Cold Brew Concentrate at Home
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Today I’m demystifying the world of cold brew and teaching you how to make it at home. The best part is that you don’t need any fancy equipment. I’ve been making it in my French press for almost a decade and it always comes out great. Don’t have a French press? No problem – you can use any container with a strainer and cheesecloth!
This is a traditional method (i.e. it is brewed cold overnight and takes about 12 hours to make) rather than a flash-brew method which is much quicker. I’m not against a flash-brew, I make it when I’m short on time, but that’s a recipe for another day!
Is there a difference between cold brew and iced coffee? Yes! It’s all in the brew method. Iced coffee is simply hot brewed coffee poured over ice and enjoyed cold. Cold brew on the other hand is brewed with room temperature water and left to steep for a few hours or overnight. It lends a different taste to an iced coffee because of how long the grounds are left to brew (steep?) as well as the fact that room temperature water is used instead of hot water.
I personally find the result to be a touch sweeter with a nice balance of acidity and bitters. Nothing is too overpowering and it’s a great base for other things like milk, cold foam, tonics, etc.
One thing to note is that this recipe is a concentrate. Once made you should dilute it before drinking, or use a small amount when adding to other liquids. You don’t have to dilute it, but if you down a whole cup of it that’s a whole lot of caffeine for one serving. You might start bouncing off the walls :).
Here’s the recipe, if you try it, let me know what you think!
Yield: 4-5 servings
Ingredients:
- 125g of medium grind coffee. I like using Perky - Single Origin for this!
- 500mL of filtered water
Preparation:
- Add medium grind coffee (something a little finer than French press grind) to the bottom of your French press or container.
- Add room temperature filtered water to the ground coffee and stir slowly for 2 minutes. Stirring constantly for the full 2 minutes is necessary to get the flavours to start releasing.
- Cover and let it sit in the fridge for 12 hours.* If using a French press, do not plunge it yet!
- Once time has elapsed, remove from fridge and strain gently using the plunger in the French press or, if using a container, strain using a cheesecloth set over a fine mesh strainer. Do no push down on the grounds, just let it strain gently and take its time. Store in a mason jar or other airtight container. You can keep the cold brew in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- To make a cold brew beverage, add 125-150mL of cold brew to a cup filled with ice. Dilute with 100mL of filtered water or milk. Add sweetener of choice if using and enjoy!
*Most cold brew recipes tell you to brew at room temperature. However this can lead to food-borne illness so I prefer to refrigerate my cold brew while its brewing to eliminate this risk. It lends a slightly different flavour but I enjoy it!