I’m not usually one to rave about the taste of coffee- I prefer tea, when it comes to actually enjoyment of the thing itself, but I really do like the ritual of coffee. But then I tried cold-brew coffee last summer and it changed my view, at least on the “iced” side of things.

Cold brew coffee is coffee that’s been- you guessed it- brewed with cold water instead of hot. The result is a super smooth finish without the bitter aftertaste you normally get with iced coffee. It’s the perfect drink on hot summer days! Recently, I’ve been replacing my morning cup of [insert hot beverage of choice] with this concoction! And because Trader Joe’s now sells cold brew in bottles, I can have it any time I want! The other alternative was to a) make it myself, which takes 12-18 hours, or 2) go to the coffee shop on Bald Head Island (7 hours away), which is pretty much the only other place I could find it.

In order to make a Paleo-friendly serving of this deliciousness for yourself, all you need is:

• 1 part Trader Joe’s cold brew coffee concentrate (it comes out sporadically, so if you see it, buy it!)
• 2 parts unsweetened almond milk (also from TJ’s)
• 1 semi-heaping teaspoon of brown sugar (or more, if you like it sweeter!)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 3-4 ice cubes

Combine all of your ingredients, stir it up and enjoy. Striped straws add a certain level of cuteness, but that’s up to you.

If you don’t care about it being Paleo, just use 2% or whole milk instead with the same ratio. Feel free to sub in a different sweetener, but I LOVE using brown sugar! It gives the whole thing a little bit richer of a flavor. I imagine you could also throw in some chocolate syrup to make it more like an iced mocha! Too bad Hershey’s Syrup isn’t Paleo.