How to Brew Flash Brew Coffee

Flash brew coffee is a barista favorite, a quick and tasty way to brew iced coffee! Read on for details on what makes this brew method special and a guide on how to brew it.

Also known as Japanese Iced Coffee, flash brew is just what the name suggests: it’s hot coffee that is flash chilled. It is inspired by the Japanese method of flash chilling hot coffee directly over ice, and many recipes you find online will refer back to this brew method’s origin. We think it’s a great alternative to cold brew!

We gave you the inside scoop on cold brew in a previous blog post. Flash brew is the polar opposite to cold brew in many ways. It’s ready in minutes versus cold brew’s hours. It’s more delicate and light versus cold brew’s concentrated state. It’s perfectly extracted versus the sometimes heavy extraction of cold brew. It often allows you to pick up more intricate tasting notes in a specialty single origin coffee. Don’t get us wrong! We love cold brew, but if you’re looking for something brighter, lighter, and quicker, a flash brew is probably just the thing.

So how do you make it? There are countless articles and recipes online: flash brew has become wildly popular in the U.S. since the idea was brought here in the 90s. There are also countless variations of flash brew: you can brew it in a Chemex to make a bigger batch, or you can brew a one cup serving with a V60. Basically this brew technique can easily be altered to fit your preferred pour over method and recipe! How convenient is that?

Here’s what you do…

Follow your preferred pour over recipe, but substitute about 1/3 of the water for ice. Weigh out the ice into the vessel you’re brewing the pour over in so that the hot coffee immediately hits the ice as it falls down through the filter. This will give you perfectly flash chilled iced coffee!

Here’s an example…

If you’re following our v60 recipe, use the same 21g of coffee grounds and the same temperature of hot water. But weigh out about 116g of ice into the container you’re brewing into. Remember, you’re going to be pouring less hot water because the ice counts as part of the water in the recipe (you’ll pour 234g vs. the normal 350g), so adjust your pour time accordingly. As you’ll still want your brew to take about 3 minutes, you will need to pour a bit more slowly.

And that’s it! Once the hot coffee has dripped down over the ice and flash chilled, you’ll have delicious iced specialty coffee! Add this brew method to your summer line up, and you’ll have another refreshing way to enjoy specialty coffee even on the hottest afternoons. Need beans to try this recipe on? Shop ours here.