Cold Brew Coffee ~ The Perfect Iced Coffee

Have you discovered cold brew coffee?  I recently heard some people raving about this coffee brewing method, and just had to try it for myself. This process of making coffee is even enjoyed by those who do not normally drink coffee. Do you love those iced lattes?  How about Frappuccinos from Starbucks? Now you can make your own at home better and cheaper than what you can buy!

Cold brew coffee can be made and stored for up to a week in the refrigerator or until you are ready for a refreshing cup of coffee. It is preferred by many over hot coffee because it is easy to make, is not as acidic, tastes less bitter and does not contain as much caffeine. Not to mention it is smooth and oh-so-delicious! You gotta try it–I am officially hooked on it’s goodness.

What is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew is often associated with iced coffee; however, this is not the same thing. Iced coffee is brewed hot and then chilled.  If you see someone doing that- it is so different. Cold brew is made with cold water. This is not a new process although it has recently become popular. The actual cold filtration process used to make cold brew coffee is said to be more than 150 years old although you will find many stories about how this drink came about depending on who you ask.

How is Cold Brew Coffee made?

Cold brew is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water or room temperature water. They must sit for a period of time. The recommended time is 12 hours or longer. It is often called ‘Toddy coffee’, which is actually a trademarked system for brewing the coffee.

The grind of the coffee is one of the things that makes a difference in this drink. Most say the grind should be coarse rather than medium or fine. But I found differing opinions on this. I actually ground mine fine on my first batch and loved the results. I am going to try different grinds to see what I like best, so I say experiment and see what you prefer.

After the 12 hour steeping, the grounds are then removed by filtering the coffee, and the results are a delicious coffee concentrate that is so good!  Some people like to add milk, cream, almond milk. coconut milk, coffee syrups and chocolate.  But it is even good plain over ice, because of it’s smooth-less bitter flavor.  Just find out for yourself.

There are different ways used to make cold brew coffee. Check out a couple recipes for this delicious summer drink.

Cold Brew Coffee Recipe #1

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup coffee, coarsely ground
• 4 cups of cold water
• In a French press or another container combine the coffee and the cold water. Stir to mix it and cover. Leave the mixture for at least 8 hours (many people recommend at least 12 hours) and room temperature.
• When the time is up, pour the coffee into another container through a filter to trap the grounds. You can use a drip coffee maker for this process by placing the filter basket over the decanter or coffee pot to strain the grounds. The finished product is the coffee concentrate.
• This should be refrigerated until you are ready to drink it. It can be diluted by using one part of the concentrate and two parts water or if a stronger taste is desired, one part concentrate and one part water can be combined. Add a creamer of your choice and a sweetener if you prefer.

Cold Brew Coffee Recipe #2

This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of coffee concentrate. It calls for finely ground rather than coarsely ground coffee.

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups coffee, finely ground
• 3 ½ cups cold water
• Salt
• Mix the coffee and water in a container of your choice. After you have mixed it the first time, some of the grounds will float to the top and stick to the side of the container. Stir again to redistribute the grounds, cover and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Pour the coffee through a mesh strainer lined with a large coffee filter. Make extra coffee concentrate and put it in ice trays and freeze. When you are ready to drink the iced coffee, combine ½ cup of the concentrate, ½ cup cold water and a pinch of salt. Pour over the ice cubes you made with the concentrate and enjoy.

And…be sure to check out Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Iced Coffee recipe, she makes large batches of cold brew, and it keeps for 3 weeks in her fridge! If we like this well enough, I am sure I will start making more at a time like her recipe shows.

My results so far: I followed recipe #1 and steeped my coffee in a quart mason jar. This worked well, but I wasn’t so successful with the straining process. (Still tweaking that.) I tried pouring the mixture through a coffee filter and it took a long time and just wan’t ideal. Next attempt I am definitely going to use a french press to steep with the plunger removed and covered for the 12 hours, then I will simply plunge it, when ready, for a much easier process.