Chilled overnight coffee over ice

Cold brew is one of those recipes that asks very little of you. You spoon the coffee into the cafetiere, pour over the water, and then the fridge does the work. Nobody stands over a kettle or watches a timer. By morning the grounds have quietly given up their flavour, and what you are left with is a coffee that tastes rounder and less sharp than the hot version, with almost no bitterness at the back of the throat.

The reason it works is simple chemistry. Hot water pulls out the acids and the bitter compounds quickly, which is why a freshly brewed cup can taste so punchy. Cold water is much slower, so it takes out the sweeter, chocolatey notes and leaves a lot of the harshness behind. That is also why people who think they dislike coffee often enjoy this one. Keep the grounds coarse-ish if you can, because very fine powder can make the finished jug cloudy and gritty, and it is the one thing I would fix if your first batch tastes muddy.

A few things I have learned from making this on warm weekends. Give it the full overnight rest, because a shorter soak tastes thin. Let the grounds settle for a few minutes after you stir, so you are not pouring silt into the glass. And taste before you add the sweetener, since the concentrate can seem strong until it has been diluted with ice and milk. You can keep the strained coffee in a sealed jug in the fridge for a couple of days, which means one batch covers several mornings. Just add the ice fresh each time, or it turns watery.

If you want something to go with it, a warm bun is hard to beat. The cinnamon apple and raisin swirl buns have a soft, spiced sweetness that sits nicely next to the cool, slightly nutty coffee. For a lazy afternoon treat, a small chocolate mousse with raspberries finished with a pinch of cocoa echoes the little dusting on top of the glass. And if you are making a batch for friends, the chocolate cherry cream pots are easy to prepare the day before, so you are not juggling anything at the table.