Fresh Mint Iced Coffee.
I have your Monday morning solution.
You know I love something when I recreate it a little over 24 hours after consumption.
It’s Monday. It’s weird. I’m sharing drink instead of food. I’m switching it up! Forcing myself out of the creative mehness.
Because pouring cream into coffee is sooooo creative.
But!
I’m going to serve you spring and summer in a glass. I SWEAR.
You’ll die. In a good way.
You guys. This is my new favorite thing out of all of the things. Iced coffee spiked with fresh mint vanilla-y syrup. It’s super duper fresh and wonderful and worthy of being sucked down in three seconds.
This past weekend I had a version in Kansas City and I could not stop thinking about it in the, you know, entire day after I drank it. I even thought about swinging by a second time to get another.
Just.so.divine.
Mint simple syrup wasn’t a new concept for me. I’ve made plenty of cocktails with it… blueberry mint juleps, triple berry mojitos, coconut mango mojitos, mint julep slushies – all sorts of delicious cocktaily things. (this clearly means you have things to do with the extras. Because MONDAY.)
But mint syrup in coffee? I was like WHAT.
It actually freaked me out at first. I loved the idea of it, the sound of it, but I couldn’t fathom the taste of it.
Plus, it was early.
Plus plus, I was that annoying customer who asked the girl behind the counter “if the mint iced coffee is really good?” Like what? Why would I even do that? Like she is going to say no, it sucks? I don’t know. I was vulnerable and needed reassurance.
I was also mildly freaked because over the holiday season, I ordered a peppermint mocha and was just so… over it. I’ve enjoyed them in the past but this year, not so much. I didn’t love the peppermint and coffee mixture. It tasted like toothpaste coffee.
Not a good look.
So anyway. I’m sure that was extremely relevant to your life today. #facepalm
Obviously, I ordered it.
Obviously, I loved it. But like, REALLY loved it. I mean, I know I’m annoying because I pretty much love anything. It drives Eddie crazy. But this was one of the things I really loved.
So much so that the minute I got off the plane, I immediately drove to the grocery store and bought myself a gorgeous bunch of organic fresh mint.
The only reason this was doable was because I happened to have some cold coffee already stuck in the fridge. Or, should I say, hidden back in the fridge so the man I live with wouldn’t throw a massive tantrum. I made it last week after I spent a good chunk of my Tuesday things complaining about my iced coffee dilemma – at invisible internet friend insistence of course. And! I also had some cute little cubes after dying over this post. I make coffee ice cubes a lot and then never use them. They sit in the freezer and ruin everything.
I have made the cold brew concentrate before – a few years ago when I was first trying to love coffee. I’ve even bought the Trader Joe’s version. And yes, if I add enough sugar and milk and junk, I like it. But I do really love the act of buying iced coffee out because I am a millennial and the destructive representation of our generation.
I never thought I’d be that person that wanted to get coffee daily but considering I so strongly forced it upon myself, I can’t be surprised. I didn’t even give myself an option.
And I’ve now become the person who just loves the idea and the act of drinking coffee. Even though it makes me feel like an insane person (about 85% of the time I do decaf) at times, I find the whole gist of it… relaxing.
Do you get me?
To love this, you do have to love fresh mint. It’s a different sort of mint though. It tastes nothing like artificial peppermint. To be ever so cliché and play right into the name, it does just taste FRESH. It adds a little kick to the coffee, but not an overwhelming toothpaste flavor. Thank you very much.
Would I drink it out of these little paper straws? Never. Have you ever tried to suck liquid through these things? Think soggy cardboard. It’s delightful. But they are cute as punch (is that a thing) and I’m a sucker.
I don’t really have any other words. But if you’re a fresh mint lovah… do it.
Fresh Mint Iced Coffee
Ingredients
cold brew concentrate
- 1/2 cup freshly ground coffee
- 2 cups cold water
- fresh mint syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 big bunch of fresh mint leaves, around 3/4 cup
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
for my perfect mint iced coffee
- coffee ice cubes, or, uh, plain ones!
- 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh mint syrup
- 8 ounces coffee concentrate
- 3 tablespoons milk, cream or sweetened condensed milk
- fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
cold brew concentrate
- To make the cold brew coffee concentrate, combine the ground coffee and water in a jar or bowl and stir well. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. At this time, I usually also make some coffee ice cubes. I make a cup or two of coffee and allow it to cool slightly. Since I don’t love black coffee, I’ll stir in some milk (anything from cream to almond or coconut milk) then pour the mixture into ice cube trays and freeze overnight. You can obviously make a ton of these and store them for on demand use!
- The next morning, use a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to strain coffee concentrate, removing all the grinds. Store the cold coffee in a sealed jar in the fridge.
fresh mint syrup
- To make the mint simple syrup, add the water, sugar, mint leaves and vanilla beans (and empty pod) to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Let it bubble for a minute or so, then reduce the heat and let it cool completely. I’ll usually put it in a bowl or jar, let it come to room temperature then stick it in the fridge overnight. In the morning (or before using), strain out the mint leaves and vanilla pod – or simply leave them in to continue flavoring the syrup. Keep sealed in the fridge for a week or so.
for my perfect mint iced coffee
- I like to use a mix of coffee ice cubes and regular old ice cubes – usually half and half. I’ll add them to the glass and pour the syrup overtop. Next goes the coffee concentrate and then I stir in the cream. Top it off with some fresh mint leaves and you’re good to go! Obviously this will differ based on your taste preferences, so find your favorite combo of the syrup and concentrate.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
I mean…
217 Comments on “Fresh Mint Iced Coffee.”
Wow I haven’t been by in a while and although this beverage looks like the ultimate and so refreshing – youR photos take my breath away! They are stunning. I’ve been struggling forever with mine. I really need to take a class or something. Great photos and recipe!
This looks so good! I agree, drinking coffee is relaxing even though it makes me jittery, lol
Mint is so easy to grow, but tend to take over everything so I only grow it in pots. There are so many different varieties now – chocolate mint, pineapple mint, spearmint, etc. I can hardly wait to try this with them all (chocolate mint first!).
Also, I recommend you try the Toddy coffee brewer. It makes the PERFECT cold brewed coffee and comes with a carafe that is perfect for the refrigerator. Seriously simple, makes the perfect concentration with a filter that makes the coffee soooooo smooth (takes the acid out).
As soon as I saw this I thought of making it with chocolate mint too.
This is so great! I am totally addicted to hot peppermint mochas from a local coffee shop, they are fab. I have been wanting to try to make them at home. I love iced coffee so this is great. I just assume this syrup will work just as well for a hot coffee too, don’t ya think?
Thanks so much for sharing!!
yes definitely – they offered hot mint lattes too!
This sounds amazing and like a GREAT break in morning routine. I would love a little treat like this!
I think you may be spying on me because this has come at the perfect time.
I just gave up alcohol and coffee seems to be filling the void.
PLUS the mint in my NYC window sill herb garden has just started to pop, big time.
And drinking iced coffee makes me think summer is coming, because every winter I lose faith that it will ever happen again.
This is amazing! Did you have that iced coffee from Kaldis? I live in St. Louis and have become addicted to this drink from our local Kaldis coffee shop. If it’s the same one, I understand your love (and initial confusion) for this drink! I am so excited to go home and recreate it. Not to mention you pretty much just summed up my life of coffee in your post. It’s definitely a comfort thing. Thanks for the post! So cool :)
it was from latte land!
Kaldi’s bought LatteLand and is in the process of changing the name.
This looks delicious! can’t wait for a sunny day to make this. also, can I just say, you are totally awesome!! I love how authentic you sound in your posts – can we be best friends…? Haha totally kidding but seriously I love reading your posts! Thank you for being you!
OK, OMG I NEED TO TRY THIS ASAP was the first thought that came in my mind after seeing these absolutely beautiful photos! I love coffee and what a great way to make it super fancy.
This sounds so refreshing! And the perfect intro to spring. Thanks Jess!
Just made this and it is absolutely amazing. Never could get homemade iced coffee quite right, and I think I’ve finally figured that out too with this recipe! Also I just used a little splash of vanilla extract since I couldn’t find/was too lazy to look for the vanilla beans at the store while I was buying mint. This is perfect. Yum.
I tend to love “everything” and then quickly fall out of love with most things. HA! My husband shakes his head when I ask someone at a restaurant if something is good. I feel like they will be honest with me, but probably not. For my birthday, I just got a square ice cube mold and made coffee ice cubes this morning. I can’t wait! I will definitely be trying your mint simple syrup in an iced coffee.
This looks lovely! However, I’m trying to keep the sugar consumption to a bare minimum. Do you think I could make the mint vanilla syrup sans sugar and add stevia after- yes, I know- not technically syrup at that point. More of an infusion?
hmm i’m really not sure how that would work – because it would just be mint water? i’m not sure how much it would flavor it and then it would just water down the coffee to get the amount of flavor you’d need. but if you use truvia – you could probably try swapping it for the sugar and it may work?
I know this is an older post, but I use honey as my primary sweetener, and I made a honey simple syrup all last summer for iced tea. It does have its own taste but it worked beautifully and I’m sure you could use it here too (I’m going to try it!). Hope that helps! It might work better than stevia. It’s sweeter than sugar so the same ratios would definitely work, if you don’t mind the subtle taste.
I can’t wait to try this! I’m a decaf person so it really is only for the tradition/comfort and taste! Thanks for the fantastic idea :) It’s going to be hot next week and this will be perfect.
This. Looks. Divine. I can see myself drinking this all summer!
This looks delicious! Coffee is ALWAYS a must for mondays.
I love how crazy and all over the place your writing is. It reminds me of my brain.
The only time I don’t find coffee relaxing is before I go on a plane. It makes me jittery as heck, and it feels like my heart is in my throat.
This sounds awesome! Mint iced coffee? I am definitely down for trying that!
Yesss. I used to always get iced lattes with half mint and half vanilla syrup- my favorite! But I’ve never tried fresh mint and really should. I also read something about adding mint while making your cold brew concentrate. Cold brew tastes a little flat to me, and this was supposed to help. If anything, maybe more experimenting will break me of my $$$$ Starbucks habit! :)
I never knew I wanted this until now. It sounds amazing!!
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I just switched over to cold-brewed coffee a week ago. I’m addicted! I can’t wait to try it with mint syrup. Love!
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Sounds absolutely delicious! I’ve just taken a liking to iced coffee, but haven’t considered trying it with mint – and I just love mint, so I really appreciate the idea. Thanks much!
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Latte Land has MINT iced coffee?! I’m going to cruise by and get one ASAP. I’m intrigued.
Ha! I love mint in drinks…I just put some in a blackberry smash I made last week, and it was so good. As I was drinking mine, I was thinking the same thing about those paper straws. I always have to have a straw for a fancy drink or it doesn’t feel right…but the paper ones only hold up for about the first half of the drink (even less if it’s something thick and creamy). I’m determined to use mine, though, so I usually just go get a second one halfway through my drink. I guess it probably destroys the point of having eco-friendly straws if I use twice as many of them…
At Abe’s market.com you can find glass straws I just bought some they’re pretty cool.
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Oh yum this looks so delicious (& special).
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I saw this on the menu when we were in Kansas City too and was kicking myself for not trying it because i’m a mojito fiend. So glad you recreated a version so I can get a chance to enjoy it now post Go Blog Social!
xoxo,
laurenl
Where did you see this on the menu in KC?
Latte Land. (Should have read all 108 comments first…)
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Tried it. Loved it. Two $5 mint coffees later, I just made my first mint simple syrup. Thanks, Jessica!
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I just made this for my friend and I! It’s amazing. I didn’t know how the flavors would meld, and it took some getting used to, but after a while I looooved it! Later in the evening I had some plain hot coffee, and was really wishing it had mint in it! Coffee will never be the same for me:) thank you for the amazing recipe!
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Do you remember the name of the place in Kansas City you got the drink? I live here and would LOVE to try it! Two of my favorite things in one I don’t see how it could be bad! :)
My question, too. I live south of the city and would like to try the original.
Latte Land. (Should have read all 108 comments first…)
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Love <3 I will try that with my left overs !
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Off to Whole Foods (within a mile….a good morning stroll) for ground coffee)…. nothing like making cold brew coffee! Thanks for your post!!
Two questions:
Where in KC did you have the original?
Why is there no hyperlink for “mint julep slushies” ? Would love the recipe for that!
MTIA
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