Cold-Brew Coffee at Home
By N. Wiemers (Head Roaster)19 Comments
It’s summer time in Memphis, and wow does it get hot!! One way I cool down is front of a fan. The other thing I use to cool down is a home-made cold-brewed coffee. I’m probably not the only one who enjoys kicking back sipping a freshly brewed iced-coffee on a Saturday afternoon.
Cold-brew brings back a lot of memories. I used to drink cold-brew when I was first learning to roast coffee in Iowa in the summer months. It was so hot, but I really wanted coffee. While studying in New Zealand, I drank cold-brew coffee in a town called Wanaka. I was in a café, enjoying the view of the lake and mountains.
(Pic courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
So, here’s how I do it.
What you’ll need:
· Coffee
· Container (French Press, or large pitcher)
· Water
The ratio I recommend is about ½ lb of coffee to 1 liter of water, which typically lasts me up to two weeks without losing any quality in flavor.
If you’re grinding your own coffee (recommended), take it slightly coarser than a French Press grind. Check out the photo for a reference.
So, here’s a fail-proof way for making cold brew coffee.
1. Grind Coffee
2. Throw it in a large carafe or French Press
3. Pour water all over it – stir to ensure proper saturation
4. Let it sit for 24 hours in refrigerator
5. Filter to remove sediment
The end result will be a Coldbrew coffee concentrate. Now personally, I like the sweet, syrupy concentrate, but if you dilute it down to equal parts concentrate and water 1 to 1, you’ll have something equivalent to the normal strength of coffee.
Now, this last part is on you. Pour concentrate over ice, sit yourself under the sun, and ENJOY!