The Iced Coffee days

My (terribly amateur) animation

Ah, the nectarous* perks of the summer sun. Iced coffee is most definitely up there (along with carrot juice) on my list of top refreshments to see me through this impalpable British heat. According to the Independent, the coming month is all set to compete with 2003's heatwave of a summer (where temps reached a whopping 38c! Do not remember that!) - not that I'm complaining in the slightest! I think we deserve a semblance of real Summer weather, don't you? This is my absolute ideal temperature (I've always said I was supposed to be born Spanish/Mediterranean).

There's not a particular art form when it comes to making iced coffee. It's a fairly simple process; mix a teaspoon of coffee (and sweetener of choice if you so choose) with a very small amount of boiling water, then add one ice cube and mix for a few seconds, or until the ice cube begins to melt. I add a trickle of vanilla bean paste in here just to liven things up a bit (I know I know, living precarious)...

Add a few more ice cubes before pouring in your milk of choice. I created the GIF above simply to capture this last part of the process; there's something about the way the contrasting colours of the coffee and milk gradually mix together that makes me really, really happy. And judging by the amount of coffee-porn on Tumblr, I don't think it's just me being a massive weirdo on this one. It is an actual thing - trust me (see ici et ici).

The only downfall of iced coffee is that it's far too easy to just gulp down in one go, and thus you're always left with a few unmelted ice cubes at the end; at which point it just makes sense to go and make another, y'know, just to make use of the leftover ice. Therein lies the (my?) problem; a vicious cycle of iced coffee guzzling.

Summer? Je t'aime.



*Nectar·ous adj., of nec·tar n.; A sweet liquid secreted by flowers of various plants, consumed by pollinators, such as hummingbirds and insects, and gathered by bees for making honey || The drink of the gods (Greek/Roman mythology) || A delicious or invigorating drink.