We are a small coffee shop in Big Lake, Minnesota. We lose the good scissors on a weekly basis. And somehow, in the 2026 Star Tribune Minnesota's Best, readers across the state handed us five Gold awards. Five. We counted on our fingers, ran out of fingers, and counted again. Here is what Minnesota gave us when the votes for the best coffee in the state came in, along with the small crisis of confidence that came with each one. Gold Winner, Central Minnesota. The 2026 Star Tribune Minnesota's Best. Gold, twice over, for Coffee House Ember took Gold for Coffee House in the Central Minnesota vote, and then Gold again in the wider vote, as if to double-check the first one was not a clerical error. We roast our beans on-site in small batches, right on Highway 10, and we built the shop to be a place people actually want to sit in. Latte flights, a reservable kids' room, and a counter where the regulars get called by name. We have always insisted Ember is more than a coffee shop. It is a strange relief to hear the state agree instead of slowly backing toward the door. Coffee House, Central Minnesota. Gold. Coffee House. Gold in the wider vote. Gold for Dessert This is the one that made us laugh out loud. Ember, a coffee company, won Gold for Dessert, standing shoulder to shoulder with actual bakeries and chocolate makers who presumably own more than one whisk. We pair small-batch, air-roasted coffee with house-made pastries, scratch bakery items, and ice cream, so a quick stop for coffee has a way of turning into a treat, then a small regret, then another treat. Apparently that lands. Dessert. Gold. Gold for Food and Drink Customer Service Of the five, this is the one we are quietly proudest of. A great cup can be dialed in with a scale and some patience. Service is harder, because it involves other humans and their mornings. Winning Gold for Customer Service means the welcome our team gives, the small kindnesses, and the way it feels to walk through the door all reached people, and they voted for it. To our crew, who somehow pull this off while also being the ones who find the good scissors: this one is yours. Food and Drink Customer Service. Gold. Gold for Made in Minnesota Ember won Gold for Made in Minnesota, Food and Beverage, which is a generous title for a company whose core equipment is a very hot drum and a lot of opinions. We air-roast fair trade, organic, specialty-grade beans in small batches, and we chase quality over volume. Low-acid, smooth, easy on the stomach, roasted right here. Being recognized as a Minnesota maker means a great deal for a roaster our size. Made in Minnesota, Food and Beverage. Gold. Thank you for voting Minnesota's Best is a readers' choice, which means these came from you. The people who filled out ballots, sent the link to a friend, and stopped in to say congratulations while we stood there turning slightly pink. We do not take that lightly. Five Golds is a big year for a shop that still runs on sticky notes, and we intend to earn it one cup at a time. Come taste the coffee that talked five categories of Minnesotans into this. Shop our best sellers.

Most homemade iced coffee tastes watery. It gets brewed hot at normal strength, poured over ice, and left to melt, and the ice waters it down into sad brown liquid. There are two ways to beat that. Take the heat out entirely with cold brew, or brew strong enough that the melting ice is part of the plan. Here are three methods, with the exact ratios, and a straight answer on which is better and which is easier. Method 1: Mason Jar Cold Brew (the easy one) Ratio: 1 cup coarse-ground coffee (about 85 to 100g) to 4 cups (32 oz) cold water. Use a coarse grind, about the texture of sea salt. Stir the grounds into the water in a quart mason jar. Cap it and steep 16 to 18 hours in the fridge, or 12 to 14 hours at room temperature. Strain through a fine mesh or a paper filter. Serve over ice. Add a splash of water or milk if you want it lighter. Keeps about a week in the fridge. Character: the smoothest, lowest-acid cup here. Almost no bitterness, because there is no heat. Verdict: the easiest to make and the most forgiving. The only real downside is the wait. Method 2: Cold Brew Concentrate (the flexible one) Ratio: 1 cup coffee to 2 cups water (roughly 1:4 by volume), same coarse grind. This makes a strong concentrate, not a ready-to-drink cup. Steep 16 to 18 hours in the fridge, then strain. To serve, dilute about 1:1 with water, milk, or oat milk over ice, to taste. It is the perfect base for an iced latte. Keeps up to two weeks in the fridge. Verdict: best for control, strength, and iced lattes, and it lasts the longest. You dilute each glass yourself, so you set the strength every time. Method 3: Strong Brew Over Ice, or Flash Chill (the fast one) Use your regular drip brewer, and fill your glass or carafe with ice first. That ice is part of your water. Ratio: brew at roughly 1.5x strength. Keep your normal amount of grounds, but brew with about two-thirds of the usual water, straight down onto the ice so it chills on contact. Worked example: for a 12 oz iced coffee, use the grounds you would use for a 12 oz hot cup, and brew with about 8 oz of water over about 4 oz (by volume) of ice. The melting ice finishes the dilution. Character: the brightest and most aromatic, because hot water pulls out aromatics that cold water leaves behind. A touch more acidic than cold brew. Verdict: the fastest, ready in about five minutes. Skip the ice math and brew normal strength over ice, and you are back to watery. Get the ratio right and you have a fresh, bright cup right now. Quick comparison Method Easiest? Best for Time Flavor Mason Jar Cold Brew Yes, easiest to make Everyday smooth, low-acid 16 to 18 hrs, hands-off Mellow, sweet, almost no bitterness Cold Brew Concentrate Medium Iced lattes, strength, keeps longest 16 to 18 hrs, hands-off Rich, adjustable Strong Brew Over Ice Fast to make, needs the ratio Right now, bright flavor About 5 min Bright, aromatic, a little more acidic Which one is better is a taste call. Cold brew runs smooth and mellow, and flash-chilled runs bright and aromatic. The easiest to set up is the mason jar. The easiest when you want it this second is the flash chill. The two Ember roasts that shine over ice We roast both in small batches at our Minnesota roastery, and both are built to hold up over ice. Dark Prairie is purpose-built for cold brew. Brazil natural brings chocolate and caramel sweetness, and Sumatra wet-hulled adds a syrupy body and earthy depth that stays rich in cold water. It is the best pick for Methods 1 and 2. Shop Dark Prairie. Peru Machu Picchu is a smooth single origin with caramelized sugar, graham cracker, and jammy fruit. Its brightness carries beautifully through the flash-chill method. It is the best pick for Method 3. Shop Peru Machu Picchu. Ready to brew the right way? Shop coffee for iced season.

The kitchen is quiet. You drop one of our pods in the machine, close the lid, press the button, and wait for the part of the morning that still belongs to you. For most people that is the whole story. But if you brew with a Ninja Pods & Grounds, once in a while the lid on the pod lifts partway through the brew, or you find a fine dusting of grounds in the bottom of your cup. It is a small thing. It is also easy to fix. First, a word about the Ninja A few things you should know before we get to the fix. The Ninja is a good machine. It makes a strong cup, it takes loose grounds and pods both, and a lot of people love it for exactly that reason. There is a place for a machine like that on the counter. Here is the one wrinkle. The Ninja brews at a higher pressure than a Keurig, and it pierces the pod a little differently. We have found that higher pressure is harder on any K-pod, not only ours. When the pod gets pushed harder than it was built for, the lid can lift and a few grounds can slip past. Nothing is broken. The pod and the machine just meet each other with a little more force than usual. Three small adjustments So here is what we have found makes the cup come out clean. Seat the pod holder until it clicks. Push the pod holder in until you hear it click. Not most of the way, all the way. A lot of the popped lids we hear about come down to a holder that was almost seated and not quite locked. The click is the machine telling you it has a good grip on the pod. Keep both needles clean, then run water through. The Ninja pierces the pod from the top and the bottom, and both of those needles pick up grounds and oil over time. Once a week, wipe both needles clean (carefully, they are sharp), then run one cycle with no pod and just water. The water flushes out anything left behind. A clean needle makes a clean hole, and a clean hole keeps the grounds where they belong. Brew a smaller size. Choose a smaller brew size than you think you need. A smaller size runs less water through the pod and puts less pressure on it, which is the whole game here. If you want a bigger cup, brew a small one strong and add hot water after. The coffee tastes better and the lid stays shut. None of this is a knock on the Ninja, and none of it is a knock on the pod. Two good things that need one small adjustment to sit well together. Do these three and the pod behaves. Clean needle, firm click, smaller cup. That is the whole trick. If you have tried all three and you are still finding grounds in your cup, send us a note at help@embercoffee.co and we will help you sort it out. We stand behind every pod we send out, and we would rather hear from you than have you pour a cup you are not happy with. Shop our K-Pods At Ember Coffee, we air-roast every batch in Big Lake, Minnesota. Browse our K-Cups, or learn about our fresh coffee.