What is Cold Brew Coffee?

Unlike regular coffee, cold brew is never really “brewed.” It’s a method of extracting the coffee from the coffee grounds that more closely resembles making iced tea. And cold brew is much, much more caffeinated than regular coffee. Unlike regular cold coffee, you don’t get a lot of the bitterness that comes from the grounds. Because of this, we tend to see it as a little naturally sweeter.

So what is it used for?

Almost any iced coffee
Cocktails / mixing drinks
Flavoring sponge cakes
Iced teas
Ice cream flavoring

How Strong Is It?

The great thing about making your own cold brew concentrate is that you can choose the strength of it. It’s already much, much stronger than regularly brewed coffee (about twice the amount of caffeine). This is because the oils, acids, and aromatics of coffee grounds are most easily extracted at the high temperatures of regularly brewed coffee, and extracting it at room temperature or below cause fewer of the acids to form. This causes less of the “bitter” coffee taste we usually think of.

Because of all this, it’s great that you can control the strength of your brew. It all depends on how long you let it sit. The longer it sits, the stronger it is.

Cost Difference

There’s always a HUGE difference between making something yourself or buying it, and cold brew is no exception. Especially since it’s gotten so specialty and popular in the last few years. But to be fair, when buying anything pre-made you’re paying for the cost of convenience. And there’s really nothing wrong with that!

*Based on the national average of cost of coffee per cup of coffee ($0.35)

Homemade Coffee Cold Brew

Simone Peironnet | 4/3/2021

prep time: 10 minutes
rest time: 12-24 hours
total time: 12-24 hours

Servings: 48 oz

Ingredients:

120g/1.5 Cups GOOD Roasted Coffee(not espresso)
Large Wide Mouth Mason Jar or Pitcher With Lid
1.5L/6 Cups Water

Special Equipment: Grinder(if using whole beans), Cheesecloth/Mason Jar Filter(like this one)

Instructions, No Special Filter:

Grind your coffee beans, if whole. Make sure they're not too fine, otherwise the filter might not catch everything and you'll be left with some gritty cold brew.
Put your grounds into a larger or pitcher that has a lid. Pour your cold water into your jar. Give it a quick stir to make sure it's well integrated.
Put on your lid and stick it in the fridge for 12-24 hours. 12 is the weakest, 24 is the strongest. I personally suggest 18 hours for a good medium strength concentrate.
Line a mesh strainer with a cheese cloth or a pour-over set up with a paper filter. Strain the brew. Do not mix it during this process, because the grounds will most likely end up just clogging your filter.
Store in your fridge for up to 2 weeks! Rule of thumb for drinking:
- Just black iced coffee: 1 cold brew: 1 water
- Iced coffee & milk: 1 cold brew: 2 milk of your choice

Instructions, Special Filter:

Grind your coffee beans, if whole. Make sure they're not too fine, otherwise the filter might not catch everything and you'll be left with some gritty cold brew.
Put your grounds into your Mason jar Filter or CheeseCloth Bag Filter. Place into larger or pitcher that has a lid. Pour your cold water through your filter, and into jar. DOn't stir or it may block your filter and your cold brew could end up gritty.
Put on your lid and stick it in the fridge for 12-24 hours. 12 is the weakest, 24 is the strongest. I personally suggest 18 hours for a good medium strength concentrate.
Remove your filter and discard the grounds.
Store in your fridge for up to 2 weeks! Rule of thumb for drinking:
- Just black iced coffee: 1 cold brew: 1 water
- Iced coffee & milk: 1 cold brew: 2 milk of your choice