How can I make a iced coffee cheaply and cleanly?

• What’s the cleanest way to make a large quantity of strong, iced coffee? -or- What should my next coffee maker purchase be? So, I’ve read lots of old MeFi coffee threads, read the first three pages of results of a Google search for ‘aeropress vs French press,’ and now my brain is swimming with Pros and Cons, Betters and Worses, and Advantages and Disadvantages. I currently have a Black & Decker DCM18 [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006IUVD/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/], and when I was drinking one mug of hot coffee during the winter months, it was perfect. I’m the only one in the household who drinks any coffee, so it’s the perfect size. Then summer hit, and hot coffee was no longer an option. Then, I had class from 9-5 and decided I’d make a huge iced coffee in my Nalgene bottle (filling the coffee maker with as much water and coffee as it would handle, pouring it over ice, half & half, splenda, and shakeshakeshake). It was essentially perfect. But the coffee maker was REALLY Messy, and a huge pain to clean. So, now the question, I guess, is what’s the cleanest way to make a pretty large quantity of strong, iced coffee? The aeropress seems very easy-to-clean, but also sounds like it makes a Little Bit of coffee from a Lot of Grounds. If I’m filling my Nalgene, I don’t want to have to go through a half-pound of coffee each time. The French Press seems kind of messy, and everything I read talked about boulders and dust and sludge and having stuff in your coffee. That’s kind of weird. I’m absolutely NOT a coffee snob – I’m not exactly looking to make the best cup of coffee, just a good amount with as little cleanup (and fairly cheap) as possible. I don’t grind my own beans, either. Having said that, I’d also like that whatever I do buy would still make a fantastic cup of coffee when winter comes back around. So, French Press? Aeropress? Figure out Cold Brewing? Thanks, MeFi.

• Answer:

  I make cold brewed coffee using a large mixing bowl, a 6-cup measuring cup, and some fine cheesecloth. The cheesecloth and large measuring cup (with wide mouth) prevents the grounds from getting everywhere. 1. Place grounds and water mixture into bowl, where you have 2 parts water for every 1 part grounds. Let rest overnight with a resting period of 12 hours being ideal for steeping. Make sure all grounds are wet. 2. Place a big square of cheesecloth, double layered, over measuring cup. Pour grounds-and-water mixture into measuring cup, slowly, to filter out the grounds. 3. Make a "bag" of the grounds, squeezing to get all the water out. Drain and place "bag" of grounds into the trash. Scrape leftover grounds from mixing bowl into the trash using a paper towel. 4. Pour coffee concentrate from measuring cup into thermos or similar container. Add milk and sugar as desired. I like a 1:1 ratio of milk to coffee concentrate. Rinse off your mixing bowl and measuring cup with a little soap and water, and you're done.