When you’re craving a cold, coffee concoction, sometimes you need to take a new approach to the brewing process. Cold brew coffee involves the process of immersing freshly ground coffee in a container of water to produce a flavorful, refreshing beverage that packs a punch. The good news? It’s incredibly easy to get started, and in a few hours, you can be lounging beachside with a delicious cup of java by your side.
When you’re ready for a cool coffee drink, here’s a guide on cold brew coffee – let’s take a look at what it is, how to make it and other essential information you need to know.
What Is Cold Brew Coffee?
Cold brew coffee is exactly what it sounds like: brewing coffee so it can be consumed cold. This type of beverage is great for hot summer mornings, giving you a jolt of liquid caffeine served cool, usually over ice. The popularity of cold brew coffee has exploded in recent years, growing over 26 percent in 2021, alone. And, it’s only going to get more popular in the coming years.
As one of the larger trends to shake up the coffee industry in the past few decades, people’s enthusiasm for cold brew coffee is higher than ever – as such, let’s take a look at some essential best practices for making cold brew at home.
Equipment for cold brew coffee
The equipment needed for making cold brew is surprisingly sparse. All you need is a sealable container large enough to fit an 1:8 ratio of coffee to water that you can place in the refrigerator for a day or so. This could be in the form of a French press or Chemex brewer, but you don’t even need to spend money. Technically, any old glass pitcher or mason jar will work as well. Regardless of the type of container you use, make sure to completely sanitize any brewing equipment, as bacteria thrives in glucose-heavy foods like coffee.
Type of coffee grind
With cold brew coffee, it’s strongly recommended to achieve a medium-coarse grind for your beans. This is best done by using a size-adjustable burr grinder. Because the cold brew method calls for a lengthy steeping time, sometimes up to a day, a coarser grind holds flavor better as it soaks for several hours under the cold brew method. This allows the right amount of sugar to pull through without causing the coffee to become sour.
When deciding on how many beans to grind, start with one gram of coffee for every eight grams of water, for a 1:8 ratio. If this is too strong or too weak, you can always adjust the coffee-water ratio on your next batch.
How To Make Cold Brew Coffee: Step By Step
Now that you have the proper brewing equipment and your coffee beans are ground to the right size, it’s time to start making your beverage. It’s a simple process – just follow these steps:
- Gather a sealable container.
- Coarsely grind coffee beans.
- Pour coffee grounds into the container.
- Add cold or room temperature water to the container and stir until air pockets are gone.
- Place the container in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. A good amount of time for your first batch is around 15 hours.
- Remove the coffee from the refrigerator after your preferred amount of time and filter out the grounds. Use either a regular paper filter, cheesecloth or mesh strainer to remove excess particles.
- Dilute your cold brew with a 1:1 ratio of water.
- Add cream, sugar or another sweetener you want, and enjoy!
Cold brew best practices
Remember these cold brew best practices while you’re making your delicious coffee concoction, and you’ll never be without an icy pick me up:
- Fancy equipment won’t produce noticeable improvements on cold brew flavor compared to a sealable glass container.
- The quality of beans will have a big effect on how your cold brew tastes, so don’t skimp by buying cheap coffee.
- Use filtered water to remove any trace of contaminants.
- Remember to dilute your cold brew before drinking, either with water or cream, as it’s essentially a coffee concentrate directly out of the refrigerator.
- Cold brew usually lasts for up to two weeks, so make sure to consume it before it goes bad.
- Remember to compost used grounds and sanitize your brewing equipment thoroughly so it’s ready for the next batch.
Best Of Luck With Your Cold Brew!
Now that you know how easy it is to make cold brew, you can get started crafting your next delicious coffee concoction – remember to use the proper equipment and a coarse grind, and follow the other steps listed above to make sure your fridge is always stocked with an icy-cold flavorful beverage. Best of luck with your cold brew!
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