I’m not a big fan of summer to be honest. It’s too hot and humid. But the one thing thaI look forward to every summer is iced coffee. As soon as the weather gets hot, my body automatically craves cold java and luckily, in this town, I have plenty of options.
We told you where to buy Coffee for Connoisseurs, now here’s our guide to Iced Coffee for Connoisseurs:
I have to start with my latest addiction, Java Love’s Iced Coffee. Java Love opened this past May and quickly gained a cult following for its coffee, specifically its iced coffee which is made by the cold brew method. Co-owner Kristine Petrik explained that cold brewing gives you a much smoother, very low acid coffee concentrate. it also happens to have a slightly higher caffeine level since it steeps for such a long time, which may be another cause for the addiction. Java Love uses a Toddy industrial sized cold brewing system, giving them 5 gallons at a time and a blend of coarse ground South American and Indonesian medium roast. Kristine says they have been selling, on average, 15 gallon a day in Montclair!
Java Love sells a home Toddy system ($34.95) for those true addicts. All you do is put in 1 lb of coarse ground coffee and one gallon of cold water. Let it brew at room temperature fro 18 – 24 hours and then drain the concentrate into the glass jar. That part takes a couple of hours. Then refrigerate your cold brew coffee concentrate for up to 2 weeks. When you want a delicious glass of iced coffee, pour equal parts concentrate and cold water over ice and enjoy. You can also use the concentrate for hot coffee by pouring boiling water over it.
I’m buying my Toddy system today and bringing my jar of coffee concentrate on my vacation next week so I’ll have delicious iced, or hot, coffee at my finger tips.
And if you’re an espresso overs, Java Love has something for you too this summer. They also cold brew espresso for Iced Lattes.
You can also get a cup of the same Java Love’s Iced Coffee at Little Daisy Bake Shop if you happen to crave a Whoopie Pie or a Snickerdoodle with your drink.
Another standby is Red Eye Cafe’s signature iced coffee drink called a New Orleans Sludge, which is also cold brewed. This French Roast iced latte is mixed with just a few spices, milk and served on ice. Red Eye uses several local roasters, such as Kobricks Cape Horn Blend, and Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso for the freshest coffee.
My personal favorite cappuccino in Montclair comes from Raymond’s on Church Street and I just learned you can get it iced! The very popular restaurant purchases their coffee from Red House Roasters, a coffee company in Union City, NJ, who roasts a special unique blend just for Raymond’s. I’ll be checking out their Iced Cappuccino this week.
Bluestone Coffee Co., which roasts its coffee beans on site makes a good Iced Latte and straight up iced coffee. Other local favorites are Iced Cappuccinos from Petit Parisien and yes, even Starbuck’s gets votes for its dessert-like Frappuccino iced coffee drinks. I personally like Starbucks’s Iced Caramel Macchiato.
A drink that brings me back to the month I spent in Greece island-hopping is the Greek frappé. This iced coffee drink is made with Nescafé instant coffee (it has to be Nescafé), cold water and a container to shake it in. Basically, you add the coffee, sugar, pour in the water and shake it until you get a thick frothy delicious drink. Then you can add milk and on special occasions, a scoop of vanilla ice cream! I enjoyed a frappé every single day when I was in Greece, usually sitting in an outdoor cafe. I ordered mine “metrio me gala,” which means medium sweet ( 1-2 tsps. sugar) and a bit of milk. But you can have them really sweet “glyko” or black. Read more about Greek Frappé and learn how to make your own here.
So there you have it. My picks for the the Iced Coffee connoisseur. Do you know of a place that should be on this list? Let us know in comments where you get a great cold cup of Joe.
The Bread Company has a great iced coffee because they make coffee ice cubes. So when the ice melts the coffee doesn’t get watery. This is a huge plus.
And remember, bring your to-go mug. Every coffee shop in town should offer a 25 cent incentive/discount to people who don’t use a disposable cup.
The Montclair Bread Company also makes their cubes with coffee and it is by far the smoothest iced coffee in town. They use Java Love’s Breakfast Blend.
I do love the Java Love’s iced coffee….but for a large (which isn’t that big) for $3.58, I won’t be able to do it too often!
Sandwich Theory iced coffee is FABULOUS
I tried Red Eye’s iced coffee and it doesn’t taste much different from Dunkin’ Donuts. Java Love… however.. is actually pretty great.