Cold brew, as opposed to iced coffee, has become very popular over the past few years. It’s also a slightly misunderstood drink. Don’t ask us why, but some (not all) coffee shops think iced coffee is superior and use cold brew as an outlet for older coffee. This bias is a shame because cold brew can be delicious in ways that are very different from a beautifully brewed iced coffee. Because cold brew is an immersive brewing method (meaning the water soaks in coffee grinds), it’s very full-bodied. Sometimes people say cold brew lacks acidity; this is not necessarily true. Coffee is an acidic drink. The character of the acidic flavors may be more or less pronounced, but the pH level in cold brew can be the same depending on your brew time. Cold brew can result in more well-rounded, complex flavors as opposed to bright, clear flavors that you can get from an iced coffee, because some flavors that only extract at higher temperatures won’t be present. Because of this, we used to think it was better to use more chocolatey types of coffee to make cold brew. This is also not true. The best way to see if a coffee makes good cold brew is to try it. We’ve had delicious cold brew bursting with flavor from bright African coffees and more traditional Central American coffees. If you’re an adventurous person, coffee will never cease to delight you. Here’s our recipe for outstanding cold brew:
Brewing Instructions
- Place 120g of coarsely ground coffee in a container. We prefer to use a French Press because it has a built-in strainer.
- Add 600ml of room temperature water to your container. Pour evenly so that you wet all the ground. Some people recommend using hot water. They call it a hot bloom. We don’t recommend that because it’s an attempt to make the cold brew taste more like iced coffee. We say, let the cold brew be cold brew.
- Stir for 15 seconds. This will get all of the grounds evenly wet and will kickstart the extraction process.
- Put the lid on. If you’re using a French Press, you can plunge all the way.
- Refrigerate for 16-18 hours. Some people suggest that you do this at room temperature. We’ve tested this recipe with the refrigerator and not only is that part of the magic that makes it delicious, but we won’t recommend room temperature brewing because we’re pretty sure the New York City Health Department would be upset with us. Make sure you don’t leave the coffee in the fridge for more than 18 hours.
- Strain it. You can use your French Press, a cheesecloth, or a sieve. Now you’ve got cold brew concentrate. Don’t drink this yet because it will be very strong.
- Add water. Put it in a new container and add 360ml of water. The cold brew can last in your refrigerator for up to a week.
- Drink and enjoy.