Experts Say This 1 Simple Purchase Can Help Your Iced Coffee Taste Better

You don’t need a cafe-level setup to make quality iced coffee and cold brew at home. In fact, a coffee expert recently spilled the beans on a surprisingly simple trick to upgrade your morning cup.

Expert barista and coffee consultant Laila Ghambari recommends storing your brewed coffee in a well-sealed container, so your other food can’t contaminate the flavor. “If you have fish sitting in your refrigerator, it will permeate and get into your coffee,” she says.

Whether you’re making hot coffee that’s going in the fridge or doing the barista-approved “flash brew” method, Ghambari (who won the United States Barista Championship in 2014) says to get your coffee in the fridge quickly (after it’s completely brewed) to ensure freshness. You’ll also want to drink your iced coffee soon after you make it, as “[f]resh-brewed coffee is going to have the most intense aromatics.”

If you want your cold coffee to last through the week, Ghambari recommends making cold brew (which is easier than you think). It requires steeping grounds in room temperature water overnight, then storing the coffee in a sealed container.