Why? Why would we want to cold brew coffee instead of sticking with regular hot brewing methods?
Well, so that you can make iced coffee. Or iced coffee cubes for your iced coffee. Or so you can make this awesome and healthy Chocolate Frappe.
In the past, I’ve simply hot brewed coffee as normal, then chilled it for about 24 hours until it’s cold enough to make cold coffee drinks. That has worked just fine, and I assumed I needed some sort of special equipment to make cold coffee brew. Thanks to those of you who shared your easy cold brew coffee methods, I now know it’s as easy as can be – without any special equipment!
Cold brew coffee is less acidic, and has a wonderful, smooth taste. I’m loving this variety of coffee on a hot afternoon. My favorite way to drink cold coffee? Coffee ice cubes, cold coffee, and a shot of real cream. It is heaven. (And not at all sweet. I love it that way, but my family thinks I’m crazy. Yup.)
How to Cold Brew Coffee
- Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup ground coffee (or more if you like your coffee really strong) in a French Press or quart-sized jar.
- Add 4 cups cold water.
- Allow this to sit on your countertop for 8-24 hours. I usually start mine at night so it’s ready in the morning.
- If using a French Press, simply press filter down to separate liquid from coffee grounds.
- If using a quart jar, carefully pour your cold brew coffee through a coffee filter to separate liquid from coffee grounds.
- Refrigerate. Or make Coffee Ice Cubes. Or you can do what I do and make some coffee ice cubes then refrigerate the rest to use them together for cold coffee drinks.
Some instructions I’ve read suggest using quite a bit more coffee in this brew. What has been your experience with this?