How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Have you ever made cold brew coffee? Sometimes this is also called “cold brew coffee concentrate,” as it’s a much stronger version.

It’s meant to be served over ice, so as the ice melts into your coffee, it gets diluted to a level more like hot brewed coffee.

Related: 50+ Healthy Breakfast Ideas, Whipped Coffee, Coffee Smoothie, Iced Mocha, Cappuccino, and How to Make French Press Coffee.

Cold brew coffee is perfect for the warmer months because you can make a big batch and store it in the refrigerator so it’s ready anytime you need an afternoon up.

Cold brew coffee is not as acidic as making a hot brewed coffee and pouring it over ice, and it tastes about a hundred times better, too. I find that cold brew coffee often tastes more chocolatey than hot brewed coffees.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee – Equipment

You can make cool brew coffee in a Toddy Cold Brew System or KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker (these are my favorite two options).

The Toddy coffee system usually costs around $49, and I like that the filters are reusable, the entire system is easy to clean, and the jar the coffee concentrate is stored in has a spout (making it easy to pour).

The top of the toddy is on the larger side though, and can be a little awkward to store when not in use.

The Kitchen Aid Cold Brew Coffee Maker is usually around $100 and a similar system to the toddy. I like that the container sits nicely on a refrigerator shelf, and it has a tap to pour the coffee concentrate from. Fancy!

You can also make cold brew coffee in a French press or a mason jar.

The method for this is similar to the toddy, but you will need to strain the grounds from the concentrate through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth in order to avoid any grounds getting in your coffee.

It’s a little more involved, BUT if you already own a French press or large mason jar, it may be worth it to you.

Cold Brew Coffee Recipe – Coffee Ground-to-Water Ratio

• 16 ounces* of coffee ground on coarse. This is very important! Ask your barista to grind it on coarse for you—don’t use a grinder at home because it won’t grind the coffee evenly.
• 9 cups of water (cold or room temperature)

*Most of our favorite coffee beans only come in 12-ounce bags, such as the one we are using today. If you buy a 12-ounce bag of coffee, make sure and only use 6 3/4 cups of water instead of 9 cups.

Can I Make Cold Brew with Regular Ground Coffee?

Yes, you technically can. Your cold brew coffee will taste better (and be higher quality) if you use coarse ground, plus it’s easier to strain.

Smaller grinds can clog some filters too. But, if you already have some regular ground coffee, you can use it with good results.

You can infuse your cold brew with different flavors by adding ingredients to the coffee grounds before cold brewing.

Some ideas include: toasted coconut, spices, citrus rinds, dried fruit (like banana or mango) and empty (used) vanilla bean pods.

How to Cold Brew Coffee in a Toddy

If you’ve never used a Toddy before, rinse your filter out a little bit. Place your filter in the bottom of your Toddy and insert the plug from the bottom of the Toddy (not inside).

You’ll need to be able to pull the plug when your Toddy is full of coffee. Next, pour your coarse grounds into the Toddy.

Add your water slowly. I usually add two cups at a time and then pause a minute. Make sure all of your grounds are wet and that you don’t have any dry grounds on top.

The next step is super easy. Simply cover it with plastic wrap or foil, and let it sit at room temperature. The actual time you need to let it sit is variable—I’ve heard some coffee shops allow theirs to sit for 10 hours, and some up to 24 hours.

We allowed our batch to sit for 15 hours, and it turned out great.

Once you come back to your batch, hold your Toddy over your glass jar and pull the plug. Place the Toddy over your glass container and let it drain. It will take between 10-30 minutes.

If it looks like it’s having trouble draining, you might need to grab a spoon and stir the grounds around the filter area.

And you’re done! You now have a full batch of cold brew concentrate. Treat this concentrate like espresso—you can drink it as is, but take it easy, or you’ll get the jitters.

To make your iced coffee, just pour 1 part cold brew concentrate to 1 part filtered water and add ice. Leave a little room for cream or milk if you like.

More Coffee Recipes:

• 5 Cold Brew Coffee Recipes
• Mocha Frappe
• Homemade Frappuccino
• Coffee Soda

Have you tried any other infusions with your cold brew coffee? I love experimenting with our Toddy at home, and I’d love new ideas, so let me know what you try. xo. Sarah

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5 from 3 votes

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step-by-step instructions to make cold brew coffee concentrate

Yield 10

Prep 5 minutes mins

Brew Time 10 hours hrs

Total 10 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 16 ounces coffee ground on coarse
• ▢ 9 cups water (cold or room temperature)

Equipment

• ▢
  1 cold brew coffee maker optional
• ▢
  1 Toddy cold brew system optional

Instructions

• If you’ve never used a Toddy before, rinse your filter out a little bit. Place your filter in the bottom of your Toddy, and insert the plug from the bottom of the Toddy (not inside). You’ll need to be able to pull the plug when your Toddy is full of coffee.
• Next, pour your coarse grounds into the Toddy.
• Add your water slowly. I usually add two cups at a time and then pause a minute. Make sure all of your grounds are wet and that you don’t have any dry grounds on top.
• Cover the top with plastic wrap or foil and let it sit at room temperature. The actual time you need to let it sit is variable—at least 10 hours is good.
• Once you come back to your batch, hold your Toddy over your glass jar and pull the plug! Place the Toddy over your glass container and let it drain. It’ll take between 10-30 minutes. 

Notes

If it looks like it’s having trouble draining, you might need to grab a spoon and stir the grounds around the filter area.

© Author Sarah Rhodes

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keywords coffee, cold brew