Cold Brew Coffee
Let’s make cold brew coffee! It’s easy to make.
it’s so nice to have coffee ready to go.
This recipe is written for a 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar; you can scale it up or down using 1 ounce* (28 grams) coffee per 1 cup water. The quantities provided will produce about 2½ cups concentrate, which is enough for 5 cups of cold brew.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water (filtered water if you have it)
- 1 ounce* (28 grams) coarse (French press) ground coffee per 1 cup water. I recommend LOVEz Ethiopian Yirgacheffe for a delicious flavorful cup.
Instructions
- In a 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar, combine the coffee and water. Stir to combine. I like to let my mixture rest for about 5 minutes and stir it again; the coffee grounds seem to gain more water exposure this way.
- Put a lid on your container and refrigerate it for 12 to 18 hours. (I recommend 12 hour)
- When you’re ready to strain your cold brew, place a thin paper coffee filter or a small, thin cotton napkin, cloth or handkerchief over a small fine-mesh sieve. Pour the concentrate through the prepared sieve into a liquid measuring cup or pitcher. Let it rest for a few minutes to let the last of the cold brew trickle down.
- To serve, fill a glass with ice and fill it halfway with water. Then fill the rest of the glass with your cold brew concentrate and stir to combine. Cold brew concentrate will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, although I find that it has the best flavor within the first week.
- Blend dairy or sweetener to taste. Try a dash of maple syrup.
Notes
*Measurement notes: These are ounces by weight, not by volume. This is always the case with non-liquid measurements. “1½ cups coarsely-ground coffee” is the least exact measurement I can offer (the volume of the ground coffee depends on the exact coarseness of your grind)—but it will work. Just adjust the concentrate-to-water ratio to suit your liking as your pour your glass of cold brew and you’re all good.
Fun Facts about Cold Brew Coffee
Cold brew can be strong.
This depends on a lot of factors, including the beans used, steeping time, and dilution. The dilution is the factor that is the easiest to control. Don’t drink cold brew concentrate straight—it’s highly caffeinated!
Cold brew is less acidic.
If regular drip coffee or espresso upsets your stomach, cold brew might not. The only way to know is to try it, and you’ll have more control over the end result if you make it yourself.
You can heat up cold brew and drink it hot.
Indeed, it’s true, and it’s very good. The flavor stays about the same.
Cold brew takes longer to make than drip coffee.
Since the water is cold, it needs to steep for about 12 to 18 hours to soak up the coffee’s color, flavor and caffeine. The cold extraction process brings out fewer of coffee’s bitter compounds, which produces a sweeter and smoother result.
