New Tricks: Freshly Ground Iced Coffee

Recently I've been on a bit of a mission to bring lots of nice smells into the house. When you live in a basement, have a laundry space that is far away from one of the two windows, AND have a rabbit, it can be a little hard sometimes to keep things smelling, erm, fresh. One length I went to was to go on the definition of all sprees at Lush Cosmetics, which is pretty much one of my favourite shops in the world and universe. Their passionate use of fresh ingredients is not unlike my love of food, and the aromas their products emit as a consequence is really kind of heavenly. Queue a load of soaps and bathbombs dotted around the house for everyone's smelling pleasure, and a nice bit of escapism because each time you walk by, they make you feel like you're in Happy Dreamland.

Aroma Type #2 was inspired by our recent purchase, the Andrew James 4 in 1 Smoothie Maker. We were looking for an affordable blender because 1) The VT-BF wanted to start blending his own protein shakes in line with his recent health kick, and 2) I LOVE breakfast but it slows me down. I'm kind of thinking if I can whizz up some lovely fruits, oats, yoghurt and maybe even nuts in the morning I can drink one of the best breakfasts ever on the bus, whilst consuming plenty of stuff that helps to bring down my high, Diabetic cholesterol. So with that philosophy in place, there were really two more things that sold me on the reasonably priced Andrew James model: 1) it was red. Lots of things in my kitchen are red. 2) It came with a detachable GRINDER.

The grinder, not to be mistaken for a particular social media app, excited me ridiculous amounts. I've always wanted to be able to grind my own spice blends and coffee; we have a beauuutiful old coffee grinder which the VT-BF's grandmother acquired many years ago, but its grinding isn't actually all that. It's more of an aesthetic-but-completely-essential piece on the coffee table (also given to us by VT-BF-Nan).

So back to my smell mission. There is nothing more heartwrenchingly satisfying than the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and it's therefore one I wouldn't mind my house smelling of all the time. With my new grinder in place, the flat was just asking for some coffee beans that I could grind at least once a week, to re-release the aroma on a consistent basis and so smoothly eradicate any memory of damp clothing or rabbit pee.

I settled on a strength 5 Italian bean from Waitrose, and because it had been a particularly hot and tiring day (probably because I spent ages choosing the coffee bean) I excitedly came to the decision that I would ice my blend. I first became obsessed with iced coffee (just plain coffee with ice, milk or no milk, sugar if you want it but I don't - not the cream blended syruppy milkshake style things we get in all the high street chains) when I moved to Brooklyn and my soul was invaded by amazing coffee shops everywhere I explored. Having at least one iced coffee a day seemed to enlighten my life in all sorts of ways.

The instruction manual for the smoothie maker was just the kind I love - short and with big fonts. All I did to make my magic beans was pop them in the grinder cup, attach the RIGHT attachment (an area I could easily go wrong) and blend for thirty little secs. A nice little touch was that the grinder cup has a seal, so you can store whatever it is you might be grinding and keep it fresh - so I got to make wonderful hot coffee the next morning, too. To make the iced coffee, I took two big spoonfuls of my freshly ground beans and put them in a cafetiere. Treat as normal - add hot water and allow to brew. I lied earlier when I mentioned what the most heartwrenchingly satisfying thing was - because it's actually pushing down the plunger on a cafetiere. Arguments welcome.

Put a good handful of ice cubes in a cup - make sure it's heatproof! I love these glass ones - they're meant for tea, really, but whenever I need something heatproof I take advantage of their subtle gloriousness. Then just pour in the hot coffee and stir, and add milk or/and sugar if relevant. Give it a wee taste to see if it's chilled enough - just chuck some more ice cubes in if not.

Basically, I can't recommend all of the above highly enough. From choosing a bean that you think will suit you, to blitzing them up to oblivion and releasing their spellbinding smells, and then drinking your work in a way that tells you 'this is iced, so it is actually summer now', is just all the best. Seeing your coffee transform from those wholesome, nutlike beans into a mystical, silky, chocolate-coloured powder is a wonderful thing. And I'm happy to report that the house is still benefitting from the experiment. It's the most refreshing and inspiring thing to wake up and smell the coffee.

PS - here's what's next on my blitz-list. Pink peppercorns, fennel seeds and coriander seeds... my house is happy with me!