How to Make Cold Brew

Cold brew is the most forgiving way to make great coffee. There is no heat and no rush, just coarse grounds and a long soak in cold water.

What you need

Coarse ground coffee, cold filtered water, a jar or pitcher, and a fine filter or cloth. A 1:5 ratio makes a concentrate you dilute later; 1:8 makes a ready-to-drink brew.

Step by step

  1. Grind coffee coarse, like raw sugar.
  2. Combine the grounds and cold water in your jar.
  3. Stir gently so all the grounds are wet.
  4. Cover and steep 12 to 24 hours in the fridge.
  5. Strain through a filter or cloth.
  6. Dilute concentrate about 1:1 with water or milk and serve over ice.

Tips

Longer steeping makes stronger brew, not more bitter, because there is no heat to over-extract. The concentrate keeps up to two weeks refrigerated, so one batch lasts the week.

Coarse grounds, long soak. Use a coarse grind and steep at least 12 hours. Too fine a grind makes the brew muddy and hard to filter.

See the Cold Brew Calculator and the Cold Brew Formula.

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