Are you attracted to the new sensation of cold brew coffee and often make mistakes in making a perfect shot of it? Additionally, you also have tried to find out the best method of making cold brew coffee but could not succeed. You will learn here how to make cold brew coffee most effectively and efficiently.
First, get all the ingredients in your hand. Pour the coffee bean particles into a jar or mug. Add water four times greater than the coffee beans. For proper steeping, you need at least 12 hours, moderately 16 hours, or a maximum of 24 hours. Storing the coffee and water mixture in a fridge is optional. You may put it anywhere in your room.
This content is going to be a milestone of your life as a cold brew maker. So, why late? Let’s start.
Some secrets of cold brew
Making a cold brew does not contain much more complication than hot coffee. You may find it difficult if you are new to cold brew making or have not yet captured the perfect way. Knowing the secrets of cold brew making will give you the strength to fulfilling your desire.
Perfect grounds for cold brew coffee
One of the biggest secrets of lovely coffee is using the ideal coffee grounds. If you can manage coarse grinds, it is half the job done.
Grinding coffee beans on your own
You can have the most necessary coarse bean from many sources. Even they will be an attractive option for you. But where are the freshly ground beans with their original aroma and flavor? To get the correct aroma and flavor, you must grind your own for the perfect cold brew coffee.
Metering the coffee and water ratio
Coffee and water ratio is not totally fixed at all. We think two ratios (1:4 and 1:6 ) are perfect for cold brew. You can choose any of them or a bit higher or lower. How much coffee grounds you need depends on your desire and taste.
Cold brew extraction duration
Since the coffee grounds are coarse, and cold brew takes room temperature water, the extraction takes vast times more than regular coffee. You must allocate full time for extraction.
The longer you steep the coffee grinds in water, the stronger your coffee will be. Generally, 14-16 hours is enough for extraction, but a few hours more or less is also okay.
Room temperature water
When the water of a container or jar contains 78° F or 25.55° C temperature, we generally call it room temperature water. It is one of the significant materials of cold brew.
Key facts about Iced coffee and cold brew coffee
When you make coffee normally and drink it after adding ice, it is iced coffee. On the other hand, we make cold brew coffee with room-temperature water. These two coffee makings are pretty different in terms of brewing.
The best beans for cold brew
Nicaraguan coffee beans are most suitable for cold brew. These beans can ensure the most effective taste of cold brew and desired authenticity. You can get it from your nearby supermarket or online.
Gathering the elements together
To avoid disturbance, collect all necessary elements in the kitchen. Here is the list of all elements.
- Jar or jug or pitcher
- Ground coffee beans
- Room temperature water
- A refrigerator (optional and usable for those who want to enjoy more cold)
- French press coffee maker (alternatively, you can use other makers also)
- Flimsy cotton fabric (when you do not have a coffee maker)
- Milk (depends on your choice)
- Sugar (if you like to add)
- Chocolate, vanilla or any other flavor (if you like to have)
How to make cold brew coffee: the most effective methods
Here we shall describe the most popular and effective cold brew-making methods by using different cold brew coffee makers in the easiest ways. Read them carefully to succeed in the cold brew making in the quickest time possible.
Method 1: General DIY way of cold brew making
This is one of the most straightforward ways to do it for yourself. Following this way, you will hardly have any barriers to making a delicious cold brew.
Gathering the elements together
Before starting the cold brew-making process, collect all elements in the kitchen. Fix how many cups of coffee you want to make, then separate and keep the ingredients one by one in different jars. Here is the list of all elements.
- A jar that can be used for the coffee and water mixture.
- Proper amount of coffee bean particles
- Room temperature water for steeping
- Refrigerator (Optional)
- French press or any other coffee maker (optional)
- A piece of neat and clean cotton fabric
- Milk, sugar, chocolate or flavor (optional)
The final steps
Keep the pitcher or jug on the countertop or table. Pour ground coffee beans based on your demand (evaluating the number of people you aim to serve coffee). Add room-temperature water to the coffee grinds in the pitcher. Don’t stir and hold the jar; keep it in a refrigerator.
After waiting at least 12 hours, you can enjoy your cold brew. Also, to get the strongest coffee, you can wait up to 24 hours. We suggest a moderate duration, that is, 16-18 hours.
After getting the coffee container from the fridge, stir the mixture. Now you can enjoy your cold brew.
Method 2: Toddy cold brew system
When you have some helping elements at your hand, you can make your cold brew so easily. Making a cold brew with Toddy is such an easy method.
Gathering elements together
What ingredients do you need for this step? Toddy provides all. You will get a package with-
- A plastic container for brewing
- Brewing Handle
- 1 Glass Decanter
- Decanter Lid
- 2 filters
- 1 Rubber Stopper
The final steps
You can brew a massive amount of 340 grams of coffee and 1.65 liters of water with this Toddy cold brewer. This is the highest capacity of Toddy brewer.
Take coffee and water measuring a 1:4 or 1:6 ratio, and pour the coffee beans into the brewing container. Mix the cold water (room temperature water). Keep the mixer in a fridge. Wait 12 – 24 hours (you set any duration between the total).
If you use a 1:8 or 1:10 ratio of coffee to water, this can also be acceptable too.
Get the brewing container out of the fridge and set it in a jar or jug. Then pull the rubber stopper from the brewing container. Coffee will start emitting, and when it finishes emitting. The concentration is ready to drink.
Method 3: Cold brew making process with Asobu
Asobu cold brew making is possibly the best of all methods. Asobu will lessen your tasks to the best possible level. In this method, you need an Asobu device that includes all. After having the machine, you need coffee and water. Once you use this, you must love this.
Basics to the Asobu cold brew maker
The device contains three (3) main parts. The upper part is a round-shaped and a plastic-built chamber that keeps coffee beans. A cone object takes place in the middle of the chamber and a screwable lid on the cone covers the whole chamber.
The middle part works as a filter. This is a grippy part that you can hold and use the machine.
The lower part is for having filtered coffee. Automatically your cold brew will be stored in it.
The final steps
Open the Asobu cold brew maker, unscrew the lid, and pour the coffee beans into the cone-shaped area. Then pour water into it. It’s better to pour coffee and water in a few installments.
Now, screw the lid and close the tap on the middle of the lid’s upper part. Keep the mixer in the Asobu machine and in the refrigerator (you may use a fridge if you want). After passing the period, get the maker out of the fridge.
Open the tap and press the button of the grip area. Your most awaited cold brew will go to the lowest and 3rd part of the Asobu machine. Detach the upper two-part and add some ice cubes to the cold brew-containing carafe. Screw the lid of that part.
Please wait for a few minutes and enjoy it.
Method 4: Mizudashi cold brew coffee pot
Mizudashi cold coffee pot is an easy-to-use and modern all-in-one device. You can make the most desired and delicious cold brew.
Basic to the Mizudashi cold coffee jar
This is a jug-type cold brew maker. It has a handle to move the whole jar, a lid on the upper part, and a filter just after the lid.
The final steps
Take some coffee grinds and coffee according to your loved coffee ratio. Pour the coffee amounts into the Mizudashi cold coffee jar and then water. Actually, you are pouring the ingredients into the filter.
After steeping through the coffee beans, water will go to the lower chamber of the Mizudashi cold brew maker. Now keep the pot in a fridge and get it out after at least 12 hours. Here is your beloved cold brew coffee. You can enjoy it now.
Method 5: Preparing cold brew using GINA coffee brewer (Goat Story kit)
Making cold brew coffee using the GINA coffee brewer (also known as Goat Story kit) is one of the easy and familiar ways to enjoy a cold brew with less effort. Let’s know it elaborately.
What will you get with the kit?
With the GINA pot, you will get a jar whose upper part contains a cone where to pour the coffee beans. The lower part of the bean has a filter and a scalable nut.
The lowest part of the GINA coffee maker is used to contain filtered liquid coffee.
GINA app
With the GINA smart cold brew makers, you can get barista-like support. Get help in detail with the app. You will get in the app-
- Full guidelines for brewing coffee
- A time tracking facility
- Chance to be connected with thousands of coffee lovers worldwide and more.
Install the smart app on mobile and connect it to the coffee maker with Bluetooth.
Scaling options
GINA smart makers contain a hidden built-in scale in the basement. This option will make your ratio-maintaining task easier. Scale water and coffee grounds before starting.
The final steps
Pour the coffee into the upper cone and then water too. You can add a 1:4 ratio of coffee and water or 1:8 or something else as you like. Wait at least 12 hours in this condition. Finally, after waiting, unscrew the nut and let the coffee liquid get placed inside the lowest part.
Now you can add ice to the coffee concentrate or whatever you want. That’s it; enjoy your cold brew.
Other methods for cold brew
There are some other methods for cold brew making. However, these methods do not deal with real cold brew. They are specialized in fast cold brew making. For this reason, we have covered these methods in our separate discussion.
We hope these methods will help you so much if you want cold coffee within a shorter period and sacrifice the taste a bit. We have covered the full detail titling the topic “How to make fast cold brew coffee.”
What to do if you do not have a grinder?
If you have superb coffee beans and want to grind on your own, you need a grinder. Unless you have a grinder, you can use a blender or spice grinder to have fresh coffee particles.
Make your cold brew tastier
So many people like to have a cold brew with different tastes. If you want to bring some changes to cold brew, you can add sugar, milk, or flavor (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc.). You can add only one lament or more. Add element(s) according to your taste. Recently, a new hype has been created on cold brew coffee, which has a different taste. That is nitro cold brew coffee. You can also try nitro cold brew coffee at home.
Variations in cold brew ingredients
What we have described in our processes may not be 100% similar during your practical steps. You may find a little change in practicality. These changes are because the devices and other components get updated after a period.
Our measurement of ingredients is pretty standard and moderate. If you like the cold brew’s more robust or less strong taste, change the ratios as per your fondness.
Adding milk or sugar to the cold brew will create another variation in cold brew. Add them or a single element that you like.
Preservation of cold brew
Because of the business of life, sometimes we do not get enough time to make a cold brew. But we are not willing to miss it either. In this case, you may preserve your favorite cold brew. You can get it fresh after two-three days of preserving it in a fridge.
If you preserve the cold brew liquid for more than this duration, you will lose flavor and taste.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I make cold brew with regular ground coffee?
You can not make a cold brew using regular coffee bean grounds. You can try to make it, but you will not get an acceptable taste from it. Because for regular coffee making, we use fine grounds.
Fine grounds will make coffee bitter since it takes longer to steep. Finally, it’s far better not to use regular ground for cold brew. We suggest coarse or extra-coarse coffee grounds.
What is the ratio of coffee to cold brew?
You can make a cold brew with different ratios of coffee to water. The ratio can be 1:8 or 1:6 or 1:4, or even 1:2. You can choose any of the ratios. We suggest 1:4 or 1:6. These two ratios can give you a standard taste of the cold brew.
You may use a 1:2 ratio when you want the strongest coffee and or 1:8 when you like a less strong cold brew than a regular cold brew.
What happens if you brew cold brew for too long?
Longer steeping of cold brew than a regular duration will make it a bitter taste. Longer brewing will bring more coffee bean substances, making the coffee bitter.
What coffee bean is best for cold brew?
Coarse or extra coarse size bean grounds are better for cold brew. Making a cold brew takes more time, so fine grounds make it bitter, and coarse grounds make a suitable cold brew.
What is cold brew vs iced coffee?
Cold brew means making coffee with coarse grounds, cold water (room temperature water), and longer steeping (at least 12 hours). Contrarily, iced coffee means making regular hot coffee and mixing ice cubes. You can make any coffee and add ice to it. They are quite different things and contain various characteristics.
Does cold brew have more caffeine?
Generally, cold brew is made with more coffee beans, which strengthens the brew concentration and contains more caffeine. Hot coffee is made with less amount of coffee beans, so it includes less caffeine. It will have the same amount of caffeine if you make hot and cold coffee with the same coffee and water ratio.
Conclusion
Making cold brew coffee is not a difficult task at all. It is just slightly different from regular hot coffee. Our described methods prove our statement and demand and answer questions like how to make cold brew coffee.
Now, it’s your turn to prove that you have learned the lessons well and can apply them properly. Just make sure you do not doubt your learning and application. If you have any doubts, read the passage once or twice more.
Your ultimate success in cold brew making is in your hand. Best wishes for a superb cold brew.