DIY Iced Coffee

When I see people drinking hot coffee in this weather, I can't help but wonder what in the world is wrong with them. As if you aren't going to sweat enough walking from class to class, why on earth would you torture your insides with an extremely hot beverage?! I sometimes feel like introducing these people to a good old friend of mine: iced coffee. You get the same, great taste as hot coffee, and it's something refreshing to drink while you're trying to cool down from the unbearable heat.

Sometimes, my impatience gets the best of me when I'm trying to get my coffee. As much as I try not to be, I always get frustrated when things take too long. One thing that drives me crazy is having to wait in line for an 8 ounce cup of coffee. Yes, I will admit: I am a die hard, basic Starbucks lover. It just makes me happy to walk around while holding a plastic cup with the famous green mermaid on it. Thats why I started drinking coffee in the first place (don't lie, I know most of you have the same story). But the fact that my school has about 60,000 students (I'm sure more than half are coffee lovers) and only ONE Starbucks on campus adds a little bit of unneeded stress to my life.

Thats when I thought: I have a coffee machine, why don't I make my own iced coffee? I had never tried making iced coffee on my Keurig machine, but I figured it was more than possible. If you have a Keurig (it seems like every college student has one), or any coffee machine for that matter, give it a try! I'm sure it won't disappoint. Follow these easy steps for your perfect iced coffee:

1. Pick your favorite K-Cup flavor. I usually use Starbucks Vanilla or Gevalia Caramel Machiado.
2. If you used powdered coffee creamer, pour some into the mug you're making the coffee in. Once you have your K-Cup inserted, select the 6 oz setting on the coffee machine.
3. Wait until the coffee is done pouring into your mug. You may have to stir some of the coffee cream powder that has not mixed.
4. Grab a tall, plastic cup and fill it to the top with ice. It is important that it's plastic because the change in temperatures will cause glass to break.
5. Pour the coffee from your mug into the plastic cup. If you use liquid creamer, you can add some to your coffee now that it's in the plastic cup.
6. Voila! You now have your perfect, homemade iced coffee, without having to wait in line!

If you're using a regular coffee machine, brew your coffee as you normally would, creamer and all, and then transfer it to a tall, plastic cup filled with ice. Try it out and let me know how you like it!

Happy drinking!

NG