Iced Coffee?

I confess:
I have an addiction to Starbucks' Iced Coffee.
"May I have a Venti Iced Coffee with three pumps of Toffee Nut?"
I blame it on working there. I'm trying to break the habit and go less, but with working 5 a.m. shifts, it's pretty tough to get by without coffee. (And truthfully the TJ's stuff just doesn't cut it for me.)

So anyhow, I do know how to make it at home, and I do, it's just never quite the same! But I thought I'd share how to make it. Starbucks has a method they call "Double Brewing" that they use to make iced coffee in the store, and it's really all about ratio. They use a medium roast, (which, by the way, has more caffeine, but more on that later) usually Gazebo or Tarrazu, and they use

the same amount of coffee for a whole pot, but only half the water.

So for example, if you have a machine that has a 12 cup capacity, you would use the amount of coffee for a 12 cup pot, but only 6 cups of water. Then you would use the same volume of ice in your pitcher, and pour the hot, double-brewed coffee over top. Chill, and then serve over ice.
Super easy!

Here's a few hints/tricks I've picked up over the years from working there, and being a loyal customer :)

• You can customize your drink! If the standard recipe is too sweet, order less pumps of syrup. Tall = 3 pumps; Grande = 4 pumps; Venti = 5 pumps (Unless iced, then Venti gets 6 pumps)
• Starbucks recommends using 3 Tablespoons of coffee per every 3 cups of water. They sell coffee scoops that are 2 tablespoons, and I highly recommend them for consistency at home.
• The "bold" coffee Starbucks is known for has a darker, richer taste, but it has less caffeine that lighter roasts because it was roasted longer.
• Beware of White Chocolate Mocha syrup...it has approximately 60 calories PER PUMP!!
• Standard sugar syrups (Vanilla, Hazelnut, Toffee Nut, etc. have approximately 20 calories per pump.

Hopefully this gives you some insight into a few of the Starbucks "secrets."
Peace!