Iced Coffee on the Porch

There is a small window of quiet on a summer morning.

The sun has climbed over the trees, but the heat hasn't quite settled in yet. The birds are busy with their own conversations. A squirrel chatters from somewhere in the maple. Across the village, a screen door closes, someone waters their tomatoes,a neighbor’s chickens call out, and a commuter train rumbles across the viaduct and past St. Denis.

This is fine porch weather.

Not October porch weather that arrives wrapped in a blanket or in April with a sweater. This is summer porch weather—the hour before the air becomes hot and sticky, before the cicadas begin their chorus, before the day's errands and obligations come looking for you.

It's the perfect time for a glass of iced coffee. For us, that coffee is iced Hazelwood Avenue. It's a smooth medium roast with the mellow flavor of toasted hazelnuts. The gentle nuttiness and warm aroma pair beautifully with cream, making it a favorite choice for sipping cold.

The best iced coffee isn't complicated. In fact, it's almost embarrassingly simple.

Brew your favorite coffee a little stronger than usual and let it cool. You might want to add some sugar or sweetener at this point, since it dissolves better when the coffee is still hot. My favorite ‘trick’ is to brew a strong pot of coffee, add my sweetener, and transfer to a glass pitcher. Into the fridge it goes, chilling overnight so it is ready when I am. One of my other tricks is to freeze some of the coffee in ice cube trays to add in the next step.

Fill your tall glass with ice, and maybe a few coffee cubes. Pour the coffee—still hot or cooled overnight—over the cubes, add your favorite sweetener if you haven't already. Finish it with half-and-half, milk, or your favorite nondairy creamer. Give it a stir, settle into your favorite porch chair, and let the morning unfold.

Some mornings don't need to be productive. They don't need a checklist or a destination.

Sometimes all they ask is twenty quiet minutes. A cool glass beading with condensation. A porch swing moving almost imperceptibly. A breeze that still remembers the night. The promise that, yes, today will probably be unreasonably hot—but not quite yet.

The world can wait until you've finished your coffee.

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Simple Porch Iced Coffee

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Hazelwood Avenue or your favorite coffee, brewed strong and cooled

• Ice/frozen coffee cubes

• Sweetener to taste

• Half-and-half, milk, or your favorite nondairy creamer

Directions

Fill a tall glass with ice. Pour the cooled coffee over the ice. Stir in your sweetener until dissolved, add cream to taste, and enjoy on the porch while the morning is still yours.

Frozen Iced Hazelnut Coffee

When the afternoon heat settles over the village and even the porch cats have gone looking for shade, it's time for something a little frostier.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup strong brewed Hazelwood Avenue or your favorite coffee, sweetened and chilled

• 1 to 1½ cups ice or a mix of frozen coffee cubes and frozen half and half or creamer

• Optional: use vanilla ice cream for part or all of your ice

• 2–3 tablespoons half-and-half or your favorite nondairy creamer

• Top with whipped cream or cold frothed milk or a sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions

Add the chilled coffee, ice, sweetener, and half-and-half to a blender. Blend until smooth and frosty. If you'd like it thicker, add a little more ice. If you'd like it creamier, add another splash of half-and-half.

Pour into a tall glass, top with whipped cream or a pinch of cinnamon if you're feeling fancy, and enjoy from the coolest corner of the porch.

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