Cold brew coffee has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for a good reason. This type of coffee boasts several benefits over traditionally brewed coffee, including a smoother flavor, lower acidity, and less bitterness.
One of the main reasons people prefer cold brew to traditional methods is that it tends to be much smoother and less acidic than hot-brewed coffee. Because it is made with cold water instead of hot water, more delicate flavors are preserved in the finished product. Additionally, because the brewing process takes longer with cold brew – typically 12 hours or more – the beans release fewer bitter compounds during extraction. These factors contribute to a richer, smoother flavor that many people find preferable to regular hot-brewed coffee.
Cold brew coffee concentrate is one of the easiest drinks to make at home, and it tastes fantastic! We’ll walk you through making cold brew coffee concentrate with these simple steps.
Grab your supplies:
A good cold brew maker can make a huge difference.
Get one gallon of cold water, 2.5 oz freshly ground coffee beans, a coffee filter, one mason jar, and cheesecloth (or another filter). Add coffee grounds to your mason jar. Fill halfway with cold water and stir it with a spoon. Cover loosely with cheesecloth or paper towel. Set in the fridge for 12 hours. (Note: If you have leftover concentrate from one batch, you can use it as an ingredient in a new batch.)
After 12 hours have passed, slowly pour through the filter until all grounds are filtered out. Depending on your filtration setup, this should take between 4-6 minutes (how fine your filter is). Pour into a storage container and store in the fridge for future use! You’re now ready to make some fantastic iced coffees at home! The concentrate will last about two weeks in your fridge. You can also double or triple batches and freeze them if you don’t plan on using them within that time frame.
They can develop an unpleasant flavor and smell similar to rotten eggs if left too long. When ready, strain out all solids using a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel; some say that cheesecloth will leave more sediment behind than paper towels.
The best grind?
Ground coffee should be in a coarse grind, like kosher salt. This helps it dissolve quickly and evenly when water is added. A blade grinder or even a mortar and pestle are great options for grinding your coffee beans at home. You want them nice and chunky, not powdery (that would mean you ground them too finely).
Once you’ve soaked your coffee grounds, you need to let them sit and steep. The ideal steeping time varies depending on how strong you want your coffee and personal preference, but I follow a few general rules of thumb: A shorter steep time will produce a lighter-bodied concentrate with less acidity; longer times will increase both body and acidity. Six hours is about as long as I go, though your results may vary. Try tasting at different intervals to see what works best for you.
Refrigerate:
After steeping, pour cold water through a filter into a large container. Then refrigerate overnight. To keep the concentrate fresh, pour through the filter every time you make coffee. This way, the excess will always be available, and you won’t have to worry about going through it quickly or letting it sit for too long. Once refrigerated, your concentrate should last up to two weeks. If you can’t use all of it before then, store any extra in an airtight glass jar in your freezer—it should last up to three months. To dilute concentrate, add equal parts ice-cold water to concentrate. You can also add milk and sugar if desired.
Conclusion
It’s easy. All you need is coarsely ground coffee, water, and a container with an airtight lid—and you’re on your way to a smoother cold brew. If you want to sweeten it up, feel free: Start by adding about 1/4 cup of brown sugar for every 2 cups of water (although I think black is fine if that’s your preference). And remember: Keep those grounds from coming into contact with oxygen by covering them in water or some kind of airtight sealant (I like mason jars) and keep that sucker in your fridge for up to three weeks.
