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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home

Name: How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup coarse ground coffee; 4 cups cold water

Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for 12-24 hours, then strained. Use a 1:4 ratio of coarse ground coffee to water, steep at room temperature or in the fridge, then filter through a fine mesh or cheesecloth. The result is smooth, less acidic coffee concentrate that keeps for up to two weeks.

Total time: 24 hr
Hands-on: 10 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 cup coarse ground coffee
4 cups cold water

Step by step

Grind your beans coarse. Use a burr grinder if you have one. The grounds should look like coarse sea salt, not fine powder. Fine grounds will make your cold brew muddy and bitter.
Combine coffee and water. Mix 1 cup coarse ground coffee with 4 cups cold water in a large jar or pitcher. Stir once to make sure all grounds are wet.
Steep for 12-24 hours. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours minimum, up to 24 for stronger coffee. You can refrigerate it, but room temperature extracts more flavor.
Strain the grounds. Pour through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. This takes patience - don't press the grounds or you'll get sediment in your coffee.
Store and serve. Your concentrate keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks. Serve over ice, diluted with water or milk to taste. Start with equal parts concentrate and water.

Tips & troubleshooting

Use filtered water - chlorine and minerals affect the taste more in cold brewing since you can't boil them off
Dark roasts work well for cold brew because the long steeping time mellows their intensity
Make a big batch on Sunday - it keeps all week and saves you from morning decision-making
If your cold brew tastes weak, use more coffee next time rather than steeping longer
Save the spent grounds for your compost or garden

Variations

French Press Method. Use your French press for both steeping and straining. Add grounds and water, let steep, then press slowly. You might need to strain again through a paper filter for clarity.
Mason Jar with Nut Milk Bag. Put grounds in a nut milk bag, submerge in water in a mason jar. After steeping, just lift out the bag - no additional straining needed.
Japanese-Style Cold Brew. Drip cold water slowly over grounds using a special dripper. Takes 4-6 hours instead of overnight steeping. Creates a cleaner, more delicate flavor.

Questions

Why does my cold brew taste sour?: Under-extraction. Either your grind is too coarse, you didn't steep long enough, or your coffee-to-water ratio is off. Try a slightly finer grind or longer steeping time.
Can I heat up cold brew?: Yes, but it won't taste like hot coffee. Cold brewing extracts different compounds than hot brewing. Heat it gently if you want it warm - don't boil it.
How strong should I make the concentrate?: Strong enough that you need to dilute it. A good concentrate should taste too intense to drink straight. You're aiming for something you'll mix 1:1 or 1:2 with water or milk.
What's the best coffee for cold brew?: Medium to dark roasts work best. Single-origin coffees often taste muted in cold brew - blends designed for espresso or drip usually perform better in the cold brewing process.