Cold brew coffee has acquired quite the following over recent years and for good reason. This type of coffee is smoother, naturally sweeter and less acidic than iced coffee. That’s because CBC (cold brew coffee) is made without heat, giving it a truly unique flavor and taste profile.
And the best thing about this delicious beverage is that you can learn how to make this cold brew coffee recipe in the comfort of your home, and at a significant savings of your local coffee house. There’s no need for fancy equipment, paying $5 or $6 per cup, and overly complicated brewing techniques. It’s all about waiting for 16 to 18 hours and you’ll have your mouth-watering coffee beverage ready to enjoy.
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home in 7 Steps
Here’s a quick and easy cold brew coffee recipe that you can try at home right away:
- Steeping time: 16-18 hours (for the concentrate)
- Preparation time: 10 minutes (for the end product)
What you need:
- 1 cup (8 oz) of whole coffee beans
- 5 cups (40 oz) of fresh water
- Flour sack cloth or cheesecloth
- Mason jar or a small bottle
- Bowl or large measuring cup
Brewing Instructions:
- Grind the coffee beans coarsely (coarsest setting if you’re using a grinder)
- Transfer the coarsely ground coffee to a container
- Add water and stir gently
- Cover the bottle or jar and let the coffee steep for 16-18 hours
- Place a strainer (e.g. cheesecloth) over the bowl or measuring cup
- Pour the coffee into the bowl through the strainer
- Dilute the coffee concentrate with equals parts (or as per your taste)of water or milk
- Enjoy
Pro Tips to Make the Most out of Your Cold Brew Coffee Recipe
1. Steep the coffee between 16 to 18 hours
Since cold brew coffee recipes doesn’t rely on heat to extract all the goodness from the coffee beans, it needs enough time to fully infuse the water.
This step is crucial to ensure that your end product is not too weak or strong.
For example, going below 16 hours might give you a weak concentrate, while going beyond 18 hours may lead to a bitter and too strong cold brew coffee drink.
2. Coarsely ground coffee beans are a must
The ground coffee that you’re using in your recipe should be fairly coarse.
If you use finely-ground beans, your end product might be too muddy and gritty.
So always opt for the ‘coarsest’ setting on your grinder for your cold brew coffee recipe, or aim for a coarse-cornmeal-like appearance if you’re grinding them manually.
3. Try to use fresh, filtered water
Water is more often than not a neglected aspect when it comes to your cold brew coffee recipe.
But it can affect the taste of your java big time.
Aim to use filtered water when preparing your cold brew java.
This will translate into a cleaner and sweeter flavor when compared to using regular tap water.
FAQ
To make your cold brew coffee experience easier, I’ve also covered a few frequently asked questions when it comes to cold brew coffee:
What is special about cold brew coffee?
The fact that this coffee brewing method relies on time and cold or room temperature water instead of heat.
This means that the end product is a smoother, less acidic and bitter than traditional coffee brewed with hot water.
The slow infusion is meant to pull all intricate oils and flavors that the coffee beans have, making for a more gourmet-like experience.
What is the best ratio for cold brew coffee?
A 1:5 coffee-to-water ratio is typically considered as the gold standard for a well-balanced cold brew coffee drink.
However, you can also opt for a 1:2 ratio if you want a really strong CB concentrate.
But my personal recommendation would be, begin with, the regular 1:5 ratio.
And once you get familiar with the taste and flavor of this proportion you can then start experimenting by upping or lowering the amount of water that you’re using.
Is cold brew coffee stronger than regular coffee?
Yes, due to the fact that cold brew coffee is made with a 2 to 2.5 times greater coffee-to-water ratio than regular java.
This makes CBC quite bold and definitely stronger than your run-of-the-mill cup of drip coffee.
But it’s still worth noting that hot water and heat in general extract more coffee from the beans.
How much coffee do you use for your cold brew coffee recipe?
Typically, you’d want to use around 5 cups of water for every cup of whole bean coffee.
This translates into a 1:5 coffee-to-water proportion that’s typically used when using this brewing method.
But you can add more or less water if you’re feeling more adventurous and want to experiment with the ratios.
Conclusion
This Cold brew coffee recipe is a simple, yet truly special brewing method that uses time instead of heat to extract the coffee sugars, flavors, oils and caffeine.
Its simplicity also makes it ideal for preparing this cold brew coffee recipe at home as you don’t need any special equipment or skills.
And you can use the simple at-home cold brew coffee recipe that I’ve provided to get your own cold brew coffee fix at the comfort of your home.
Now drop a comment below to share your experience with making cold brew java!
Author Bio
Simon Slavchev is an avid coffee aficionado, writer and father of a boy and girl. He is a fan of highly-caffeinated drinks and the Editor-in-chief and co-founder of CoffeeLifious – site about everything coffee.
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