Cold Brew

What is cold brew coffee?
Cold brew coffee is just another brewing method like any other, yet with this one you brew without the use of heat. It’s a long process (not a quick boil the kettle jobby) which results in a smooth tasting coffee and can often be made as a concentrate to be diluted later on. The process of cold brewing can take anything from 8 to 14 hours and because of this long extraction time you should get a coffee at the end which is richer in flavour and with less acidity than a coffee brewed using heat.

What’s the best type of coffee for cold brew?
Most of the acids and solubles responsible for floral notes in coffee are only extracted above a certain temperature. It’s for this reason that it’s important to choose the right beans to ensure your cup of cold brew packs a punch with flavour. It’s hard to suggest the best coffee for a cold brew as taste is so subjective. However, we’d recommend using….

How is cold brew different from iced coffee?
Iced coffee is brewed hot and then served cold, usually over ice with milk and syrups. Cold brew is simple, coffee; brewed cold.

How long does cold-brew concentrate last in the fridge?
If you’re making your own cold-brew concentrate (which we’d recommend), it will remain fresh for around 24-48 hours.

Milk or no milk?
Again, this comes down to preference but most baristas recommend drinking cold brew black to really appreciate its subtle flavours that would be diluted by the addition of dairy.

Measurements

Grind size very coarse like you’d use in a French Press
Coffee weight 100g, 1:5 ratio water to coffee
Water 500g
Brew time Around 14 hours

How to make it

Making a cold brew coffee isn’t super difficult and it doesn’t require the skills of a master barista, but you do need time. You also don’t really need any fancy equipment, a large container, some ground coffee and a strainer will do the job nicely. It tends to be brewed using water at room temperature but can also be brewed using cold water too.

  1. Grind your 100g of coffee coarsely. Make sure not to use beans that are finely ground like for espresso. This can result in over infusing your brew and make the end result gritty and muddy.
  2. Steep your ground coffee with the 500g of water and give it a stir to make sure all the coffee is immersed. We’d recommend using filtered water if possible (as with any brew method). Your coffee will have a sweeter flavour if you use filtered water.
  3. Leave your coffee in the fridge for around 14 hours.
  4. Strain your coffee – pour your cold brew through a filter like a cafetiere, V60 or Chemex. When straining your coffee avoid pressing or squeezing your grounds as this will extract more bitter flavours.
  5. Now you have your cold-brew concentrate. Dilute your concentrate with one part concentrate to one part filtered water
  6. Enjoy.