Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best type of coffee beans to buy?
It’s best to buy freshly ground coffee beans. Even if you don’t have a coffee grinder at home, many grocery stores will have a grinder in the coffee section. Fresher beans are going to give you a more vibrant cold brew.
How do I know which types of coffee beans are considered espresso?
Most coffee beans are Arabica or Robusta, including espresso beans. Espresso is different from other beans because they are roasted longer and darker than other types of coffee beans. Oftentimes, grocery stores will label these types of beans as espresso. However, you can also just find a dark roasted bean and that will work for this recipe.
I thought espresso is supposed to be finely ground. Why are we using coarsely ground espresso beans?
Traditionally, yes, espresso beans are finely ground when you’re brewing with hot water. However, cold espresso tastes best with coarsely ground beans because it takes on a less bitter flavor. Plus, it’s easier to filter out the coarse grounds.
I only have finely ground espresso. Will this still work?
In a pinch, fine grounds will still work. However, the cold brew will taste more bitter if you use finely ground espresso beans. To avoid a bitter taste, check the taste of the cold brew every few hours to ensure over-extraction doesn’t occur.
Is this recipe an espresso cold brew concentrate?What can you do with cold espresso?
How To Make Cold Brew In A French Press
Taste of HomeWith its built-in filter, a French press makes cold brewing easy. Simply mix the coffee and water in the chamber and then, without pressing the plunger down, place in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, slowly press the plunger down. Then pour the brew through a coffee filter to remove the fine sediment.
Equipment: What You Need To Get Started
Grinder:
Youll need a grinder that can produce a coarser grind size than a standard espresso grinder. If you already have a retail grinder, like a Ditting KR805 or a Mahlkonig EK43 then youre all set. If not, we think the Baratza Forte or the Breville Smart Grinder Pro are a good choices theyre relatively affordable, they dont take up much space and can be used for grinding espresso, aeropress & any other brew methods you use.
If a grinder is out of the question, then you can use ground coffee just ask to get it ground on the coarse side of a filter grind.
Brewer:
There are literally dozens of cold brewers available for the coffee professional. The easiest way to get started is the classic toddy brewer , its cheap, functional and difficult to break.
Having said that, if youre more of a DIY kind of person, you can get great results brewing in a saucepan and filtering the grounds twice: once with a sieve & once with a paper filter.
The results will be just as good with this hack method, but the process is a little easier with a dedicated device like the Toddy.
Filtered Water:
Yes, water quality makes a massive difference. The team from our Coffee Science & Education Centre have done some in depth work on the ideal water for brewing coffee take a look.
Suffice to say, water straight out of the tap is unlikely to give great results. If you can use the water that has been filtered for your espresso machine, thats a better place to start.
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Can I Make Cold Brew With A French Press
Ashley Rodriguez
Yes! A French press is a perfect vessel for making cold brew since you can filter the grounds with the plunger.
One tip for brewing with a French press: your coffee might have a heavy mouthfeel and a gritty texture. After brewing, try running your cold brew through a paper filter to catch some of the fine grinds and oils contributing to that mouthfeel, but also feel free to skip this step if you want a brew with more heft.
What Is Cold Brew Concentrate
Because cold brewing uses cold water, you can store it for future use. One of the popular ways to make cold brew is to oversaturate the brew and store a concentrated version to be diluted later . This works because most of the flavors are extracted in the first four to eight hours. The coffee doesnt get stronger as it would if beans are over-extracted using heat .
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How To Make Cold Brew Coffee Without A Cold Brew Coffee Maker
If you don’t have a dedicated cold brew coffee concentrate maker, you can mix everything in a big container to allow the coffee to brew. You’ll then need to pour the cold brew coffee concentrate through a filter when it’s ready.
For example, you can set it up using a v60 coffee brewer if you have one. Alternatively, many recipes will suggest using a French press coffee brewer.
I don’t recommend either of these methods because as mentioned earlier, when you pour out the coffee concentrate because you agitate the coffee grounds and risk releasing bitter compounds into your coffee.
Additionally, with the French press, the filter typically does not catch all the coffee grounds, so you end up with cold brew coffee that doesn’t taste as clean .
So, it is definitely worth investing in a proper cold brew coffee maker!
You’ll be able to make fresh cold brew coffee at home easily and you’ll save money by not needing to buy store-bought cold brew again – either in concentrate form from the grocery store, or from a coffee shop.
How Do You Dilute Cold Brew Coffee
You dilute cold brew coffee with water or milk, as well as milk substitutes and alternatives. Milk will give it more of a latte kind of taste and feel. Some people also use cream or gluten-free creamers which soften the flavor even further. The amount of dilution will depend on how concentrated the cold brew is, but most cold brew recipes work best in a 1 to 1 dilution.
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What Is The Perfect Ratio Of Beans To Water
I find that a ratio of 1:4 for grounds to water is the perfect ratio for making cold brew. For me, this typically looks like 1 cup of beans, ground, to 4 cups of water. This ratio can be used in any amount 2 cups grounds to 8 cups water, etc.
Because measuring in weight is always more accurate, I use about 82 grams of beans for 4 cups or 946 milliliters of water. The amount of whole beans to grounds is one-to-one, meaning the weight of the whole beans will be the same as when they are ground.
Of course, for you to make the perfect cold brew according to your preferences, I recommend playing around with the ratios as you experiment. The 1:4 ratio is a great starting point but if you decide you like it stronger, try more grounds to water.
Note: only about 3 1/2 cups fit in a large mason jar, so I use about 3/4 cup beans to 3 cups water to stay within the ratio. I will also use 1 cup of beans and simply fill the water to the top of the jar, which results in a slightly stronger concentration of cold brew because it has a bit less water.
Our Own Diy Cold Brew Maker
Now, the last brewer on our list is actually not, technically speaking, a brewer at all. More accurately, it is a collection of items that we have lying about in the office.
For the brewing container, weve got a Loveramics glass water carafe. This can fit enough liquid for the brew, and it has its own lid. Then, use a sieve combined with Hario V60 papers to filter out the ground coffee.
Since we already most have these items at home, wed say that the price for this maker is free!
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How To Tell If Your Coffee Is A Coarse Grind
I think of it like the same as coarse ground pepper.
How to tell visually:
- Probably something like this McCormick Grill Mates chicken seasoning, minus the long herbs.
If your grind size is too fine, you risk clogging up the filter in a cold brew coffee maker. It means that the coffee will get stuck, because there isn’t enough room between the coffee grounds for the water to run through.
Cold Brew Product Resources
Here are a few of my favorite products mentioned in the post for making cold brew. Again, you can easily use what you have on hand to make cold brew following the simple steps, many of these are just nice-to-haves. These are affiliate links.
- 1TBSPvanilla bean pasteor whole vanilla bean, scraped
- Milk or creameras desired
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How To Make Cold Brew Coffee
If youre put off by cold brew coffees long steeping time, dont be. Its easy to make a big batch at once, so you can keep it on hand in your fridge at all times. Heres how I do it:
First, coarsely grind your coffee. I dont recommend using pre-ground coffee beans for this recipe. If you dont have a coffee grinder, grind the beans at the store yourself, or get freshly ground beans from a local coffee shop or roaster.
Place the coffee grounds in a large Mason jar and pour filtered water on top. I like to use a 1:2 coffee to water ratio, or 1 1/2 cups of grounds for every 3 cups of water. This yields a fairly strong coffee concentrate, so Ill dilute it with milk or more water before I drink it. More on that below.
Stir to combine the water and the coffee grounds, and let the jar sit, covered, at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. The longer the coffee steeps, the stronger it will be.
Next, strain the coffee. No one likes a cup of coffee with gritty grounds at the bottom, so its important to strain the cold brew well. I do this by placing a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and lining it with a layer of cheesecloth. You could also line the strainer with paper filters.
Pour the coffee through the strainer and store it, covered, in the fridge.
When youre ready to enjoy your coffee, pour it over ice and dilute it with more water or milk to taste. I love mine with almond or oat milk. Enjoy!
Why Should You Start Making Cold Coffee At Home
If you prefer cold drinks over hot drinks, you are definitely a cold coffee lover, or you will love it if you havent tried it yet. This love will lead you to addiction in a good way, of course, but you will run into the fact that its price will make a small hole in your pocket, especially in the summer. By making your own cold coffee at home, you will save a lot. You will also be surprised that making it does not require any magical techniques or luxurious equipment, but on the contrary, it is very simple, and by following some steps, you will get a wonderful result.
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Use The Most Correct Ratio
If you search, you will find many suggested ratios to complete this matter, but from our perspective, the best of things are the middle ones. We think most people will like the coffee to water ratio we recommend.Nevertheless, we strongly advise you to choose the percentage that suits you personally by simply preparing a concentrated drink that gives you the flexibility to dilute it when needed with water or milk, but if its light, this is unfortunately not possible.
Learn How To Make Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
This guide will teach you how to make cold brew concentrate that tastes even better than the kind you can buy at the store! It’s very easy to make cold brew coffee concentrate at home. And you will save yourself a lot of money.
Most importantly though, while the cold brew coffee concentrates sold in the stores have a long shelf-life, coffee is best consumed fresh. If you make cold brew concentrate yourself, you won’t be drinking coffee that is months old.
TIP: You can store this cold brew coffee concentrate recipe for about 2 weeks in the fridge.
Once you have your hands on this cold brew concentrate recipe, it’s an eye opener. I really mean it.
So after you learn how to make cold brew coffee concentrate, I doubt you’ll be going back to the store bought cold brews. And yes, I promise it is easy to make at home.
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Is Cold Brew Coffee Healthier Than Regular Coffee
Cold brew has a reputation of being healthier than regular coffee because its lower acidity is easier on the stomach and has less impact on tooth enamel. However, more acid isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Also, cold brewed coffee has also been shown to have a lower concentration of antioxidants than regular coffee, and it has a higher concentration of caffeine. Our take? Both types of coffee are great options, but if you can’t tolerate regular coffee, suffer from stomach problems like GERD, have been advised to avoid acidic foods, or just simply love iced coffee, cold brew may be worth a try!
What’s The Correct Coffee To Water Ratio For Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
From my experience, different cold brew coffee makers specify different ratios, and I believe this has to do with the way the brewer is designed with respect to the surface area for example.
There is also the additional factor of personal preference in terms of how one likes their coffee. Coffee can be a very exact science if you’re after a very pure brew on its own. But if you’re making a concentrate that is getting diluted with water or milk, it’s okay to be using a looser ratio.
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How To Make Cold Brew Espresso
This post contains affiliate links, which means Ill receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please see full disclosure for more details.
Learn how to make espresso cold brew at home with only two ingredients
If you’re tired of expensive Starbucks drinks and want to learn to make your own cold brew, this guide will help you learn everything! You’ll learn the secret to cold espresso including the type of espresso grounds to use and how long to brew the coffee in the refrigerator.
There’s so much to know and learn about the world of coffee. One tiny peek into this world is through homemade espresso cold brew coffee.
Think of this recipe as your starter’s guide to cold brew. Even if you’re new to drinking coffee or making it at home, this recipe will teach you all the basics you’ll need to know.
The expensive cold brew you drink from Starbucks isn’t as much of a mystery as you may think. With minimal ingredients and tools, you’ll be sipping on some delicious cold brew that you can transform into an endless amount of coffee drinks.
Ready To Drink Vs Concetrate
Cold brew coffee is actually pretty similar to a regular filter coffee, only cold. So, to achieve this, well be using a brew ratio of 1:15 .
Alternatively, you could make your cold brew in the form of a concentrate. This is handy if you plan to keep this on-hand in the fridge, then dilute it with more water, milk or tonic water whenever you fancy. For cold brew concentrate, we will use a brew ratio of 1:6 .
Next, the two variables that can be used to modify a cold brew recipe are brew time and grind size.
Its recommended that you let the coffee grounds steep for 12 to 24 hours in the water. The brew time, however, is a personal choice, and so you need to test the process in order to find the time that works best for you.
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Storing Cold Brew Concentrate
Make sure you strain the coffee grounds from the concentrate after allowing to steep for 12-24 hours. If you keep the grounds in your coffee, the end result will be stronger and more bitter.
After straining, store the cold brew concentrate in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I like to use a large mason jar or glass carafe for this!
Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
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Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate is easy to make. Learn how to make cold brew coffee concentrate with this detailed guide. Get the recipe, the perfect grind size and the correct water ratio, so you can make cold brew coffee concentrate at home.
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Ways To Filter Cold Brew
You want a smooth and coffee ground-free cold brew coffee. That means you want to make sure you filter the cold brew coffee through something that is strong enough to catch the coffee grounds but that wont soak up all your delicious cold brew coffee.
Here are a few different ways you can filter your cold brew coffee after you have let it steep.
- Basket Coffee Filters
- A very thin tea towel
- French Press (includes a fine sieve
- A very fine sieve