Cold brew coffee is a popular choice for coffee drinkers and it’s easy to see why. Cold brew coffee is less acidic than hot brewed coffee, so it’s easier on the stomach. It also has a smoother, slightly sweet, and super refreshing flavor that many coffee lovers prefer.
Though cold brew coffee has been around for some time, some people may still confuse it with iced coffee. Let’s get that out of the way.
Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee
Cold brew coffee is made by soaking the grounds in water at cool temperatures for a prolonged period of time. This extraction process brings out fewer of coffee’s bitter compounds, which produces a sweeter and smoother result.
Whereas iced coffee is plain old hot-brewed coffee that has been cooled down and poured over ice. Iced coffee is still full of the bitter compounds that hot brewing brings out, making it more acidic. And because iced coffee is diluted by the ice, it can end up being watery and flavorless.
Why Should I Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home?
I’m glad you asked.
There are more than a few reasons:
- It tastes better. Seriously, the smooth, mellow flavor of cold brew coffee is like nothing you’ve ever tasted.
- It’s easier on your stomach. Because cold brew coffee is less acidic than regular coffee, it can be enjoyed by those who are sensitive to acidity.
- More affordable. A cold brew from a coffee shop can cost upwards of $3 per cup. Making cold brew at home costs pennies per cup.
- It’s more convenient. Once you make a batch of cold brew, you can store it in the fridge and have it on hand anytime you want it. No more waiting in line at the coffee shop or having to make a special trip out just for coffee.
- Longer-lasting brew. Because cold brew coffee is less acidic than regular coffee, it will last longer once brewed. Cold brew concentrate can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- You can customize it. When you make cold brew at home, you can tailor it to your own taste preferences. Love your coffee strong? Just add less water when you dilute your concentrate. Prefer it on the sweeter side? Add a little more syrup or sugar.
- Easy to make. Despite what you may have heard, cold brew coffee is actually very easy to make. It only takes a little advance planning.
- Very little hands-on time. Once you’ve ground your beans and added them to the water, there’s not much else you need to do until it’s time to enjoy your coffee.
- No barista skills required. Cold brew coffee is very forgiving, so you don’t need to be a coffee expert to make a great cup.
- No special equipment required. All you need to make cold brew coffee is a vessel for brewing (like a mason jar, a French Press or any sort of large container, French press), coffee beans, water, and a way to filter.
- It tastes exactly like it smells. When cold brew coffee is fresh, it tastes fruity, bright, and floral – exactly like it smells. However, as it sits, cold brew coffee can start to taste a bit flat.
- Great for summer but can be enjoyed all year round. Cold brew is the perfect summer drink, but don’t put it away when the warm weather ends.
- Can be consumed cold or heated. While most people enjoy cold brew over ice, you can also heat it up if you prefer hot coffee.
Are There Any Downsides to Cold Brew Coffee?
While cold brew coffee has many benefits, there are a few things to keep in mind.
It takes some time to make. Because cold brew coffee needs to steep for 12-18 hours, you’ll need to plan ahead if you want to enjoy a cup.
It’s more expensive to make. While cold brew is less expensive than buying it from a coffee shop, you’ll spend more coffee grounds per cup than you would on regular drip coffee. The good news is that you can use cheaper beans and still get great results.
The flavor can change over time. As cold brew coffee sits, the flavor will change and it can become more bitter. You may need to experiment to find your perfect recipe. Everyone has different taste preferences, so you may need to adjust the ratio of coffee to water, the type of beans you use, or the steeping time to find what you like best.
Contains more caffeine. Not sure if this is a con or a pro. Since the coffee grounds are in contact with the water for a longer period of time, cold brew coffee can have up to twice the amount of caffeine as regular coffee. If you want to cut down on caffeine, dilute your cold brew concentrate more than usual.
Some Things You Need to Know Before You Start
Coffee Beans
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to the type of beans you use for cold brew. It’s important to know that brewing without heat causes certain flavors, like bright and acidic fruit or floral notes, not to be well extracted. So, you may try some light to medium roasts to temper their acidity. Or you might want to opt for the chocolatey and nutty goodness from dark coffees.
What’s great about cold brew is that you can use older or less expensive coffee beans and still get great results. In fact, many coffee experts believe that cold brew coffee is the best way to use beans that are a few weeks past their roast date.
Grind Size
Don’t use the preground stuff from the grocery store. Unless it’s marked for cold brew specifically. You’ll want a coarser grind than what you would use for drip coffee. Think the consistency of kitchen salt. If your grind is too fine, it will make it harder to filter out and you’ll end up with a muddy cup of coffee. Also, it will probably be over-extracted, having a bitter taste.
Don’t have a coffee grinder? Find a store that has one. Buy your coffee beans there and ask them to grind them for you on the coarse setting.
Water
Use filtered or bottled water for the best results. Since coffee is mostly water, the quality of your brew will be affected by the quality of the water you use.
Brew Ratio
You’ll need to experiment to find the perfect ratio of coffee to water for your cold brew. If you’re not sure, the 1:4 ratio is a good place to start (1 part coffee to 4 parts water in weight). This will give you a strong concentrated brew that you’ll need to dilute.
Maybe you prefer a cold brew that’s ready for drinking right off the bat. Then you’ll want to use some higher coffee-to-water ratio, like 1:8, that’ll result in a less intense but still deliciously smooth brew.
If you don’t have a (good) kitchen scale, you’re still good to go. Precise measurement is not crucial in this case. Just make a stronger concentrate and dilute it to taste with water or milk.
Extraction Time
The beauty of cold brew is that it’s very forgiving, so you don’t need to be too precise with your timing. For a coarsely ground coffee, it’s best to extract for 12-24 hours, but again, you can experiment to find the time that works best for you. The longer you let it steep, the stronger the coffee will be.
You can put it in the fridge or keep it on the counter at room temperature. If you use the fridge, the extraction will be slower due to the cooler temperatures, so brewing time will be longer. If you keep it on the counter, brewing will be faster. The higher the temperature, the quicker the extraction.
If you are using medium course or even fine grounds (which I don’t recommend), it will take less time for extraction but you might end up with a bitter brew.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get down to business and learn how to make cold brew coffee at home like a pro!
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home
This recipe uses a 1:4 ratio (approximately) for a small batch of coffee. Adjust the ratio as you prefer. And double or triple the amounts for larger batches.
What you’ll need:
- 5 ounces of course coffee grounds (140 g) – if you have a small capacity grinder or a hand grinder, grind the beans in small batches
- 2.5 cups of water (590 g)
- Brewing container (pitcher, mason jar or any other vessel)
- Storing container (glass bottle, pitcher or mason jar)
- A fine mesh strainer (for wide mouth mason jar or measuring cup)
- You can use a funnel instead of a strainer for a bottle or a narrow mouth mason jar
- Cheesecloth or coffee filter
Follow the instructions below.
Add coffee. Put the coffee grounds in the brewing container.
Add water. Pour water over the grounds. Combine grinds with water by gently stirring, making sure all coffee particles are saturated. Stir with a wooden spoon, spatula or a similar utensil for a larger container. A butter knife or a fork should suffice for smaller containers.
Steep. Put a lid on the container. If your container doesn’t have a lid, use a cheesecloth or a kitchen towel to cover and secure it with a rubber band. Leave it on the kitchen counter to steep for 12 hours. You can put it in the fridge if you prefer but then allow it to steep longer (up to 24 hours) due to the slower extraction process. During this time, the coffee will slowly infuse into the water, creating a strong brew.
Strain. After steeping, it’s time to strain the mixture. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl or a pitcher and line it with a coffee filter, cotton napkin, or cheesecloth. Slowly pour the cold brew over it. Let all the liquid drip through and then discard the used grinds. Strain as gently as possible. Resist the temptation to squeeze the coffee grounds, as that extracts bitter flavors. Depending on the size of your strainer, you may need to strain the coffee in batches and repeat the process (just wash the cloth, or use new paper filters).
As you can see in the photo, I’m using a cheap plastic funnel lined with a paper towel. That’s because I’m filtering the infusion directly into a bottle.
Store. Once you’ve strained all the coffee, put a lid on your storing container and put it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 weeks.
How to Serve Cold Brew Coffee
The serving combos are endless. You can have it black or add milk, cream, water, ice cubes, sweeteners, or any other flavors you might like.
Here’s a simple serving example that I like to use. Put ice in a glass and fill it halfway with water. Then fill the rest of it with cold brew concentrate, and stir to combine.
You’d like your cold brew hot? No problem! Fill the cup half full with steaming hot water, then add cold brew concentrate to fill in the rest of the way. Give it a good stir and enjoy!
Be creative, make your own syrup or condensed milk as a sweetener, put it in a squirt bottle, and keep it in the fridge (it will last for months!). There you go, now you know how to make cold brew coffee at home like a pro!
Tips for Making The Perfect Batch of Cold Brew Coffee
- Be careful when using a metal spoon for stirring if you are using a glass container.
- Steeping too long (more than 24 hours) can infuse bitter taste and extra strength.
- For those of you who like your coffee iced and sip it slowly (i.e. the ice melts down) – make your own ice cubes in a tray! This way your coffee will not dilute. You can even use your leftover brewed coffee for this. One thing to keep in mind here. In case you have a silicone tray to make coffee ice cubes, it could be hard to clean the coffee smell it leaves. You might want to keep that tray only for a single purpose. Once the cubes are frozen, you can transfer them to a ziplock bag and keep them handy in the freezer.
What Else Can You Use for Straining Cold Brew Coffee Mixture?
The possibilities are endless, but below are some ideas. You probably already have most of these things at home. If not, they are easy and inexpensive to find. Keep it simple.
- Cotton napkin, cloth, handkerchief, or cheesecloth
- Paper coffee filter or paper towel
- Nut milk bags
- Flour sack towels
- Old transparent curtains cut into squares
- Use French Press to remove the bulk of the grounds and then use Aeropress to filter the fine particles
Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Brew Coffee
Should I buy a system designed specifically for cold brew coffee?
You don’t necessarily need a fancy device to make cold brew coffee but DIY homemade methods can be quite messy. If you are looking for a no-fuss solution and are willing to spend some money, there are many commercial cold brew coffee makers on the market.
How to store cold brew coffee so it stays fresh?
To maximize the shelf life of cold brew coffee, keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. Maybe even more. (I’ve never kept it that long, it tastes so good that drink it within 1 week.)
Can I drink hot cold brew?
Yes, you can. Just fill the cup half full with steaming hot water, then add cold brew concentrate to fill in the rest of the way. Give it a good stir and enjoy!
Is cold brew stronger than regular coffee?
It depends on the beans used as well as the steeping time and dilution. On average, the caffeine content in the cold brew is higher because the brewing process requires double or even triple the amount of grounds than the regular brewed coffee. Also, the grounds are in contact with water for a longer period of time.
Is cold brew less acidic?
Yes, it is. If regular drip coffee or espresso upsets your stomach, cold brew coffee might not. This is because the cold extraction process brings out fewer of coffee’s bitter compounds, which produces a sweeter and smoother result.
How long does it take to make cold brew coffee?
It takes longer to make than drip coffee because the water is cold and needs to steep for about 12 to 18 h. However, the hands-on time is minimal. Once you’ve soaked the grounds, all you have to do is wait patiently for the magic to happen.
Can I use fine-grind coffee for cold brew?
Yes, you can. Just keep in mind that the finer the grind, the less time in contact with water is needed to extract the flavor. And if you over-extract, the coffee will be bitter. Plus, a finer grind can clog the specially-made filter while also leaving you with a gritty and muddy cup.
Next Steps!
Now that you know all about cold brew coffee, it’s time to get brewing! The next steps are to choose the method that works best for you, gather your supplies, and get brewing.