Cold Brew Coffee Recipe: How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Cold-brewing is a coffee-making method that involves steeping coarsely ground coffee beans in room temperature water for several hours—anywhere from six to 24, depending on the recipe. The resulting concentrated brew can then be diluted with water or milk. Make cold brew coffee with coarse-ground beans to keep the resulting brew from becoming bitter.

Cold-brewed coffee is very different from coffee brewed at 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the standard brewing temperature for methods like espresso, French press, pour-over, and drip coffee.

• Brewing process: The most obvious difference between cold-brewed and hot coffee is that cold-brewed coffee is made with cold or room-temperature water, while hot coffee is made with water that is ideally 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold brew can also be made in any Mason jar or similar vessel, so it doesn't require fancy equipment.
• Acidity: Cold-brewed coffee is typically less acidic than hot coffee because cold water draws less acidity out of the beans. Cold brew is almost always made with dark-roast beans as well, which are less acidic than lighter roasts. Some fans say that the reduced acidity makes cold-brewed coffee taste smoother and that it blends better with cold milk. The acidity difference is most notable when cold brew is compared to iced coffee made with hot coffee that has been cooled.
• Aroma: Cold-brewed coffee lacks some of the flavor aromas that are extracted when coffee is made with hot water. Some coffee connoisseurs argue that cold brew is a waste of high-quality beans since you can't taste the brightness (acidity) and some of the more subtle aromas. Cold water simply doesn't extract those special flavors.
• Coarse grind: Some hot coffees, like Turkish coffee or espresso, require a fine grind. By contrast, cold brew coffee requires a much coarser grind—roughly the same as raw sugar or coarse sea salt—to keep the coffee from becoming bitter as it steeps. Grinding your coffee beans in small batches can help you keep the grind coarse and reach an even consistency.

It's easy to make your own cold brew at home. Brew a big batch on a Sunday to enjoy easy iced coffees throughout the week.

1. 1. Grind the beans. Using a burr coffee grinder, grind roasted whole coffee beans to a medium-coarse texture. If you buy coffee from a local coffee shop, you can ask your barista for a coarse grind and let them know it's for cold brew.
2. 2. Mix the grounds with cold or room-temperature water. Combine a third of a cup of ground coffee with one-and-a-half cups of water in a jar or other airtight container just large enough to hold the coffee. If your vessel isn't airtight or if there's too much air in the jar, the coffee can oxidize and produce off flavors. Alternatively, you can make cold brew in a French press to minimize excess air volume and easily filter out the coffee grounds later.
3. 3. Let the mixture steep. Let the coffee sit out at room temperature for 12 hours or refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
4. 4. Strain out the coffee grounds. Strain the coffee through a fine mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or paper filter. You now have cold brew coffee concentrate that you can combine with water or milk in a 1:1 coffee-to-water ratio. Add a sweetener that will blend well with a cold drink like homemade simple syrup, if desired. Store your cold brew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

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