Coffee, in its brain-preserving, diabetes-defending, cancer-fighting glory, may be one of the world's most enjoyable superfoods. But as the mercury climbs, the quality of your caffeine fix plummets. That's because most coffee shops charge extra for iced coffee, only to melt a feeble cup of cubes with piping-hot java. (Yeah, that's why your iced coffee at Starbucks tastes so weak.) Skip the diluted version and cold-brew a batch at home.

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Directions

Combine 2/3 cup of coffee grounds and 3 cups of cold water in a glass jar or French press, stir, and let the brew sit overnight. In the morning, pour it through a sieve (or lower the French press plunger) to strain out the grounds. Combine this concentrate with an equal amount of cold water. As for the cubes? Make them with the concentrate: As they melt, your joe gets better.

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Of course, the effort is wasted if your iced coffee doesn't start with good beans. Luckily, the artisan coffee movement is fully percolating in the US. Among our favorite coffee companies right now are Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Intelligentsia Coffee.