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You don’t have to be a coffee expert to craft a strong, invigorating cold brew concentrate at home. While a passion for coffee helps, the straightforward process and the satisfying outcome make it a great option for even those who only occasionally enjoy iced coffee. Follow this simple guide to energize your summer with a delightful cold brew.
What exactly is cold brew coffee?
Cold brew coffee is made without heat. Unlike typical methods where hot water extracts flavor from coffee grounds—whether through drip brewing, pour over, or espresso—cold brew relies on a slower, more relaxed process. Simply combine coffee grounds with cold water, let it sit, and wait. Unlike iced coffee, which uses hot coffee poured over ice, cold brew is brewed at a cool temperature for a smooth, less acidic taste.
Reasons to brew cold coffee at home
Effortless brewing. One of the key benefits of cold brew is its simplicity: just set it up and leave it. The brewing process takes place overnight, meaning once you mix coffee and water, you can forget about it until the next day.
Long shelf life. Cold brew is often made as a concentrate, which may seem like a small amount but packs a punch. Just 12 ounces of concentrate can fuel you through several mornings of coffee enjoyment. For casual drinkers, you're even luckier. Most coffee roasters agree that cold brew can stay fresh for 7 to 10 days if kept in an airtight container in the fridge.
It’s incredibly smooth without a doubt. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a hot cup of coffee as well. The hot water extracts the flavors and oils from the coffee beans, giving a full range of taste. However, cold brew offers a smoother, more mellow profile and a silky texture that you just can't achieve with hot coffee.
Tailored to your taste. When you buy pre-made cold brew from a store or café, it’s crafted the way the brand prefers. But when you make it at home, you can adjust the coffee-to-water ratio and experiment with different roasts to create your ideal flavor.
No need for fancy equipment. While I’m about to share the tools I use to make cold brew, none of them are absolutely necessary. All you need is a container with a lid, coarsely ground coffee, and filtered water. Then you can strain it using any of the methods I outline in Step 5.
Here are a few useful tools to get you started:
Step-by-step guide to making cold brew coffee
1. Select your beans
Coffee beans and roasts offer a diverse range of flavors, much like how the terroir influences the taste of wine. Choose the bean you enjoy the most. I recommend opting for whole beans, at the very least. For this batch, I used Café Grumpy’s Momentum roast. Grinding the coffee fresh will enhance the flavor, so even if you go for a more budget-friendly brand, make sure to grind the beans fresh either at the store or at home. And that leads us to the next step.
2. Opt for a coarse grind
The grind size mainly affects the brewing process. Smaller grounds will result in a stronger coffee flavor, but they’ll also leave behind a muddy sediment. To avoid this, use a medium-coarse grind, leaning more towards the coarse end for a cleaner brew.
3. Bring out the scale
Cold brew concentrate ratios can range from 1:2 to 1:8 parts coarse coffee to water. I typically go with a 1:4 or 1:5 ratio, as I believe this amount of water has a better interaction with the coffee grounds. Plus, it fits perfectly in my French press.
When serving the concentrate, you’ll add water, so even if your initial ratio isn't perfect, you can tweak it later. Once you’ve chosen your ratio, some basic math can come in handy. Don’t worry, it’s easy, and a kitchen scale makes it even simpler.
I like using my French press for cold brew, and it holds about four cups of liquid. I typically use five ounces of coffee beans and 20 to 25 ounces of water. Combine them in your vessel and give it a good stir with a spoon or chopstick.
If you don’t have a scale (though honestly, every kitchen should have one—they're compact and affordable), you can rely on volume measurements. You might need to adjust your dilution later to perfect the mix. For my 1:5 ratio, I used two cups of ground beans and just over three cups of water.
4. Steep the coffee
Place the lid on your cold brew container if available. For French press brewing, press the plunger down until the mesh touches the water line to prevent grounds from floating above the water. Let the coffee steep on the counter at room temperature for 16 to 18 hours. If you're unable to meet that timeframe—perhaps because you'll be away or you started brewing at an unusual time—opt for the fridge instead. This will extend the brewing time to about 20 to 24 hours.
5. Strain and pour off
I began brewing yesterday at 3 p.m. and strained the mixture this morning at 8 a.m. into a mason jar lined with a nut milk bag. While the French press comes with a mesh filter, tiny particles sometimes slip through, so using a second, finer sieve can help capture those stray bits. I prefer the nut milk bag since it's reusable, but if you don’t have one, you can substitute with a regular paper coffee filter, a few layers of cheesecloth, or even a sheet of paper towel in a multi-purpose sieve.
You can transfer the liquid to any jar or container you prefer, as long as it has a tightly fitting lid for storage.
6. Dilute and enjoy
It's finally time to savor the results! You may have noticed that you used quite a bit of beans for such a small amount of coffee. Concentrates can be tricky like that. But don't worry. I like to fill a glass halfway with ice, then pour in a mix of 50/50 concentrate and water. Depending on how strong your concentrate is, you might want to adjust the ratio slightly. Add a dash of milk if you'd like, and you're all set. No need to stop by the café for that ideal summer cold brew anymore.
