How To Cold Press Coffee

The Best Coffees For A French Press

The French press is highly versatile, and everything from a bright African light roast to a Sumatran dark roast will taste good when brewed this way. A couple of details should be kept in mind when brewing any coffee this way, though.

First, the water temperature profile is ideally suited to bring out the most nuanced flavors in specialty coffees. The waters initial boiling temperature will extract the acids and other compounds that create a bright or complex cup. The quick cooling of the water prevents over-extraction of bitter compounds, which would cover the more delicate desirable notes.

Second, the mesh screen isnt as effective as a paper filter. Although most coffee grounds are pushed to the bottom, extremely small grounds called fines will escape around the edges of the screen and end up in the final brew.

Fines can generate subtle over-extraction as they sit in a cup of coffee, but this aspect can be addressed or taken advantage of. When brewing a bright and clean coffee, drink the coffee right away before the fines can generate any noticeable over- extraction. If brewing a coffee thats supposed to be strong and bold, the further extraction of the fines will only enhance these characteristics.

Thus, no one coffee is best suited for the French press. Any decent coffee will taste good in it, but there are a couple of nuances that will help yield the best results possible with any given coffee.

Cold Brew Vs Iced Coffee

Cold brew coffee is all the rage at coffee shops these days! In the summer, it always sounds refreshing.

I make cold brew often at home. Its very easy to make, so I like to have it on hand when my coffee cravings hit.

Cold brew is different from iced coffee. Iced coffee is simply brewed coffee that has been cooled, and then poured over ice. Cold brew coffee is slowly brewed in cold water, which results in a smoother brew. While iced coffee needs to be brewed fresh, cold brew coffee tastes great for a week if refrigerated.

Why Homemade Diy Cold Brew Coffee

Theres reason why coffee shops are selling out of their coffee concentrate. Not only is it refreshing during the warmest months, but its less acidic than its hot sibling. I find it to have a richer, more subtle and somewhat chocolatey flavor profile too.

Both sippers are made of the same ingredients, but they taste vastly different. Although roasting plays an important role in teasing out the nuances of coffee bean flavor, its temperature and time that contribute most significantly to the flavor profile of your morning cuppa.

During the brewing process, the hot brew methods use heat to extract the beans flavors offering a more acidic profile while cold brew methods brew coffee at room or refrigerator temperature, like an infusion, offering a sweet, rich, and less acidic profile.

Also, its a refreshing way to get your caffeine fix in on a hot summer day! And seriously, its so simple to do.;

Why Make DIY Cold Brew Coffee?

Making cold pressed coffee at home is more economical then purchasing at the corner coffee shop or store. From $0.10/oz for my latest purchase of beans verses $0.15 to $0.27/oz for a black cold brew from a coffee shop or in a convenient grab and go bottle at the store.

In other words, one cup of home cold brew will set you back about $0.80 whereas going out, an average of $1.86. Thats about ONE DOLLAR more per cup ! This may not sound like much but over time, thats money in your pocket.;

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The Correct Coffee To Water Cold Brew Ratio

Since were making cold brew coffee concentrate, well be using 1 cup of ground coffee to 3 cups of cold water. Creating concentrate will make it possible to store cold brew in the fridge, which can then be added to fresh water when youre ready to drink it. In total, youll be able to get 5 to 6 cups of finished, delicious cold brew from 1 cup of ground coffee.

What Goes With Cold Brew

My homemade lavender syrup will add some spring into your morning iced coffee and my favorite DIY cardamom vanilla syrup will also have you looking forward to waking up!

Turn yours into a vegan pumpkin spice latte for fall with my pumpkin coconut caramel sauce or with some homemade pumpkin-spice cashew creamer. The caramel has actual pumpkin in it and the creamer;has no actual pumpkin just spices. Or for something more plain try my homemade vanilla nut vegan creamer.

Or keep it simple and just add a little homemade almond milk or oat milk.

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What’s The Best Coffee For Making Cold Brew

In terms of choosing the best coffee to make a cold brew, you can choose any type of coffee. However, having said that, when we asked our for their thoughts on the matter, there were two clear, prevalent responses:

Brewing coffee with cold water cuts the edges of coffees flavour, both in terms of its bitter side and its acidic side. Using coffee beans with higher acidity will help you to retain some of the coffees characteristic fruitiness, even when its made as a cold brew coffee.;

Plus, since bitterness is not much of a worry, you can experiment by using coffee beans that have been roasted for espresso, as the cold brew process will help to extract the more subtle notes from these beans better.;

Very Very Gently Press The Plunger

Once youve decided the coffee is done steeping, youll need to remove the lid youve created, and instead add the top of the press with the plunger.

When ready, gently push the plunger into the coffee. Make sure to go slow, so as to not disturb the ground coffee too much.

Also, make sure to not go all the way down, touching the grounds, otherwise you wont be able to filter it as well.

This process might take half a minute, but its going to be worth it in the end.

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Cold Brewing Via Immersion

Since colder temperatures slow any process down, having all the coffee grounds submerged in the water is important in order to get the ideal extraction needed for your cold brew.

The French Press is ideal since it relies on immersion brewing to extract the coffee . Since the plunger and mesh filters hold the coffee grounds in place, it makes it the ideal tool for cold brewing.

While there are other cold brew coffee makers that rely on the immersion process, the French Press has a lot of advantages, namely ease of use and price.

All in all, from both types of cold brewing, immersion is the one we recommend for home use.

In the rest of the article, we will explain in detail on how to make cold brew using your French Press coffee maker, as well as our handy tips to mastering the process.

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee In A French Press

If using a French press, once your coffee is done, gently press the mesh down on the grounds to filter them out. Pour the coffee into a jar or bottle for holding. French press cold brew makes less mess, so if you plan to brew cold regularly, it’s worth investing in the coffee maker.

With other kinds of containers, put a filter or cheesecloth in a sieve on the mouth of another container. Gradually pour coffee through the filter.

Or, before you brew, use a rubber band to bundle grounds in a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth. Put in the packets and cover the container with plastic wrap. Just pitch the packets when you’re done.

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Choosing Your Beans And Grinds

Go with your flavor preference when choosing your cold brew coffee beans. If you prefer a mild, less bitter taste, go with a blonder or lighter roast. Choose a darker roast if you prefer a stronger coffee flavor.

Note: For cold brew, darker roasts do tend to work better as far as flavor is concerned, as lighter roasts can sometimes get lost or muted.

As for choosing your grinds, be sure to select a coarser grind size. These work better for cold brew, as fine grinds can pass through the towels and create a gritty coffee. Cold brew grinds should be course like beach sand.

Tips For Making Cold Brew Coffee

• Grind your beans at a medium coarse consistency. You dont want finely ground coffee beans, which is what youd use for drip coffee. I recommend this coffee grinder, if youre looking to grab one.
• Youll brew at a ratio of 4:1. Four cups of water to one cup of coffee beans. If you want more cold brew, just double this. And if youre using a mason jar , youll need to use slightly less to get it to fit 3 cups of water to 3/4 cups coffee beans. Just keep the ratio consistent.
• You can steep the coffee in pretty much any container . I use a mason jar, but you could also use a french press or KitchenAid even has a nifty cold brew maker.
• Use filtered water for the cleanest cup of cold brew.
• Steep for at least 12 hours. After that, you can play around with the flavor. If youd like it stronger, brew it longer up to 24 hours. But I find that 12-15 hours usually keeps most coffee lovers happy.
• While the cold brew can steep on your countertop at room temperature, once youve strained it, keep the concentrate in the refrigerator.
• Dont forget to dilute the concentrate. As mentioned above, serve it with ice, water or some type of milk or creamer.

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What Is A Cafetiere

Cafetiere is simply a European name for the French press. The name is sometimes lengthened to cafetiere a piston, or caffeteria a stantuffo, but these are all different languages names for the same brewing method.

The French press is also known as plunger coffee in Australia and New Zealand. Coffee press is another common name used in some places around the world.

Where is the French Press From?

Despite the presss clearly French nomenclature, the brewing methods origins are a bit murky. Both the Italians and the French claim to have invented the press.

The Italian Claim to the French Press

The Italians claim to the presss invention is a legal one. The first pattens for a press-like brewing device were filed in the 1920s, and they were filed by Italians. Based on this, the Italians were the first ones to officially invent the press.

The French Claim to the French Press

According to coffee lore, however, the French had created a press-like brewing method long before the Italians filled out their paperwork. The French story begins with an everyday blue-collar worker in the 1850s.

The common brewing method of the day was to put grounds in a mug and pour hot water over them. The grounds would settle to the bottom, so the coffee could be drunk without getting too many grounds in your teeth.

The only catch to the French story is the person who sold that metal screen he was an Italian merchant.

The Possible French and Italian Claim to the French Press

What Container Do I Use For Cold Brew Coffee

The best part of cold brew coffee is that it is no fuss and very easy to make. When it comes to the container you should use to mix your cold brew coffee, you have a couple of options.

• You can use a cold brew coffee coffee container which works pretty much the exact same as a french press. Feel free to use either of those.
• Add your coffee grounds and water to a pain old 32-oz. mason jar with a cover!

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Drinks To Make With Cold

1. Mix it with chai tea for a spicy but smooth beverage.

2. Add a shot to hot chocolate, milkshakes, or anything involving chocolate or vanilla. Instant mocha!

3. Blend it into your morning smoothie.

4. Cold-brewed coffee + sparkling water + a few drops of vanilla extract = a great coffee soda. For a mocha soda, stir in a splash of chocolate extract.

5. Make mocktails. Cold-brewed coffee is more flavorful than Kahlua. Add it to vanilla, chocolate extract, and cream, then shake it with ice cubes to make the ultimate Mudslide.

6. Add boiling water to get a steaming cup that’s less acidic than if you started with heat.

7. Swap in cold-brewed coffee for water or milk when making batters for cakes, muffins, pancakes, or crepes.

8. Soak ladyfingers in it to make tiramisu. Layer with shaved chocolate, drizzles of maple syrup, and a 50/50 blend of ricotta and mascarpone cheese, then dust with espresso powder.

9. When making custard or ice cream, substitute half the milk with cold-brewed coffee.

10. Use it for poaching, deglazing, or making marinades.

Common Aeropress Iced Coffee Mistakes

When you;make iced coffee with AeroPress, avoid these errors!

• Wrong grind size.;I make sure to use the same grind size I always do for home-brewing AeroPressaround 14 on a Baratza Encorebut increase the amount of beans. Dont go too coarse or too fine; AeroPress beans are most happy when theyre a fine middle ground.
• Incorrect water-coffee ratio.;You might be tempted to make a stronger coffee concentrate by using less water, but we recommend still filling the AeroPress maker to the top with water, then pouring it directly over ice cubes into your cup.
• Not enough ice.;This one is easy to fix, thankfully. Just add more!
• Too much ice.;You might be stuck with a slightly-watered-down-version of the AeroPress cold brew. Better luck next time!
• Bad beans.;It might be tempting to use lower-quality beans to make AeroPress cold brew , but we still think that coffee bean quality is the #1 influencer on how delicious a cup will taste. Stock up on your favorite light roast before embarking on your Iced AeroPress journey!
• Using cold water.;Making AeroPress with cold water is a mistake. You should still heat up your water in advance of making this, just pour the hot water immediately over ice.

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For The Best Cold Brew Use Coarsely Ground Coffee

A coarse grind size may appear to be chunky, even when you start to add the water. You can stir the ground with a spoon or shake in a mason jar to wet all the grounds.The coarse grind helps keep the grounds filtered out of the concentrate and makes it less bitter. The actual grinding process can heat the grounds which adds that bitter flavor from the acids produced.

If you mixed everything together in a mason jar, you will need to strain it through a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh strainer.

How Many Concentrates Should I Use Per Cup

Well, I have to tell you thats this is super subjective. I like my coffee with lots and lots of soy milk, so I add about 1/3 concentrate to 2/3 nondairy milk. But I like a little coffee with. my soy milk!I recommend that you experiment to find your perfect ratio. Also if you like it black just add water until its the strength that you like.;

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What Is French Press Coffee

The first time you set out to make French press coffee, just the sight of the French press coffee maker can be a little intimidating. But it’s actually one of the simplest brewing systems, and it’s been around since the 1850s. According to legend, its invention was actually a happy accident.;

The story goes that a Frenchman was boiling water when he realized he had forgotten to put the coffee in. He decided to add the coffee grounds to the boiling water nonetheless. Once the coffee grounds rose to the top, he used a piece of metal screen and a stick to press the screen down together with the grounds. The result? It was the best coffee he had ever tasted.;

Despite this fun origin story, the patent of the French press coffee maker actually came from the Italians. With time, the version has continued to evolve into the French press we know today or a manual brewing system in which coffee grounds are steeped in hot water before being pressed to the bottom of the beaker, helping to separate the grounds from the liquid.

Choosing The Coffee Beans

While a French press or pour-over method may shine a spotlight on high-quality, single origin blends, cold brew may not. This style of making coffee requires a large amount of grounds . “I recommend choosing a less expensive blend that has dark, warm, or earthy notes, such as chocolate, warming spices, or nuts,” says Easto. If you’re in a pinch, she’s even a fan of combining leftover beans, or beans that are past their prime in terms of freshness. “One of the great things about cold brew is that it’s very forgiving. It’s probably one of the best ways to optimize less-than-stellar beans,” she adds.

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