By now, you’ve probably heard about cold brew coffee and are interested in making it for yourself. In fact, we offer our own coffee specifically roasted for cold brew!
There are multiple methods of achieving cold brewed coffee but the general idea is that the coffee grounds are steeped in cold water for 8-16 hours and then filtered out leaving you with the coffee.
The general recipe for cold brewed coffee is to use a coffee to water ratio of 1:4. Just put 1 cup of coffee (my favorite for this is pacific crest cold brew) into 4 cups of water (or the equivalent ratio) and let it sit overnight! The longer you let the coffee steep in the water, the stronger it will be. After that, just simply filter out the grinds and pour your coffee. The end result is a pretty strong cup of coffee that you can dilute with water or ice (or both!).
You’ll want to make sure that you’re using a coarse grind. This is best for coffee steeping over a period of time to maximize the extraction (it also makes sure to minimize any bitter taste), and it helps make sure that it filters all of the grinds out!
I usually pour mine into a glass mixed with ice cubes and coffee cubes. The frozen coffee cubes are great to make sure the ice doesn’t dilute the cold brew too much.
It’s pretty simple to do, you just have to pick whatever method of filtering works best for you!
TIP: Because the coffee is steeped cold for a longer period of time, it changes the flavor of the coffee. While getting rid of the acidity and pulling extra sweetness and caffeine, unfortunately, you won’t get the fruity and floral notes associated with whatever coffee you choose. To pull some of these subtle notes out, I like to pour a little bit of hot water on the grind to let the coffee bloom. All you have to do is pour enough hot water to get the beans soaked and let it sit for 5 minutes (it should start bubbling a little bit). This allows the coffee to start releasing carbon dioxide and will also will let you extract more of those subtle notes and aromatics you otherwise wouldn’t get.
French Press:
The french press is a great option to make cold brew since you can do it all in the french press and then just pour it out into your cup or whatever you want to keep your cold brew in. Hello easy!!
Simply pour in a cup of ground coffee into the french press and fill it with water. I highly recommend to follow the tip above and let the coffee bloom before filling with cold water. After that, just let the coffee sit for 8-16 hours, slowly press the coffee and pour it into your cup.
If you do plan on storing the rest of the coffee for later on, make sure you pour it into a separate container that way it’s not still sitting in the grounds!
Filter Pour:
No french press? No problem, we can still make cold brewed coffee without a french press pouring the steeped coffee through a filter straight into another container.
Although I’m pretty confident ‘filter pour’ isn’t an official name for this brewing method- I’m sticking with it!
The most important thing with cold brew is to let the grounds steep in the water and then to be filtered out!
The steeping part is easy for this, so with this method, pour your grounds into any sort of container (I like to use a large mason jar!) and then fill it up with water and cover the container.
After the coffee has steeped for 8-16 hours take a paper filter and slowly pour your steeped coffee through the filter into another container. I find it easier to put my filter in a funnel and put the funnel on top of the container I am pouring into- that way, the filter stays in place! I also pour the coffee into another mason jar as I found that my funnel fits well and it’s just more convenient for me.
The best filters that I’ve used with this method are cone shaped or #4 paper filters.
TIP: Rinse the paper filter with water before you pour the coffee grounds through to minimize any sort of paper taste the filter might give the coffee!
Be patient and pour slowly that way it doesn’t overflow. This is the point when you’ll be glad you used a coarse grind because anything finer than a coarse grind would take FOREVER! If not, no worries- just be patient and pour slow!
AeroPress:
In the backcountry trying to keep things small and light or just want the convenience of making a small, fast cup of cold brew? The AeroPress could be a great option for making cold brew coffee!
Using an AeroPress for cold brew is very similar to how you would use it regularly, there’s just a few small differences in the method that make a delicious single cup of cold brew.
Throw in your paper filter and add a scoop of coffee (AeroPress recommends fine, drip coffee).
Next, just fill your water up to the (1) line on the AeroPress and then stir for one minute.
Press out your cold brew concentrate, add water to taste (about a cup), and enjoy.
The AeroPress is the absolute fastest way you can make a cold brew on the fly!