How to Make French Press Iced Coffee

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Who doesn’t enjoy a good iced coffee? Using a French press to make it is simple and makes a strong cup of coffee. And a strong cup of coffee is the perfect start to iced coffee!

French press iced coffee is considerably stronger than drip coffee. This is because the French press process preserves the natural coffee oils and tastes of the beans.

Many people believe that French presses produce the tastiest coffee possible. so you’re practically guaranteed to have a flavorful brew. And it doesn’t hurt that it is simple, quick, and inexpensive.

Iced coffee from a French press has a better taste because of the steeping process. French presses allow the coffee grinds to be squeezed, which releases the strongest and best flavors.

Coffee Bean Selection

You don’t need a special type of coffee bean to make French press iced coffee. The flavor of your brew all depends on the coffee beans you select, the water temperature, and what you add to your cup afterward. What coffee to use is personal preference, so try different varieties of beans.

I do recommend buying whole bean coffee and grinding it yourself right before brewing. This produces the freshest, most flavorful cup of coffee.

french press iced coffee

How To Make French Press Iced Coffee

Making French press iced coffee is just as easy as making hot coffee. All you need is:

  • 1/2 cup coffee beans/ground coffee (and coffee grinder if using whole beans)
  • 2 cups filtered cold water 
  • Ice cubes
  • Milk (optional)
  • Flavored syrups for sweetening (optional)
  • French press

Step 1: Add The Coffee Beans

Grind 1/2 cup of beans. A coarse, even grind is recommended for French press coffee. This is best achieved with a burr grinder. Put the coffee into the bottom of your French press.

Note: using finely ground coffee will result in a more bitter coffee due to overextraction, and your coffee may have sediment since the filter won’t fill out small, fine coffee grounds.

Step 2: Add Your Water

Your water to coffee ratio is 1:12 by weight; gently pour twice as much water as you have coffee into your press. If you have 20 grams of coffee, you should begin with 240 grams of water.

An easier measurement is 1/2 cup coffee and 2 cups of water.

Boil your water and add it to the coffee grounds in your French Press.

Tip: Temperature has an influence on the coffee brewing process. You should make sure that your water temperature is roughly 180° to  200°F.

Step 3: Steep

Let your coffee steep for a few minutes. About 4-5 minutes is typical. 

Step 4: Squeeze The Plunger

Slowly push the plunger downward; this separates the brewed coffee from the grounds. Allow the coffee to settle for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Step 5: Pour Your Coffee Into A Glass

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour the coffee into the glass over the ice. Add more ice if you want it colder.

TIP: Allow the coffee to cool for a few additional minutes before pouring will prevent melting too much of the ice, diluting your coffee.

Some Helpful Hints For Using Your French Press

  • Warm up the French press so the water doesn’t cool down during steeping. Add a little boiling water, swirl, and discard.
  • Measure and grind your coffee beans. Begin by weighing out your whole coffee beans to ensure you have the correct coffee to water ratio
  • If your iced coffee is too dilute, try using frozen coffee cubes instead of iced cubes, or a mix of coffee cubes and regular ice.

More Tips

Use Filtered Water

Using filtered water instead of tap water improves the flavor and taste of the coffee. Do this especially if your tap water has an off taste, or is excessively hard or soft.

While tap water certainly works in making French press coffee, filtered water leaves your brew with a purer taste.

Use Quality Ingredients

Good coffee starts with good beans (and good water). Using freshly ground, high-quality coffee beans will make the tastiest iced coffee.

Add Syrups

Syrups of different flavors are a quick and interesting way to spice up the flavor of an iced coffee. Add a shot of syrup to your coffee for a rich twist.

To give your iced coffee a delicious touch, try adding a dollop of maple syrup, chocolate syrup, or caramel syrup. Or make your syrups to add extra taste!

TIP: For best blending, add syrups to hot coffee before adding any ice. 

Try Non-Dairy Milk

You’ll never be bored with the variety of non-dairy milk alternatives available! There’s something for everybody’s taste buds. There are now soy, coconut, and oat milk available, and they are great substitutes for regular milk.

Almond or cashew milk can provide a nutty and velvety finish that adds beauty to your drink.

Curious about the history of the French Press?

Once upon a time, a Frenchman was heating water for his coffee when suddenly he realized he had forgotten to put the actual coffee in. He decided to add the coffee grinds to the heating water. When the ground coffee beans came to the top, he used a piece of metal and a stick to force the metal to mash the grounds to the bottom. It ended up being the tastiest cup of coffee he’d ever had. (Source)

Despite this interesting origin, the patent for the French press coffee machine was eventually obtained by Italians. The Italian patented version then evolved into what we know today as the “French press”. In current models, the coffee grounds are soaked in hot water before being pushed to the bottom of the beaker.

A French press and glasses on a table.