Iced coffee can be brewed in as many ways as there are coffee hashtags on Instagram, but that doesn't mean that the path to a refreshing glass has to involve advanced chemistry. You don't need a specially imported drip stand or 18 hours at your disposal; just a coffee maker, some ice cubes, freshly ground coffee and a little sweetener to taste.

- Most people associate iced coffee with the varieties served in a coffee shop. Here in Norway, these tend to be espresso-based, often with ice cream and various sweet flavors. However, among a small group of particularly dedicated coffee enthusiasts, a different cooling brew is the order of the day: Black coffee over ice cubes, says Lene Jørgensen from the coffee roaster Solberg & Hansen.

"Cold brew" is a relatively new brewing practice that has quickly gained considerable popularity across the pond. So big has it become that 2015 was the year when the largest coffee chain in the world put the drink on its summer menu.

- As the name implies, "cold brew" involves brewing the coffee with cold water. It requires a longer brewing time, often up to 24 hours, and a larger amount of coffee. Some believe that this method is the best way to bring out the fresh taste characteristics of coffee. Enthusiasts describe cold-brewed iced coffee with adjectives such as "silky smooth, refreshing and fruity", says Jørgensen.

Among the "black coffee over ice" advocates here in Norway, many prefer to brew their coffee hot before chilling it. Although brewing parameters and equipment can be infinitely varied, there are two main categories of hot brewed iced coffee.

- The first, and the fastest, is to brew the coffee directly over ice. Hot coffee flows through the filter and mixes with the ice cubes in the serving pot. This increases the amount of coffee because the ice cubes in the jug dilute the brew. The other method, roughly speaking, involves brewing the coffee as normal and then cooling it, for example in a bucket with ice cubes," explains Jørgensen.

Whichever method you use, the secret to a tasty glass of iced coffee is pretty obvious: Good coffee. Lene Jørgensen explains how the origin of the coffee raw material affects the flavors in iced coffee:

- African coffee is particularly suitable if you want to make a refreshing iced coffee. For example, good Kenyan coffee is characterized by intensely fruity flavours reminiscent of dark berries. Likewise, Ethiopian coffee is known for its characteristic citrus and floral character. The common denominators are fresh and fruity flavors that are perfect in a glass of freshly brewed iced coffee.

- We want it to be easy to brew great coffee, whether you want to enjoy it hot or cold. That's why we've created an iced coffee recipe that can be used by anyone with a coffee maker on their kitchen counter. It's based on the method of brewing hot coffee directly over ice cubes in the serving pot. The recipe contains a little sugar that is sprinkled over the coffee in the filter, but this can also be omitted or replaced. The aim is not primarily to sweeten the brew, but to balance the fresh acidity.

• Fill the filter holder with 60 grams of filter ground coffee (e.g. from Kenya, Ethiopia or Rwanda)
• Sprinkle 20 grams of sugar/alternative sweetener over the coffee (can be omitted)
• Fill the serving jug with 400 grams of ice cubes before brewing
• Fill the water container with 6 dl of water
• Brew your coffee over the jug filled with ice

The brewed iced coffee is served in a glass filled with ice cubes. Feel free to try coffee from different countries and continents, so you can get to know the distinctive flavors of the different growing areas better.