Cold Brew Coffee
Summer is upon us, which means it is Iced Coffee weather! Yaaaay!
Instead of spending 4 bucks everyday for a cold brew from Starbucks or any other coffee chain, you can easily make it yourself at home. Not only that, you can make it in a large batch which will last you all week. You will save a ton of money (about $1500 a year) and you will have full control over how you want your iced coffee to taste like.
What is Cold Brew Coffee?
Cold brew coffee is coffee that is brewed with cold or room temperature water instead of scalding hot water. This method extracts the coffee very slowly over a long period of time which limits the amount of acidity and bitterness involved in the coffee-making process. Regular coffee is brewed with scalding hot water which strips the coffee bean and breaks it down, resulting in more acidic and bitter coffee. According to one study, cold brew coffee is 67% less acidic than hot brewed coffee. All in all, cold brew coffee is sweeter and smoother, and it ends up tasting more flavorful and less bitter.
Recipe | Serving Size: 2-4
Alright my friends, I highly recommend investing in a good French Press for this recipe. It’s honestly a lifesaver and not only is it great for coffee but it also comes in handy when you are making Thai Iced Tea and even Vietnamese Coffee.
Cold Brew Concentrate
Coarse Ground Coffee - 1/2 cup | 64 g
Filtered Water - 4 cups | 32 oz
Pour ground coffee into a French press and add room temperature water. Using a wooden spoon stir to make sure all coffee grounds are fully submerged. Let coffee steep at room temperature for 14 to 16 hours, or longer. Generally 12 hours will make a light brew whereas turning it up all the way to 24 hours will make for a very strong brew.
When you are ready to strain the coffee, press down the plunger. Transfer to an airtight bottle or jar and keep in the fridge for up to a week.
If you find the cold brew concentrate is a bit sludgy and has some gritty residue, I highly recommend double straining it. You can double strain the coffee by using a tea strainer or a standard coffee basket filter as you are transferring it to a bottle.
Some Helpful Notes
Ratio: The recommended ratio of cold brew coffee to water is 4 cups water to 1/2 cup ground coffee beans. In the video, I chose to cut the recipe in half because I only wanted 2 cups of cold brew. So it goes like, 2 cups water to 1/4 cup coffee, 4 cups water to 1/2 cup coffee, and 8 cups of water to 1 cup coffee, lol you get the point. Of course, you can adjust this ratio to make your cold brew weaker or stronger!
Roast Factor: Some suggest light to medium roasts, which are naturally more acidic, because the cold brewing process eliminates much of the acidity of the beans. Other cold brewers recommend dark roasts because cold brew has a tendency to taste of darker, richer flavors, like chocolate, nuts and earthiness. Also, try not to use old and stale coffee. Freshly roasted coffee and freshly ground coffee should be your top choice.
Coarse Grind: The coffee beans are big, and the grinding is done very little so that there are large particles. A coarse grind will feel very gritty when you rub it between your fingers and it feels a lot like beach sand. With this type of grind, the water can drip easily and it’ll be able to extract the sweet flavors and be less bitter.
Iced Coffee
Lots of Ice
Cold Brew Concentrate
Simple Syrup (1 part water, 1 part sugar)
Milk
Coffee Cream (check notes below)
This is how we drink it. You can have it black, or with sugar, or with lots of milk and cream. Make your iced coffee the way you like it.
Some Helpful Notes
Ice: Make sure to serve or drink it with a lot of ice. If you're not going to use ice, try to use cold water instead. Cold brew is almost two times stronger than hot brewed coffee so you have to dilute it with water.
Simple Syrup: It really is simple, 1 part water and 1 part sugar, diluted and boiled over heat. Simple Syrup is (by far) the most common sweetener used by bartenders and baristas. The reason is no secret – when drinks are cold, it takes longer for sugar to dissolve into them. Creating a sugar syrup in advance means there's no risk of sugar granules left in your cold drink when served. You can always use regular sugar instead if you don’t want to buy/make simple syrup.
Coffee Cream: Coming right up below!
Coffee Cream
Heavy Cream - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - 2-4 tbsp
Instant Coffee - 1 tsp
Place a metal mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the bowl from the freezer. Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and instant coffee granules and beat with an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. It is indeed a guilty pleasure but it can be an occasional treat!
If you do recreate our recipe, be sure to
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