It’s summer and waking up in the morning the only thing you can think of is a cup of coffee. Only the sun is blazing through the windows and the thought of hot drinks makes break out in a sweat.
So you consider iced coffee. But you know as well as any that simply adding ice cubes to your regular coffee makes it less strong and super watery.
Enter: Cold Brew Coffee.
Maybe you’ve had cold brew before at Starbucks? But what if you wanted to recreate it for yourself at home?
You don’t even need to be a barista to make it. Simply, once you know how it’s an easy drink to make and one you can enjoy at any time.
This guide will walk you through the ways you can create this heavenly drink at home.
You’ll learn:
- How cold brew coffee is different from iced coffee
- The equipment and ingredients you’ll need to make it
- A number of simple to advanced cold brew coffee recipes
- Some of the pitfalls you should avoid
Making cold brew coffee at home is not only easy to do, but gives you an amazing coffee drink that lasts up to 2-weeks in the fridge.
What is cold brew concentrate?
Cold brew coffee concentrate is a type of coffee you can store in the fridge and is perfect for summer months with ice or even warm. Cold brew coffee is a smooth coffee drink that forces the sweet refreshing flavour of coffee to come out.
Cold brew coffee concentrate is really strong and is meant to be diluted with water or milk. It’s super caffeinated so drinking it neat will be a shock for most people.
Ingredients
- Course-ground coffee
- Water
Equipment
- Mason jar (or jar with a sealable lid
- Strainer (you can use a coffee strainer or a sieve or even coffee filters)
Steps
Step 1
You’ll need 1 part coffee to four parts water, add this to your mason jar.
Step 2
Once you’ve added your coffee and water, give it a gentle stir to make sure all the coffee grounds have a chance to extract properly
Step 3
Store your cold brew coffee in the fridge for 18-22 hours.
Step 4
Once your coffee is ready, you’ll need to strain it to remove the smaller coffee particles. Once strained, store in a sealable jar or container.
Step 5
To serve, fill a glass with ice and half filled with cold water. Then, add some of your cold brew concentrate. The amount you add will be dependent on how strong you like your coffee.
Cold brew coffee serving tips
Once you’ve created your cold brew concoction, it’s time to decide how you want to serve it. There are no rules here really.
Most people like to drink their super cold, with ice in a glass, but others like to have theirs hot.
Some people like theirs with milk and some like theirs without. The reality is, you get to decide how you drink your cold brew. If you want to heat your cold brew, simply add it to a microwave-suitable container and warm it up.
For cold, cold brew, take it out the fridge, add a couple of ice cubes and enjoy.
If it tastes too strong for you, simply add a bit of water to dilute it slightly.
Cold brew vs iced coffee
There’s a difference you should know when it comes to iced coffee versus cold brew. Cold brew is steeped in cold water and strained. Iced coffee is generally brewed warm and poured directly over ice.
Apart from the way they’re brewed, you’ll notice a number of differences between cold brew and iced coffee.
First of all they have different flavours styles. Iced coffee is a super quick process to make and drink. Whereas cold brew needs to be steeped and brewed for hours, not minutes. Because of this, iced coffee tends to be more bitter naturally.
What type of coffee bean to use in cold brew
Choosing the type of bean you use for cold brew depends on what you like in terms of taste.
If you can, avoid using cheap beans. Although it might save you money in terms of cost, the cheaper the bean you use, the less flavour you’ll have.
Because of the way cold brew is made, you’re looking for a bean with a unique flavour profile.
If you enjoy a fruity, almost wine like taste then you should opt for a bean from Africa, think Kenya or Ethiopia.
If you’re going to mix your cold brew concentrate with milk or even sugar, you’ll want something with a much stronger flavour. In this scenario, you want a bean from central or south America. Think, Colombia or Costa Rica.