How To Make Cold Brew Coffee At Home

But no, I'm not talking about iced coffee; iced coffee is just regular hot coffee cooled and served with ice, with the same acidic and bitter taste. I'm talking about that distinctive coffee drink with a unique brewing method and gentle taste - cold brew coffee.

My summertime routine has dramatically changed when I learned how to prepare cold brew coffee

Cold brew delivers a uniquely satisfying experience that few other drinks can match. Fortunately, you don't have to always get in the car and swing by a Starbucks or your favorite local coffee shop to get a cup like that. You can save yourself the trouble with some homemade cold brew coffee. But how to make cold brew coffee?

The secret technique behind Starbucks' famous cold brewed coffee might be simpler than you thought. It's already at your fingertips. You only need coffee beans, a jar, and time for an overnight soak in the fridge – things likely already available in your own kitchen. You can easily treat yourself to a Starbucks-style cold brew at home that will definitely give them a run for their money!

Ingredients & Equipment

Makes: 2 quarts

• You will obviously need coffee first, and lots of it. For this cold brew recipe, we're aiming for 8 ounces (227 g) of fresh coffee beans.
• You will also need some cool water. For this cold brew recipe, we're using 8 cups (1.8 L) of clean, preferably filtered water, at a ratio of 1 ounce of coffee per 1 cup of water.

EQUIPMENT:

• Best coffee grinder.
• French press (optional).
• 2 big mason jars, or jars with airtight lids.
• A piece of cheesecloth.

Fresh cold brew coffee concentration in mason jars after 12 hours of brewing, ready to be diluted and consumed

Step-by-Step Cold Brew Instructions

Cold brew coffee delivers incredible flavor, with its gentle taste and low acidity and bitterness. This cold brewing method will not only reproduce that incredible taste, but also create a brew with a longer shelf life. You can make it in many big batches. Let's get started!

Step 1: Prepare the coffee beans

Grind the coffee beans thoroughly in the coffee grinder until you have coarse grounds. Use fresh, quality beans for the best results. If your grinder is too small, just divide the beans into several batches. Make sure the end product is as coarse as raw sugar.

Fresh coffee beans contain much more flavor compared to store-prepared ground coffee. This is why learning how to make cold brew coffee properly starts with quality beans. Also, if you are using a French press, you would need a coarser grind than usual.

Verify that the coffee beans are dry and clean

Step 2: Mix the coffee and water

Put the ground coffee into either a container or a French press, then add water. For a good ratio, you need to add 1 cup of water for every ounce of coffee. You can experiment with different ratios to find your preferred coffee taste. For example, if you like the coffee to taste a bit stronger, you can go with a ratio of 2 ounces of coffee per 1 cup of water.

For this cold brew recipe, we will assume a ratio of 1 ounce of coffee per 1 cup of water will be suitable. Remember to pour the water in slowly and preferably in a circular motion. This technique is essential when you want to know how to make cold brew coffee at home effectively.

Don't forget to add the water gradually, ideally in a circular motion

Step 3: Stir the mixture

Gently stir to mix them together until perfectly combined, then let it rest. The coffee inside will float to the top when it's completely stilled, but that's fine. Just make sure that all of the coffee touches and gets submerged in the water.

If you decide to use a French press, you do not need to stir, but do make sure the coffee still gets completely wet. Use the back of a spoon (to prevent sticking) to gently push the coffee down if necessary.

Step 4: Keep refrigerated overnight

Cover the container with a lid, or put the top on if a French press was used. Then put it in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours, preferably overnight. Make sure not to rush this step. Otherwise you will get a very light, watery blend that only slightly tastes like coffee.

The cold brewing process uses time instead of heat to obtain the desired coffee concentrate. Soaking the coffee for at least half a day will naturally release the oils and flavors inside the beans. It won't leak the acidity and bitterness.

Step 5: Extracting the concentrate

Take out the coffee from the fridge. Place a piece of cheesecloth over a fine-mesh strainer on top of a large measuring cup. Slowly pour the coffee-water mixture through the strainer. Depending on the capacity, you might need to strain in several batches.

Do not squeeze the coffee in the cheesecloth. Doing so would make the extracted coffee concentrate more bitter and acidic. If using a French press, you don't need to use a strainer and can use the metal screen installed in the French press, but a secondary filter like a piece of cheesecloth is still recommended.

Pour the coffee-water combination through the sieve slowly

Step 6: Prepare for storage

After that, put the extracted coffee concentrate in a clean container, seal it tight and keep refrigerated for long-term storage. This concentrate can last for up to 2 weeks if properly kept.

Remember that the brew you obtained is heavily concentrated, and should be diluted when serving. Store the concentrate properly after each use for the best possible shelf life.

Step 7: Enjoy your result

When serving, pour ½ cup of the coffee concentrate into a long glass along with water, add ice if needed, and then stir. After that, add your favorite coffee cream or milk as necessary. Now, your great summer refreshment is ready to serve! Take a sip, enjoy the sun, and start thinking about how you would go and spend the rest of this beautiful sunny summer day!

It's time to pour your wonderful summertime beverage!

Pro Tips for Better Cold Brewing

• Grinding the coffee to the right level: Unlike normal brewing, understanding how to make cold brew coffee requires knowing that this technique needs a very specific type of ground coffee. Grinding the coffee to a coarseness level closer to raw sugar prevents the coffee from getting too bitter when soaking overnight. It's better to grind the beans in small batches instead of in one go.
• Experimenting with a higher coffee-to-water ratio: This cold brew recipe utilizes a standard ratio of 1 ounce of ground coffee per 1 cup of water, making it easier to scale the ratio up or down. Drip coffee only uses ½ ounce of ground coffee per 1 cup of water.
• Gently straining and never squeezing: What makes the Starbucks coffee so beloved is their Toddy System (a gravity-based cold brew extraction system), which utilizes gravity to gently and naturally separate the cold brew from the coffee. While you lack the exact tools to do it like Starbucks does, you can mimic the technique at home by using a cheesecloth and a strainer to gently extract the cold brew. Strain in batches for the best control. After finishing, remember to never squeeze the ground coffee in the cheesecloth, as that will make the coffee concentrate bitter.
• Avoid using a coffee filter: While you can technically use a coffee filter to extract the cold brew, it's comparably slower than the cheesecloth method, and you're also risking the filtering paper being torn, creating more of a mess and extra work to clean up that you could have avoided altogether.

So, how did you enjoy the tutorial? Did you see how simple this cold brew recipe is? Are you feeling like making some cold brew coffee yet? The secret to making the best of that summer cold caffeine goodness on par with the most famous coffee brands is now resting in your hands!

You now have the key to maximizing that summertime cold caffeine bliss on par with the most well-known coffee brands

Why Cold Brew Coffee is Worth Making at Home

I really love making cold brew coffee. It's among one of the easiest and most flexible brewing methods. Despite its time-consuming nature, the end result is definitely worth the trouble and anyone can do it at their leisure and in their own home. You definitely don't need a cold brew coffee maker to help you make it at all!

The best part is you can decide to make it on one of your weekends and enjoy the rest of the following week with your own fresh, homemade and conveniently-ready-for-those-busy-mornings cup of cold brew coffee, without having to do any extra work. Once you master how to make cold brew coffee, you'll discover that this simple process saves both time and money.

This cold brewing method produces smooth, naturally sweet coffee concentrate that stays fresh for weeks. Your homemade cold brew will save money while delivering café-quality results. The process is simple enough for beginners but produces professional-level cold brew concentrate every time. Knowing how to make cold brew with coffee grounds gives you complete control over strength and flavor.