly lower than regular pour-over (but not by much). In this case, you should use water temperature and grind size to compensate for the extraction rate.

In other words: higher water temperature + finer grind = higher extraction rate.

3. Brewing Technique

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

During this stage, you can also add "stirring" or "extend the bloom time" to allow the coffee grounds to absorb water more fully and release gas smoothly. Use a small, vertical water stream at an appropriate height, slowly circling until you reach 160g, then stop pouring.

4. Poured Water in Stages

First pour: 60g of water, second pour: 40g of water. Use a relatively thin but high water stream, stirring forcefully to ensure the coffee grounds tumble thoroughly. However, be careful not to let the water level get too high or pour onto the edge of the filter paper.

5. Wait

Due to the finer grind, filtration will be slightly slower. Don't worry—with this powder-to-water ratio, it won't easily over-extract and produce unpleasant flavors. Initially, small molecular fruit acids and floral aromas are extracted first, followed by minor bitterness. With iced pour-over extracting the front to middle stages, as long as you don't continuously pour at one spot, the overall flavor will remain relatively fresh and bright.

6. Complete

The entire extraction time is approximately two and a half minutes (similar to the normal extraction time for 20g of grounds). Once all the coffee liquid has dripped through, shake it to mix evenly. At this point, most of the ice will have just dissolved. The remaining ice can continue to chill and gradually dilute the coffee. As the ice continues to melt, the flavor will become lighter, so it's recommended to drink before the ice completely melts.

Key Points for Making Japanese Iced Pour-over

① The ratio of ice to water should be approximately 1:1. It doesn't have to be exactly 1:1, but it shouldn't deviate too much (adjust slightly based on room temperature). Otherwise, either the iced coffee won't be cold enough (too little ice) or the coffee will be too weak (too much ice, too little water, under-extracted).

② Pour-over extraction rate issues. Sometimes you might not achieve a satisfactory iced pour-over on the first try. In this case, you need to evaluate whether your brew is too weak (low extraction rate) or has off-flavors (high extraction rate). Generally, ensuring even extraction, you can increase the extraction rate by: raising water temperature, using a finer grind, adding more stirring, or extending extraction time. Conversely: lowering water temperature, using a coarser grind, reducing stirring, or shortening extraction time can all decrease the extraction rate.

③ Don't expect the flavors of iced pour-over to be explosive. Sometimes it's not about extraction rate or brewing success/failure, but rather that human senses of smell, taste, and touch naturally become less sensitive at low temperatures. Additionally, aroma molecules react more slowly at low temperatures and don't diffuse easily, making them harder to perceive. So while iced pour-over can satisfy cravings, provide refreshment, and keep you going, it might not necessarily blow you away!

Important Notice :

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