How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

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Summer is right around the corner …. literally. This means us coffee fanatics get to transition from hot coffee drinks to some sort of colder coffee beverage. Or maybe you switch to iced tea during the summer. (we can still be friends) Whatever you drink, I’ll make it easy to show you how to make cold brew coffee!

First of all, if you’ve never cold brewed coffee or tea, it’s really the easiest thing on the planet to do AND the flavor of a cold brew is so much more concentrated. However, it definitely does not provide one with instant gratification. (it takes a hot minute, or cold minute rather) You may have seen some of the ready to drink cold brews in your local supermarket which are brewed long before they hit the shelves. But, there are some good brands out there, not gonna lie.

Second, cold brew is less watered down that simple iced coffee. With iced coffee, you brew over ice which melts, and ends up diluting your drink. Cold brew is simple, flavorful and once you make it, you’ll never drink iced coffee again.

All you need is some delicious coffee (the darker the brew, the more flavor is extracted), water, a french press (it’s really the best method) and some quart size Mason Jars (or any other glass jar with a lid you have laying around). This method is the easiest way to make cold brew coffee.

The Recipe to Make Cold Brew

I prefer to use dark roasts because the chocolate-y nutty flavor really shines in cold brew. Since I used whole bean, I grind up 1 full cup of beans. Use the coarsest grind on your grinder as the fine grind will end up sludgy (is that even a word?). Empty your grounds in to a french press. I like the french press for cold brew because it’s a perfect vessel to keep it in for the 15 hour brew time. (I told you this is a process!) The flavor is smoother than simply brewing it in a  mason jar and then straining it.

Once in the french press, add 24 oz of cold filtered water; bottled water is great; tap water has a lot of extra stuff that can affect the flavor of the coffee, but if that’s all ya have, then use that. Give the coffee grounds/water mixture a stir and then cover with foil and set in a dark place for 15 hours. DO NOT PLUNGE. We plunge later. *insert Jeopardy song*

15 hours has passed and you now can take off the foil cover and plunge; slowly. I said SLOWLY as in 20 seconds slowly. Once you’ve plunged, you can now transfer your concentrate into a quart size mason jar. Now, this is a concentrate which means it will be REALLY strong. So you can tone down the flavor by adding water, then ice and then cream and sugar or other flavoring of choice. I actually like mine strong so the ice I add is plenty and doesn’t water it down too much.

Ready to make cold brew coffee? Post a comment on how it went! Join me on Facebook the week of 9/7/2020 as we explore some ready made cold brew pods to see how the taste holds up!