How To Make Cold Brew Coffee
Cold brew coffee is here to stay!
I remember first serving cold brew coffee and to be honest at the time I thought it was just a fad.
However, the gap in the market for delicious, refreshing coffee has truly been filled by cold brew.
I am now fully converted and especially during summer months I’m all over a mid morning cold brew.
However, when I’m not heading out or close by to a decent coffee shop I love making my own cold brew.
It’s super simple and always bloody delicious. Here’s some tips and tricks alongside my recipe…
What Is Cold Brew Coffee?
Cold brew coffee is a drink which has exploded in popularity over the last ten years.
Whilst cold brew was something almost entirely restricted to specialist or experimental coffee shops, all the major high street chains, as well as supermarkets have taken to stocking it.
Cold brew is effectively just coffee which has been brewed with cold water, rather than hot water.
As a consequence, the steeping process of cold brew is longer, lasting somewhere of the region of 12 to 24 hours.
The oils, sugars and caffeine of the coffee are extracted through this extended steeping time rather than heat.
Despite it being a fairly new addition to the mainstream consumer market, it has been around for centuries and even some of the old Viennese coffee filter devices have been reimagined and reinvented for collectors looking to feel like old-timey mad scientists.
How To Make Cold Brew Coffee?
If you’re a bit nervous about how to make cold brew coffee, don’t be!
Unlike its hot water counterpart, cold brew doesn’t require a high degree of precision, making it a fantastic drink for the newcomers of the home-brewing coffee crowd.
If you follow these few steps, you should be able to make a highly-drinkable cold brew without any issue.
Batch Coffee’s Simple Cold Brew Recipe
Firstly the brew ratio can be changed as you wish and is certainly there to experiment with. I personally start with a brew ratio of 1 part coffee to 15 parts water - 1:15.
For me the best vessel to make cold brew is a Cafetière (French Press if you’re in the States). Figure out the volume of your vessel and minus around 15% for the water volume. I use a 1 litre cafetière so you’ll need around 850ml filtered water and 60 grams coffee.
If you have a grinder use a coarse setting (coarser than a cafetière grind), if you’re buying ground coffee opt for a cafetière style ground.
Add the coffee and cold water into your cafetière and give it a stir to make sure that all the grounds are in contact with water.
Put the lid back onto the cafetière and press the plunger so it sits on the surface (this will make sure all the grounds are submerged in the water).
Leave at room temp out of sunlight for 18 hours (18 hours is also interchangeable and if you prefer a weaker/stronger brew adjust accordingly).
Plunge the cafetière and preferably pour over a paper filter brew method such as a V60 or chemex.
Store in the fridge and enjoy over ice.
What Is The Best Ratio For Cold Brew Coffee?
The best ratio for making cold brew coffee depends on what type of coffee you are making.
As a general rule, cold brew has a higher coffee to water recipe than hot brewed.
A solid guideline is that for each part of coffee, you should use 15 parts of water. With a 15:1 ratio, each cup should have about 25 g of coffee.
If you use coffee concentrates purchased from a store, it may be weaker than your own home brew, so will need to be diluted less.
If there aren’t instructions on the label, a ratio of 2:1 should be about right.
Can You Make Cold Brew With Regular Coffee?
I find that cold brew works best with coarsely ground, medium, or dark roasted beans. If I grind the beans too finely, I often end up with an unpleasant sludge at the bottom of the vessel I use to brew it.
While the brew might still be usable, one of the main attractions of cold brew is its smoothness, and sludge definitely detracts from that experience.
I prefer to use light roast beans that are specifically designed for cold brewing or opt for coarsely pre-ground coffee. Of course, you can grind your own beans using a coffee grinder.
Additionally, I appreciate that cold brew is generally lower in acidity, which allows for much more pronounced flavours compared to its hot brewed counterpart.
If you have poor quality coffee, some of the unpleasant flavours will be much more noticeable when you make cold brew over espresso, or filter options.
The best coffee for cold brew will of course be speciality coffee. Why not check out our UK Coffee Subscription Box that gives you a taste of the best coffees around the world.
How Long Should You Cold Brew Coffee?
The longer you steep the ground coffee, the stronger the cold brew will be.
This is not to say that you should brew it for an exorbitant amount of time, as this can leave the liquid incredibly bitter.
If you make cold brew at room temperature, any time longer than 24 hours will have this effect, whilst in a fridge, the extraction process is slowed down.
The cold temperatures mean that you can steep for a few more hours.
Most experts agree that somewhere between 14-18 hours is the optimal amount of time to make cold brew coffee at room temperature.
Is Cold Brew Stronger Than Espresso?
The average cold brew comes in at around 26 mg of caffeine per 30 ml shot of coffee.
Espresso on the other hand, averages anywhere between 65-75 mg of caffeine per shot.
Despite this difference in concentration per ml, most espresso drinkers will have a single or double shot.
Cold brew drinkers will tend to have 250-300 ml servings, meaning that they are often having double or even triple what their espresso drinking friends are imbibing.
Nitro cold brews will obviously be significantly higher and will probably have most of us bouncing off the walls like a child on too many colourful sweeties, but again, cold brew coffee is lower in acidity.
These lower levels of acidity mean that cold brew is often easier on the stomach.
Those of us who experience tummy issues from over consumption of the hot stuff, might be wise to swap a latte, or double shot-cappuccino for a serving of the cold brew stuff here and there, particularly in the summer months.
Is cold brew just coffee with ice?
Technically, yes cold brew is coffee that has ice in it. However there is a particular way of brewing cold brew (with cold water) that sets it apart from regular coffee. Take a look at the method above
Is it cheaper to make your own cold brew?
Like any type of coffee it will be cheaper to make cold brew at home. You will have to be prepared though and it does take around a day to brew so purchasing from a coffee shop may be quicker and easier.
Is cold brew coffee healthier?
Cold brew coffee is certainly healthier than most coffees, this is because it is typically served black without any milk or sugar. Black coffee, when consumed in moderation has many health benefits.