Coffee Stories 1st August 2026

Japanese Iced Coffee: How We Brew It in Our Cafés

Japanese iced coffee is one of our guests' favourite ways to drink coffee through summer, and it's how we brew it iced across our cafés. Made hot, straight over ice, it chills the moment it's poured, keeping all the aroma and brightness of a fresh pour-over with a clean, crisp finish that cold brew can't quite match. Ready in minutes, and a proper summer treat. Here's how we do it.

We brew it on a Kalita Wave, but you can use any brewer. At home, a V60 or a Fellow Stagg x Pour-Over Set works beautifully. Just keep the same ratio and principles and you're there.

Three coffees we've been loving over ice

FRUITOPIA BLEND

Fruitopia Blend

Strawberry, Green Apple, Vanilla
£14.50
VIBRANT & BRIGHT

Kenya, Githembe AA

Blackcurrant, Green Apple, Caramel
£15.50
UNIQUE & INTERESTING

Colombia, La Piragua, Striped Bourbon

Black Cherry, Melon, Cacao
£18.00

How we brew it

What you'll need

In the café we use a Kalita Wave 185. At home, a V60 (with V60 filters) or a Fellow Stagg x Pour-Over Set does exactly the same job, just follow the recipe as it is.

You'll also want:

New to pour-over? The V60 Bundle has the brewer, filters and server in one.

The recipe

  • 21g coffee, ground medium-fine (a touch finer than you'd grind for a hot pour-over)
  • 150g filtered water at 95°C (40g bloom, then a 110g main pour)
  • 150g ice in the server
  • Brew time: 1:45 to 2:15

Step by step

  1. Place your filter (Kalita or V60) in the dripper on the server. Rinse, then discard the water.
  2. Add 150g of ice straight into the server.
  3. Add 21g of freshly ground coffee to the filter and level the bed.
  4. Tare the scale, start the timer, and pour 40g of water at 95°C to bloom.
  5. Give it a gentle stir to saturate all the grounds, then let it bloom for 30 seconds.
  6. Slowly pour the remaining 110g of water in steady spiral pulses.
  7. Let it drip all the way through, 1:45 to 2:15 in total. The ice chills the coffee as it falls.
  8. Discard the filter. Add two ice cubes to your glass and pour the coffee over.
  9. Serve straight away.

A Quick Tip

If it's running fast, a little more stirring and agitation will slow the extraction and bring you back to target time.

Make it yours

Whatever your brewer, keep the ratio and the principles and you'll get a clean, bright cup. Pick your coffee, brew it over ice, and enjoy summer in a glass.