Cool off with Iced Coffee

Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ll be setting your free coffee machine or Bluepod Lavazza coffee pods aside, but you may want to consider adding a little spice to your summer with some of these international coffee recipes.
 
Iced Coffee Thai Style
 
Cardamom, the spice that gives the traditional Indian tea drink, chai its delicious flavour, also adds great taste to iced coffee. Here’s a recipe from Thailand that uses cardamom:
 
Ingredients for four servings:
 
4 cups strong Lavazza espresso
2 cups cream or milk
3 tablespoons sugar or to taste
3 cardamom pods or ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Ice
 

• Start by making 4 cups of a strong blend of Lavazza coffee using your Lavazza espresso machine. As they brew, continue with the rest of the recipe.
• Crush the cardamom pods with a mortar and pestle if you choose pods instead of ground cardamom. This releases their aroma and flavour.
• Heat the cream (or milk), together with the cardamom and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat until the mixture reaches a simmer. Turn off the heat and steep for 15 minutes to allow the full cardamom flavour to infuse the cream.
• Remove the cardamom pods and add the almond extract.

 
Now all you need to do is fill four glasses with ice, divide your cardamom-flavoured cream equally between each of them and fill the glasses slowly with your Lavazza coffee.
 
Iced Coffee Tropical Style
 
Here’s a simple yet exotic recipe that uses tropical fruit syrups for flavour and sweetening. Try it once and it may become a favourite over the hot summer months.
 
Ingredients for one glass:
 
Lavazza espresso (single or double shot – whichever you prefer)
2-3 ounces pineapple syrup
2-3 ounces passion fruit syrup
2-3 ounces coconut syrup
Milk
Whipped cream
Ice
 

• Start by pouring your selected amount of coffee into a tall glass. Pour slowly if the coffee is still hot, to avoid cracking the glass.
• Add ice.
• Add your syrups.
• Fill the glass with milk.
• Top with whipped cream and add a tropical umbrella for a festive look. 

Experiment with the ingredients until you find the flavour and coffee strength you like best.
 
Iced Coffee Swiss Style
 
The Swiss are amongst the world’s finest chocolatiers, so it makes sense that Swiss iced coffee would include chocolate. The secret to the success of this recipe is using fine chocolate and fine Lavazza coffee.
 
Ingredients for one glass:
 
1 cup Lavazza coffee pod blend of your choice.
1/3 dark chocolate bar (more or less to your taste)
1 tablespoon heavy cream
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Ice
 

• Start by making a cup of coffee in your Lavazza coffee machine. Set it aside to cool.
• While the coffee is cooling, fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and heat.
• Break up the chocolate bar in a heat-proof bowl and place in the water until it melts.
• After the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the water and add your coffee and cinnamon. Let cool.
• Whip your heavy cream while the coffee/chocolate mixture cools.
• Pour your mixture over ice in a tall glass, top with whipped cream and add a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.

 
These international iced coffee recipes are our favourites from the Fox News Food & Drink web pages. For more, check out Iced coffee recipes from around the world.  Of course, you don’t need to be reminded that for best results, you need the best ingredients, including Lavazza coffee made in your free coffee machine from the Bluepod Coffee Company.