"'If a hyphen makes the meaning clearer, use it. If it just adds clutter and distraction to the sentence, don’t use it,' it now reads." I would say the test is

"'If a hyphen makes the meaning clearer, use it. If it just adds clutter and distraction to the sentence, don’t use it,' it now reads." I would say the test is whether it makes your writing easier to read. I use it when I want to link the two adjectives together, so the reader knows one adjective refers to the other and not to the noun, for instance, "ice-cold beer".