Description
Homemade cold brew coffee is incredibly simple to make with just coarsely ground coffee, filtered water, and minimal equipment! The hardest part is steeping it overnight for 14-18 hours. Enjoy your cold brew black, with a splash of cream, or an easy cold brew latte with your favorite milk.
Ingredients
for the cold brew:
- 1 ounce coffee beans (by weight)
- 7 ounces filtered water (by volume)
for the cold brew latte:
- milk of your choice, such as 2%, oat, or cashew
Instructions
Add the coffee beans to a grinder. Grind until either medium or coarsely ground. You don’t want a fine grind as it will make it harder to strain and make the brew more acidic.
Add the ground coffee to a French press (or a mason jar) then pour in the filtered water. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine everything and moisten the grounds. Cover the French press (or jar) with a lid and leave it on your counter at room temperature to brew for 14-18 hours. I typically brew mine for about 16 hours.
Once you’ve reached the end of your steep time, press down the plunger on the French press to strain out the grounds. If you’re using a jar, line a fine mesh sieve or strainer with a coffee filter or cheese cloth. Set the strainer over a bowl and gently pour the contents of the jar into the strainer. Allow the cold brew to slowly drip down through the lined strainer into your bowl.
At this point you have cold brew concentrate that should be diluted with water or milk at a 1:1 ratio before you drink it.
Store leftover cold brew in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
To make a cold brew “latte”, combine equal parts cold brew concentrate and your favorite milk along with a handful of ice. Enjoy!
Notes
- This yields approximately 5 to 6 ounces of cold brew concentrate which is enough for 1-2 servings once diluted with water or milk. Feel free to multiply this recipe and use a larger jar or French press as needed!
- This cold brew will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks but I find it has the best flavor during the first week.
- I do not recommend using pre-ground packaged coffee as it’s typically ground too fine. If you buy your beans from a local coffee shop, ask them to do a medium or coarse grind for you!
- I recommend using filtered water here but you can also use bottled spring water. The water can be cold, cool, or at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Steeping Time: 14-18 hours
- Category: drink