How To Cold Brew Coffee ( Preparations and 5 Easy Steps)

The cold brew is enough proof that nothing good comes easily as making it requires a lot of time and patience. A typical cold brew will take anywhere between 6 and 24 hours but the resulting coffee makes it worth it.

Cold brewed coffee has a distinct flavor that once you get used to, you will never want any other coffee. This coffee type is also relatively stronger when compared to most other coffee types, and to make it even better, it is also way less acidic than drip and other hot brewed coffees.

Better yet, cold brew is also one of the easiest coffee types to make because there is nothing much to do besides measuring your ingredient and leaving the coffee to steep for several hours. But in this piece, we explain the process in more detail to make it even clearer.

Preparations

Before you start making your cold brew coffee, you will need to make some preparations to ensure you will have an easy time. And key among them will be to gather the supplies you will need.

Given the longer brewing time, it is important to make sure that you do the preparations way in advance so that you will not waste any more time than you need to.

Also, make sure you clean up everything you will use such as the mason jars or beaker because brewing coffee with dirty equipment often makes it bitter and not very pleasant. And it is during the preparation stage that you also need to make sure you have other things that are easy to overlook such as a weighing scale.

What You Will Need

• 8 ounces of coarsely ground coffee beans
• 8 cups of filtered water
• Large, wide-mouth mason jar
• Measuring cups or kitchen scale
• Coffee grinder
• Cheesecloth and mesh strainer
• Wooden spoon for stirring

Brew Time: 6 to 24 hours

Step by Step Instructions

Despite being one of the most straightforward coffee types to make, the cold brew also requires you to do things step by step for the best outcome. Skipping any of the steps can significantly affect the quality of the brew you get. Here are the mains steps for making cold brew coffee.

Step 1: Grind Beans

The first step when making cold brew is to grind the coffee beans. But, before you get to the actual grinding, you will first need to choose good quality coffee beans. Some good quality medium roast beans are the best for cold brew coffee, and make sure you get a fresh roast.

When it comes to the grind size, you will need coarsely ground coffee beans for a good cold brew because anything finer will be over-extracted and if it is too coarse, it can be under-extracted. Use the coarsest setting on your home grinder to get the grind size right which should be similar to what you would use for French press.

The quantity of beans you will ground depends on how much cold brew coffee you want to make and the strength you are looking for.

Step 2: Add Water to Coffee Grounds

The next step is to grab a large container with a wide mouth as it will make pouring easier. Mason jars are often great for cold brewing as they come with a lid, but you can also use a French press beaker.

Add the coarsely ground coffee to the bottom of the Mason jar and then pour in your water. A 4:1 water to coffee ratio works well for most people. And once you have enough water in the jar, you should now stir your coffee mixture.

Step 3: Allow Coffee to Steep

The steeping step is the longest in the cold brew coffee making process, but it is also the most important as it is where coffee is extracted from the grounds.

Although you can cold brew by steeping the coffee for as little as 6 hours, you should aim to get at least 12 hours steeping time for good coffee quality. And if you prefer stronger coffee, you can steep for up to 24 hours.

When steeping the coffee, you can leave it at room temperature, but keeping it in the refrigerator provides a more conducive brewing environment and also helps keep the beverage fresh longer.

Step 4: Strain the Coffee

Once you are certain that your coffee has steeped enough, the next step is to strain to ensure your cup will not end up full of coffee grinds.

And here, there are different methods that you can use. If you were brewing the coffee using a French press, things should be easier as you only need to push down the plunger to filter. But, if you are using Mason jars, you can strain using mesh filter lined with cheesecloth

Sometimes you might need to repeat the straining step a couple of times to ensure you will not end up with any murky residue on your cup.

Step 5: Serve and Enjoy

The last step is to serve and enjoy your cold brew. Some coffee drinkers might find it a little strong, but you can dilute it when serving. Also, you can serve this coffee over ice or lighten it with other things like sugar and milk. Better yet, you can even reheat it and drink it hot without ruining the taste.

Notes:

1. Using filtered water always provides a better brew quality than regular tap water

2. It is crucial to make sure you only use coarsely ground coffee beans to prevent over-extraction

3. You can steep the coffee in almost any container but glass always seems to work better

4. Always chill your cold brew using coffee ice cubes to ensure you do not over-dilute it

5. Steeping cold brew in the refrigerator keeps it fresh for longer

Conclusion

Cold brew coffee is one of the best coffee types for anyone looking for strong and less acidic coffee. While it takes more time to make than most other coffee types, the process is quite straightforward.

To make this amazing brew, you will only need some coarsely ground coffee beans, filtered water, and a large container to accommodate the two. And with a little patience, you should have your perfectly brewed cold brew coffee in around 12 hours.

Also, despite what the name suggests, you do not have to drink this coffee cold as you can still heat it, and like most other coffee types, there are many ways of drinking it.

Sources

1. How to Make Cold Brew Coffee - Simply Recipes
2. How to Make Cold-Brew Coffee - Food52