Make Cold Brew Coffee At Home
With the heat of Summer upon us, Im here to help you make your own cold brew coffee! I know there are a lot of people who are either team hot coffee or team cold, I can tell you that I am not discriminatory when it comes to coffee. I love it hot or cold and can drink it either way no matter the time of the year.
Theres just something about the heat of Summer, though that makes everyone crave something cool and refreshing and its about to get VERY hot here in New Hampshire. Were looking at the next 10+ days in the high 90s with lots of humidity. Definitely going to be reaching for an afternoon ice-cool pick-me-up!
Key Steps To Better Cold Brew At Home
- Get the grind right. Cold brew requires a specific grind. A larger grind something closer to the coarseness of raw sugar keeps the brew from getting bitter overnight. If youve got a small home grinder, its best to grind the beans in batches.
- Use a higher ratio of coffee to water. This recipe uses a ratio of 8 ounces of ground coffee to 8 cups of water which is 1 ounce of coffee per cup making it easier to scale this recipe up or down. Drip coffee uses about 1/2 ounce of coffee per cup.
- Strain slowly. The Toddy System that Starbucks uses to brew and strain their coffee relies on gravity to gently remove the cold brew from the grounds. To replicate that at home, youll need to strain the cold brew gently through cheesecloth and a strainer. Avoid pressing or squeezing the coffee grounds, as that extracts bitter flavors. Work in batches to strain as gently as possible. You might be asking yourself, Cant I just strain the coffee with a coffee filter? You could, but it slows the straining process and occasionally the paper filters tear, creating more of a mess than anyone should have to deal with before coffee. My favorite tool for straining my cold brew is actually a nut milk bag.
Ninja Hot And Cold Brewed System
Amazon
Price: $299.99
Details: This one’s quite the splurge but lots of customers say it’s worth it. Not only can you make your own iced coffee in under 10 minutes, you can make iced tea, too. In the winter when you don’t drink as much iced coffee, you can still use it to make hot bevvies like frothy lattes and cappuccinos.
Read Also: Nespresso Half Caff Caffeine Content
How Long Can You Store Homemade Ginger Ale
Store the ginger water and the simple syrup in the refrigerator separately. The ginger water lasts 1 to 2 weeks. If the color or the odor of the water changes, discard it. The simple syrup should last up to 1 month.
The assembled ginger ale, a combination of the ginger water, simple syrup, and club soda, will last until the carbonation goes flat. It’s best to combine the three immediately before serving.
Best Budget: Primula Burke 16
What We Love: Simple and easy use, great value
What We Don’t Love: Takes a long time to brew
While the Primula Burke Cold Brew Coffee Maker is affordable, it rivals cold-brew coffee makers that cost double its price. This little coffee maker is made with heat-resistant borosilicate glass, with a silicone lid, and has a capacity of 6 cups.
This cold-brew coffee maker uses pot-style brewing, where a basket of grounds is immersed in a brew pot. The mesh filter captures nearly all of the sediment for a smooth brew. The bottom of the filter unscrews so you can dump the grounds for easy cleanup, and both the filter and carafe are dishwasher safe. The biggest drawback? Brew time is 24 hours, so you need to plan ahead.
Dimensions : 8.7 x 5.1 x 7.6 inches | Capacity: 51 ounces | Weight: 1.75 pounds
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How To Serve Cold Brew
After letting your cold brew steep, you strain it and then youll have cold brew concentrate! Play around with how much water you need to dilute it based on how strong you like your coffee. I recommend using equal parts coffee concentrate to water so I would do a cup of ice with 1/2 cup cold brew concentrate with 1/2 cup of cold water. If you want your coffee a bit stronger Id do 3/4 cup cold brew concentrate with 1/4 cup water. Add milk, cream and sugar to your liking and enjoy!
Like I mentioned earlier, you can serve this warm or cold. If you want a warm cup of coffee simply add hot water or milk to the concentrate or pop your cup in the microwave.
How Long Does It Take To Make Cold Brew Coffee
Learning how to make cold brew iced coffee is incredibly simple, and quick in the beginning. It will only take a few moments to mix together your water and coffee into a container. The longest part of the process will be steeping it.
It can take anywhere from twelve to twenty four hours to fully steep your cold brew. Of course, this will depend on how strong you want it to be.
When you first start to learn how to make cold brew coffee in a mason jar, it can be tempting to take it out early. However, it is well worth the wait to keep it in the refrigerator and let it steep until it is at your desired potency.
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Best Rapid Brew: Dash Rapid Cold Brew System
What We Love: Brews quickly, no bitterness
What We Don’t Love: Bulky design, cleanup can take time
If youre too impatient to wait 12 hours for your coffee to brew, consider the Dash Cold Brew Coffee Maker. Three intensity settings brew in 5 to 15 minutes, thanks to a special cold boil brew process, where the coffee grounds are never heated, so the coffee oils dont develop bitter flavors.
There is one trade-off for the speed: even at its strongest, the coffee is weaker than a typical cold brew. This is among the larger cold-brew coffee makers with a capacity of 42 ounces or 1.5 liters. Both the coffee maker and included storage carafe are made of BPA-free plastic.
Dimensions : 10 x 6 x 13.5 inches | Capacity: 42 ounces | Weight: 2.8 pounds
The Perfect Ratio For Cold Brew Coffee
While the beans are the foundation for making the perfect cold brew, the next most important thing is getting the right ratio of coffee to water. There are two ways you can make cold brew, and the ratio you choose really depends on the size of your container, how strong you like it, and how much coffee you want to make.
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Is Cold Brew More Expensive To Make
As the cold-brewing process takes longer, the coffee used in cold brew is more dense. Iced coffee is generally cheaper because of how easily it is prepared. Using 5 cups of cold water and one cup of coffee, you can brew a cold beer. Reduction of this ratio is achieved by dissolving the ore into 1:2 liquid.
Which Is The Best Coffee For Making Cold Brew
To some extent, the right coffee beans to choose for cold brew will depend on how you plan use it.
A typical espresso blend can work ok if youre planning to add milk to the finished product. However, something roasted lighter, like a filter roast or a light espresso roast, is usually better for serving straight up.
In terms of origins for me, the heavy body & fruity flavours of natural or honey-processed coffees tend to work better with cold coffee brewing. For example, the deep fruity sweetness of an Ethiopian natural or the heavy chocolate flavours of a Brazil Pulped-Natural are right on the money in a cold brew.
On the other hand, the more delicate, refined acidity of washed Central American coffees just dont seem to show their potential in cold brewing. You might be best to save these coffees for hot water brewing.
If you want to keep things simple, Ill put in a shameless plug for our Cold Brew Summer Blend. Weve blended & roasted coffees that we think taste great as cold-brew iced coffee with or without milk.
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Is Cold Brew Less Acidic Than Regular Coffee
Yes cold brew is less acidic than hot coffee. In hot brewing, the oils and acids in coffee beans degrade and oxidize more quickly than in cold water, which adds to the acidity and bitterness of the coffee.
The low temperatures and long brewing times of the cold brew process capture more of the sweet flavor compounds which are soluble in cool water, without the oils and acids.
How To Make Cold Brew Coffee At Home
It’s so easy to make your own cold-brewed coffee. If you make brewed coffee regularly, you have everything you need. Just keep a few glass jars or bottles on hand for storing the cold-brewed coffee, and you can have a cup any time you want.
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How To Make The Best Iced Chai Latte
I like to cold-steep my tea for at least a few hours, though sometimes I leave it all day. The beauty of cold-steeping is that the tea stays mellow and smooth even if you forget about it for a while.
I think four bags of tea per quart of water makes a nice spicy cup of iced chai. I recommend starting there, but if you think you’d like your chai lighter or stronger, just adjust the number of tea bags as needed.
I sweeten my chai lattes with a quick honey syrup made of equal parts honey and water. A syrup like this mixes more easily into the tea than straight honey.
Emma Christensen
You could mix the syrup with the full batch of chai once it’s finished steeping, but I prefer to mix them in the glass. That way I can adjust the sweetness to my taste, or to the taste of any guests who happen to wander by in need of a cool, refreshing beverage.
Top off your glass of iced chai with as much or as little milk as you like. Creaminess is a highly personal decision. I like to use whole milk, but 2% milk, almond milk, or coconut milk are all lovely.
One final thought: If you like to sip your iced tea slowly and don’t want it to get watered down with ice cubes, make an extra batch of chai and freeze it into ice cubes!
Why Make Cold Brew Instead Of Buying It
I’d say the top reason to DIY your cold brew over buying it is to save money! The average bottle of Chameleon cold brew costs $9.99, which adds up to about $2 per serving. Between my husband and I, we were going through about 2 bottles a week which adds up quickly! Depending on which beans you buy, you can usually make your cold brew for right around $1 per serving.
The other thing I like about making my own is that I can control the caffeine content. As noted above, cold brew has more caffeine than your typical cup of coffee. Since I’m caffeine-sensitive, but love the lower acidity, I use a half-caff coffee to make mine, which means I can drink my cold brew without getting jittery!
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What Coffee Does Starbucks Use In Their Nitro Cold Brew
A blend of coffee from Colombia, Nari*o, is part of the Starbucks cold brew. Coffee from Nari*o has a medium body, medium acidity, and is fruity, nutty, and aromatic. The Reserve Cold Brew blend has been used since Starbucks Reserve opened. It is not intended to be served straw-free with nitro cold brew.
Can I Reuse Cold Brew Coffee Grounds
Reusing cold brew coffee grounds is possible, but your cold brew will not be as strong. Instead, I recommend that you compost it for a different use rather than try to use it again.
However, in a pinch it can still be used. Just be sure to use more coffee grounds than you normally would or use less water. It may also take longer to steep to your preferred flavor, which is important to keep in mind.
Some coffee grounds are more potent, and work better than others when reused in a cold brew iced coffee recipe. However, you should still use a coffee that you enjoy.
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Build A Business Plan
Like starting any business, when starting, you need to look at universal metrics such as your startup money, startup costs, operating costs, and projected revenue. If you can find a realistic way to set yourself up for profits, then youre good to roll.
In calculating costs, consider what you can afford in terms of the beans you want to source, how large the business will be, and what your distribution methods will be. Is this cold brew business meant to be in an expensive cold brew coffee shop i.e. brick and mortar? Or, perhaps it could be a mobile concept such as those executed with Ferla Coffee Bikes.
What’s The Right Cold Brew Maker For Me
In summary, these are our takeaway tips for any home brewers who fancy trying their hand at making their own cold brew coffee:
- If you like cold brew, but dont have a grinder at home , and youre ok with drinking a limited number of coffee varieties, the Cold Brew Kit from Goat Story is the one for you.
- For regular drinkers of cold brew coffee, perhaps you make it for your whole family , then the Toddy Cold Brew System is a great choice.
- If you want something simple, relatively cheap, easy to clean and fridge-friendly, then Mizudashi Cold Coffee Pot is the right choice for you.
- For homebrewers who plan to make cold brew often, plus design and style is important for any device going into your kitchen, then Asobus Cold Brew is a solid option.
- And if, like us, youre not a massive fan of cold brew, but want to experiment with the method from time to time, you can just create your DIY Cold Brew Maker.
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Take Cold Brew To The Next Level
Now that its strained and ready, its time to enjoy. Fill a glass with ice and pour in the cold brew, topping off with creamer, milk, or sugar however you take your coffee.
If youre looking to elevate your cold brew and add in more flavor, here are a few of my favorite ways:
- Add a cinnamon stick to the grounds as you brew the coffee. The flavor is incredible, leaving a hint of warm cinnamon in each sip of the finsihed cold brew. You can reuse the cinnamon stick several times, too, to save on cost and get the most out of each stick. Want even more cinnamon flavor? Rinse the stick off after you strain out the grounds and add it to the final cold brew, too.
- Make vanilla cold brew by adding 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste to the grounds when you brew them. Of course you could be super extra and use an actual vanilla bean , but given the sheer cost of vanilla beans, Ill stick with the paste. Make sure you do stir the grounds before steeping to make sure the vanilla is incorporated.
- Add maple syrup when preparing your cold brew cup. This is a great way to add a hint of flavor and sweetness. Just pour a little in your glass, add the cold brew, and stir to combine!
- Use coffee ice cubesif you dont want any dilution from regular ice cubes. Simply pour leftover cold brew or coffee into an ice cube tray and once frozen theyre ready to use.
How To Make Cold Brew
This recipe could not be simplerall you need is TWO ingredients! There are different methods of steeping the cold brew, the one Ill be presenting today is using a French Press.
If you dont own a French Press, no worries, you can simply use a pitcher. Youll just need to add an extra step to filter out the grounds, but I present an easy way to do that, too.
Lets get to it!
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Caffeine Caution With Cold Brew Coffee
While cold brew coffee tastes great, you need to be careful when making the switch. It also has around twice the caffeine as normally brewed coffee . Some people, like me, might be very sensitive to the increased caffeine and react negatively to the change.
When I was younger, I didnt realize that I was overly sensitive to caffeine. In fact, Id often go study at a coffee shop at night, drink some coffee while studying, and I fell asleep with no problem afterward. I assumed that caffeine didnt really affect me.
One summer, my mom decided to buy a cold brew coffee machine. It was a fancy, slow drip cold brew coffee machine. .
It came with lots of wonderful recipes for making a variety of specialty flavored coffees, and I was excited to try them. I had been working outside in the garden and occasionally came in to make myself an iced coffee to cool off. After a while, I started to feel dizzy and a bit nauseous. My first thought was that I was suffering from some sort of heat stroke due to the heat outside, so I came in to cool off.
The next day, though, I made myself more coffee and enjoyed it in the cool indoors. When I started to experience the same symptoms, I realized it was the coffee! Because of the increased dose of caffeine in the cold drip coffee, I felt symptoms that I wasnt experiencing with a normal cup of coffee. I ended up using less or diluting it with the same amount of water before using it.