more stuff in a jar-part II

We went to Jade Teahouse again a bit back and can I just say, again, how much I love this restaurant? I love it. Anyhoo, the Thai iced coffee was so very good and I have been craving it ever since. I made some at home and while it wasn't nearly as good, I haven't given up hope. I am still tinkering with the recipe. I am thrilled to be keeping it in a mason jar, so it's making friends with all my concentrated tea blends.

For this batch I added heavy cream to the super strong spiced coffee, but I need to try it with condensed milk next time. The spiced coffee is already sweetened by the time I add it to the jar and put it in the fridge, so I can't just add condensed milk to it now without having some sort of glycemic freak-out. I found some recipes but realized in researching there are many many ways to make this coffee. I think I need to add more sugar (I bet agave would work too) because it still doesn't taste right yet. The recipe I made is based on the first recipe I list below with a lot less sugar. But now I think it needs more sugar, so I am still tinkering with it.

• How to make Thai Iced Coffee
• Thai iced coffee from Recipe Source
• Thai iced coffee from RecipeZaar (this looks very good to me)
• Thai iced coffee from Epicurious (I'd use normal sugar, not Splenda.)

**update: After drinking this for about 2 weeks now, we have decided that using whole milk is better than the heavy cream or condensed milk. At least for this daily at home version. I like the richness of the cream once in awhile, but not everyday.

Comments

[Hannah]

this sounds and looks WONDERFUL!
I've been making tea concentrates since reading about it here, and I am enjoying it everyday!

[tzveyah]

have you tried maybe making it with dulce de leche? that sounds like it might be interesting!

[Lee]

I haven't tried these (yet), but you may like this as popsicles:
http://icypops.com/recipes.html#thai

[Laura.]

ooh! i want to try this, so glad you are doing all the figuring out!

[Haley]

I make up a big batch with espresso and sweetened condensed milk and pour it into popsicle moulds. Best (possibly) popsicles ever.

[Julia]

yum, i'll have to try that thai iced coffee sometime!

[Ransacked Goods]

Just straight up espresso and sweetened condensed milk does the trick for me - you'll get it all over Laos and Vietnam this way. I've never actually had the type of Thai iced coffee they serve in the US in Thailand? They serve Nescafe there. Maybe that's the secret?

[TracyV]

I've never had Thai iced coffee, but I love Thai iced tea. You should try it with evaporated milk - it adds a little sweetness and body without all the calories of condensed or cream.

[Julie]

Yum - if you "figure it out" please post! I've been loving having a small container of concentrated tea rather than the huge one we used to have!

[Whistlepea]

I went to Jade when I was in Portland a few weeks ago and the waitress asked how we heard about it. When I said "blog" she said "Angry Chicken?" Apparently you've been sending a lot of business their way!

[Kristen]

What about evaporated milk? Almost the same as condensed milk, but unsweetened. (It also comes in fat-free skim, if that's how you roll.)

[Kara]

I love Thai iced tea, so Thai iced coffee sounds great! Using whole milk is probably a good idea - it makes it a little less rich, but still with good flavor.

[kitchendoor]

That sounds amazing--and I totally agree about the cream. After awhile it starts to make me feel kind of sloshy.

[Cathy]

I think the canned taste of the sweetened condensed milk totally adds something to Vietmanese iced coffee. You could try evapoarted milk if you already have sweetening from somewhere else.

The David Lebovitz book, "The Perfect Scoop" has an iced coffee flavored ice cream that is true.

[Marcia]

This is what I'm into now. The coffee is mellow and looses the acidic bite it often has. Since I'm bothering to make it, I always use good coffee. If you're feeling energetic, make coffee ice cubes too so it doesn't dilute. It makes a pretty amazing base for coffee ice cream too! I'm mainly using it for iced coffee.

Cold Brew Coffee
1 cup ground coffee
32-ounce container (1 quart)
Strainer
Large basket type coffee filters
Place ground coffee in container, fill with cold water. Cover and let sit for twelve to fifteen hours. Place strainer over large bowl and put coffee filter inside. Slowly pour over about half of the coffee and let sit until strained. Replace filter and repeat.

To make regular coffee: Place equal parts coffee concentrate and water in cup and heat.

To make iced coffee: Place equal parts concentrate and milk in glass. Add ice, sweetened as desired. You may find my preference for iced coffee a bit strong for you so leave room to add some water to weaken it if need be!

Originally published at SouthernPlate

or, the NY Times recipe:

Time: 5 minutes, plus 12 hours’ resting

Related
Iced Coffee? No Sweat (June 27, 2007)
1/3 cup ground coffee (medium-coarse grind is best)
Milk (optional).

1. In a jar, stir together coffee and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.

2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add milk.

Yield: Two drinks. I double or triple recipe-it keeps for at least 2 weeks in the frig.

NOTE: To make hot coffee, dilute concentrate one-to-one with water and heat in the microwave.

LOVE your website!!!!!

[Mixing Bowl Mama]

Mmm...sounds so good!

[Steph W]

Thank you for this recommendation! I will be in the area later this summer and I want to check this out!

[Stacey B]

I used to work at a coffee shop where we served Thai Ice Coffee. Honestly the best way to get he coffee right is if you make the coffee as a cold toddy, that way it stays super smooth. Then we would put about an inch of sweetened condensed milk in the glass and mix. The draw back of the cold coffee is that the milk doesn't mix as easily but it's worth it for the flavor.

[Chelsea Slaven-Davis]

the ruby of siam around the corner from my apartment in chicago made the best thai iced coffee. my roommate and I would order thai iced coffees and coconut rice and be in asian food heaven.

[Kelly]

I have been wanting to make this after reading the NYT article. I worked at a coffee shop in the late 90's and we made our iced coffee concentrate this way - it was delicious!

[Erica]

my husband always orders Thai Ice tea or coffee with coconut milk. That might be worth a try...though it might be more expensive for the daily drink.

[Mary Beth]

I adore that little cream pitcher!

[Jody]

I want to second the cold-brew YUMMY :-)

[Kathryn]

Hi, Amy. The Thai restaurant up the street from me puts Gensing in their Thai Iced Coffee. It is heavenly. K (aka Mad Beach Maven)

[Bindi]

I'm thirding the NYTimes cold-brewed coffee recipe. Once I tried it this way, I couldn't go back. Even coffee haters like this iced coffee.
Once it has "brewed" I mix it Thai-style with condensed milk.
Bindi

[Laura]

Even before I grew to like coffee I always loved Thai coffee. I like most versions, but think that whole milk or half-and half does the job when you just aren't up for cream or the heaviness of condensed milk. Orange spice tea brewed strong also tastes great made the same way and I do not like hot orange spice tea.

[lucy]

I've been doing this too! It's so good, I like it with milk, but it's so good with sweetened condensed milk for a nice treat.

[amy k.]

oh wow!!! okay that sounds amazing.

[amy k.]

oh wow. okay, great tip!

[Sacha]

I love Vietnamese or Thai iced coffee. I even have 4 of the "hats" that they use in Vietnamese restaurants to make it tableside by the cup (amazon has them as vietnamese coffee filters).

The difference I've seen is that Vietnamese is usually coffee with chickory (Cafe Du Monde is one you can find around) and Thai sometimes has the addition of at least cardamom to the coffee.

For the hats, you put 2-4 tbls sweetened condensed milk in the bottom of a large glass, the hat on the glass, and 2-4 tbls finely ground dark roast coffee with chickory in the hat and fill the hat with boiling water. It steeps and drips out the bottom into the condensed milk, making it stirrable (and taunting you with it's slow tasty dripping the whole time!). Once it's all done and you've stirred, add ice and voila!

For storing larger quantities cold, I would say pre-sweetening the coffee mix and adding just cream is easier than trying to dissolve the condensed milk in the cold coffee.

[Kirstin]

We were just at Jade this week and I was telling the family that you'd been there! We live just up the street, so it is very tempting to go often. I really want to get some of those little Laotian steam baskets to make that sticky coconut rice they make. My daughter loves it, and I think it would be such an awesome thing to tuck in her lunch. I haven't found a good recipe yet--let me know if you do!

[Audrie]

I miss the coffee we'd get in Singapore... they'd make it with condensed milk and it's SO good.

[Lisa M]

Sounds good! I am a coffee/tea nut! I may have an addiction actually :)

[amy k.]

I love the sticky rice! so is that just made with coconut milk instead of water? I need to find out-

[Michele in Maine]

Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart! When I was in Vietnam adopting my daughter, we had lots of espresso on ice with sweetened condensed milk poured over it - yum!

Now I am completely addicted to Tazo's Chai concentrate with 2% milk and a splash of 1/2 and 1/2. I would love to find a good recipe for it so I could make a big batch (and stop paying $4.29 per container x 4/week!).

I still make your recipe for bahn mih(sp?)sandwiches nearly every day for me and my daughter. thank you!

[angela]

When I make it I put a little bit of french vanilla creamer and whole milk and It tastes devine!

[Glenn]

Oh yum! What kind of sanding sugar did he use? You always have the best recipes!

[emily]

this is my absolute favorite with sweetened condensed milk, coffee and a little lowfat milk to top it off. yum. yum. extra yum.

[Krissy]

I love Jade.I was just there last night, The food is so good!

[meg]

Wow that is complicated.When I was traveling in Thailand a lot I learned to make it much easier.
You take 2 shots of espresso or strong coffee... stir in a tablesppon or so of condensed milk, and when dissolved you pour it over ice and top with half and half. It is so refreshing it is our drink of choice now that we are back in the US.

[Jolie]

oh I always love the recipes I find here....such a treasure trove! And sticky balls is with coconut milk instead of water...yum!!!

[amy k.]

thanks! it was from a fancy bake shop, just the big clear kind, you know?

[Megan]

Am gonna try that popsicle idea tomorrow. Yum!
Also - try this:
Ice cream, espresso and whole milk - over a wee bit of ice. Very yummy. Like a coffee float.

[Candice]

Hi! I live in Bangkok, and I can tell you that chaa yen (cold tea), Thai style, makes your teeth hurt it's so sweet. It's loaded with condensed milk and the final is bright orange. Yum! To be absolutely authentic you should drink it with a straw from a little plastic bag with two handles! :)

[Meredith]

you have to get 'sticky rice' (a different type of rice that is either purple or white) at asian groceries. Jasmine rice just won't work.

[Meredith]

My husband and I went through a long process of trying to figure all of this out with Thai Iced Tea. We found it's very important to have super concentrated tea to start with, use simple syrup to make it sweet and either cream or half and half for the milk. Works well with iced coffee too.

[Margaret]

Have you tried using silk soy milk? It is excellent in iced coffee drinks.

[Alice]

I love your 'drinks in a jar'. Pure heaven! The photo alone makes me want to run to the kitchen and start trying out different combination's! Thanks for sharing!

[Gemma]

Maybe check out the yumsugar.com website. They have a recipe for Vietnamese Coffee on a Stick and some cupcakes that also sound super yummy!

http://www.yumsugar.com/1663993?utm_source=yumsugar&utm_medium=email&utm_term=1663993&utm_campaign=email_friend&utm_content=link_2

[Spadazzle]

Wow! Hadn't thought of using my mason jars for the concentrated tea I have been making! Great!

[Kris Jones]

I made this last night, and am sipping on my first glass right now...had to come and comment...simply divine!!!!!! I think I may give up regular coffee altogether...I used whole milk as you suggested...cardamom makes the world of difference! Thank you!

[cindy]

yummmy and i love that cute lil milk bottle. i wonder where i can get one!

[Lesslie]

I loved thai iced tea as well a while back I asked what they make it with they told me it was black tea and coconut milk. Hope that helps.

[Jennifer]

I am on the wagon from booze and caffeine because I am pregnant. Iced Thai Decaf treats have made my afternoons. Thanks for the idea.
Wow! Do I sound desperate or what?

[disques durs externes]

I loved coffee a lot!!! It looks delicious and i definitely try this, have you tried a spanish cream coffee..