How to Make Japanese Iced Coffee Like the 2013 World Pour-Over Champion

Ever wonder why your homemade iced coffee tastes flat or muted compared to what you get at specialty shops? The secret isn’t just cold water—it’s how you extract the coffee under those conditions. We went straight to the source: Erin McCarthy, equipment technician at Counter Culture Coffee and 2013 World Brewers Cup champion, who revealed her exact method for making bright, flavorful Japanese iced coffee at home.

Erin’s go-to formula? 30 grams of coffee, 250 grams of hot water, and 250 grams of ice, brewed through a medium-coarse grind in around 3–4 minutes for a balanced, juicy cup that keeps the fruit and acidity intact.

Who Is Erin McCarthy?

Erin McCarthy worked as a barista at Gimme Coffee in upstate New York, one of the East Coast’s early third-wave shops, for six months before moving into roasting and training. She spent seven years there developing retail and wholesale education programs, then joined Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, North Carolina, in April 2012. Beyond her day job as an equipment repair tech—where she troubleshoots grinders and brewers across training centers and cafes—she’s best known for winning the 2013 World Brewers Cup using a Kalita Wave and a unique two-pourer technique.

What Makes Japanese Iced Coffee Different From Cold Brew?

Cold brew is made by steeping coarse-ground coffee in cold water for 12 hours or more. This long extraction time leads to oxidation, which dulls acidity and flattens flavor. The result is often heavy on chocolatey, nutty tones with little brightness. Japanese iced coffee, by contrast, is hot-brewed pour-over that drips directly onto ice. This flash-chills the coffee, locking in volatile aromatics and preserving the delicate acidity and fruity notes that make specialty coffee vibrant. “It tastes more like a cooled-down version of a great hot cup,” Erin says. “Everything else just gets boring.”

How Erin McCarthy Won the 2013 World Brewers Cup

McCarthy took the crown using a Kalita Wave dripper and—unusually—two additional water-pouring kettles alongside her main brew kettle. Her setup allowed precise control over water distribution, which helped her craft a clean, balanced cup under competition pressure. While most home brewers don’t need multiple kettles, her winning approach underscores the importance of technique, grind consistency, and water quality. “You don’t need a fancy gooseneck with a flow restrictor,” she clarifies. “Just follow some basic principles.”

Basic Tips for Better Home Pour-Over

Erin shared straightforward advice for improving your everyday pour-over, no special gear required:

• Use a cheap carbon filter to remove chlorine or off-flavors from your tap water. Even good water can benefit—clean water makes cleaner coffee.
• Know your brew ratio. A solid starting point is 1:16 to 1:17 (e.g., 16–17 grams of water per 1 gram of coffee). For 28 grams of coffee, aim for roughly 450 grams of water.
• Dial in your grind size. Ask your local roaster for a sample grind, or aim for something close to coarse sand—uniform, with no dust or boulders.
• Keep your brew time between 3–4 minutes for pour-over. Immersion methods (like French press) take longer, around 5–6 minutes.

Erin’s Recipe: Japanese Iced Coffee

Makes one serving.

Ingredients:

• 30 grams coffee (medium-coarse grind, like coarse sand)
• 250 grams hot water (just off boil)
• 250 grams ice (fill your server or cup first)
• Your favorite pour-over dripper (Kalita Wave, V60, Chemex, Beehouse, etc.)
• Coffee server or cup
• Filter paper
• Scale
• Grinder
• Pour-over kettle (e.g., Hario Buono)
• Timer

Method:

1. Place the ice in your server or cup to chill the vessel from the start.
2. Rinse your filter with about 60 grams of hot water to remove paper taste, then discard the rinse water.
3. Grind 30 grams of coffee to a medium-coarse consistency (similar to beach sand). Ensure even particle size for uniform extraction.
4. Put the ground coffee in the rinsed filter, place it on top of your server with ice, and start your timer.
5. Bloom the coffee by pouring just enough hot water (around 50–60 grams) to saturate the grounds evenly. Wait 30 seconds—watch for the bloom (CO₂ release) if the coffee is fresh.
6. After the bloom, continue pouring the remaining 190–200 grams of water in controlled circles, aiming to finish all 250 grams within about 2 minutes 30 seconds. Total brew time should land between 3–4 minutes.
7. You can adjust the ice-to-water ratio to taste—try 2/3 water and 1/3 ice for a slightly stronger brew.
8. Once brewed, let the coffee cool briefly, then enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the ideal grind size for Japanese iced coffee?

Use a medium-coarse grind, similar in texture to coarse beach sand. The grind should be uniform, with no fine dust or large boulders, to ensure even extraction during the pour-over process.

Can I use any pour-over dripper for this method?

Yes—Erin used a Kalita Wave, but the recipe works with Hario V60, Chemex, Beehouse, or any standard pour-over dripper. Consistent water flow and proper technique matter more than the specific brand.

Do I really need to rinse the filter?

Yes. Rinsing the filter with hot water (about 60 grams) removes paper taste and preheats your server. Discard the rinse water before adding coffee grounds.

Why does Japanese iced coffee taste brighter than cold brew?

Japanese iced coffee is hot-brewed, which extracts the coffee’s acids and aromatic compounds quickly. Pouring it directly over ice locks in those bright, fruity flavors. Cold brew, steeped cold for 12+ hours, loses acidity due to oxidation, resulting in a flatter, heavier cup.

How important is water quality for pour-over?

Very. Erin recommends using a basic carbon filter to remove chlorine or unwanted flavors, even if your tap water is otherwise good. Clean water is essential for clean, vibrant coffee.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Japanese Iced Coffee

For Japanese iced coffee, try FrontStreet’s Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gedeb for its bright citrus, berry, and floral notes with a sweet green-tea finish—perfect for highlighting the method’s clarity. Alternatively, Ethiopia Humbera delivers intense tropical fruitiness with juicy sweetness and almost no bitterness, making it a crowd-pleaser. For something more complex, FrontStreet’s Colombia Sidra offers layered stone fruit and floral tones with a crisp acidity that shines when iced. All three are excellent single-origin choices. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.