Cold brew coffee has become the go-to choice for coffee enthusiasts seeking a smoother, less acidic beverage, especially during summer!
Making your own cold brew coffee at home is a simple and rewarding process. You can experiment with the kitchen equipment you most likely have on hand, or you can purchase a couple of items to make your brewing more convenient.
Essentially, you need the coffee beans, something to grind them with, a jug to brew the coffee, and something to strain the brew before drinking.
Recipe
Allow around 20grams of coffee beans per cup. Freshly ground beans are best. The best kind of beans for cold brew coffee are discussed HERE. The general ratio for cold brew is 1:4 – one part coffee to four parts water. If you want to prepare a batch of cold brew coffee, an easy ratio would be one cup of ground coffee, four cups water.
For cold brew coffee we need a coarse grind – around breadcrumb-sized. This prevents over-extraction and the resulting bitter taste, which is kind of why we are cold brewing in the first place!
You can grind your beans using a standard kitchen spice grinder or mortar and pestle, or you can use a proper coffee grinder.
Add the ground beans to your jug and pour in the water. If your tap water has a strong flavour – maybe the quality isn’t great or it has a chemical taste, such as chlorine – you may be better off using filtered or bottled water. Give the mixture a good stir.
Allow the mix to brew overnight or for at least 8-10 hours, or even up to 24 hours. The longer the steeping time, the stronger the coffee concentrate will be. You can leave the mix in the refrigerator so it is chilled ready to drink, or on the kitchen bench if you plan to drink with ice.
After steeping, it is time to strain the coffee!
No rules here – whatever works. Maybe a tea strainer or a colander lined with cheesecloth or paper towel. I would recommend avoiding paper towel – I tried this once and it gave the coffee a smell of wet hessian sack. A French-press (plunger) or Aeropress would also work well. I have found that most of the grounds have settled to the bottom of the container overnight, so you could feasibly just pour off the coffee, sacrificing some of the last remaining liquid when you dispose of the grounds. Filter the mix twice if you are concerned some of the grounds have passed through.
I currently use an Aeropress for my cold brew. Its simple to use with not much cleaning afterwards. Check out this article on using an Aeropress for your cold brew coffee.
Cold brew coffee is typically brewed as a concentrate, so it’s quite strong. Dilute the concentrate with water, milk, or your preferred dairy alternative. A common dilution ratio is 1:1, but feel free to adjust to taste. Serve your cold brew over ice and enjoy!
Tips for the best cold brew:
- Experiment with Ratios: If the coffee is too strong or too weak, adjust the coffee-to-water ratio in your next batch.
- Flavor Variations: Add flavorings such as vanilla extract, cinnamon, or a sweetener like simple syrup to customize your cold brew.
- Storage: Cold brew concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Keep it in a sealed container to maintain its freshness.
- Ice Cubes: Freeze some of the cold brew concentrate in an ice cube tray. This way, your coffee won’t get diluted as the ice melts.
Enjoy!
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