If you haven’t heard of cold brew coffee, where have you been?
It is the new BIG THING in coffee culture, even Starbucks are getting in on the action! The idea behind cold brew coffee is that, as the name implies, you brew it with cold water. Since you’re not subjecting the coffee to heat it brews differently. It takes a lot longer but you end up with a smoother, less acidic brew.
Cold brew coffee is perfect for a cool coffee kick on a hot summer day (or any day!). However, I love to add a bit of hot water so I can have a perfectly delicious cuppa in the length of time it takes to boil the kettle. Almost instant coffee for those of us who love coffee but aren’t so keen on making it out of a jar! The lower acidity levels of cold brew are great for anyone who loves coffee but finds it upsets their stomach a bit.
A warning though – cold brew is still super caffeinated so don’t think that just because it’s brewed cold that it wont have the same kick!
Cool!
I have been having a bit of a love affair with coffee – so I have experimented a bit to find my perfect cold brew. I hope you will reap the benefits of all my hard work! Perfect cold brew here we come ♥
How to Make the Coolest Coffee Around
You don’t need any fancy tools or brewing equipment to make cold brew coffee. Basically all you need is a jar, jug or bowl to soak your coffee and some way to filter your finished coffee. I tend to put it through my cafetiere because it’s a quick way to filter it. Really all you need is a sieve and a muslin cloth (or clean tea towel!) to strain the liquid through.
The equipment
Top Tip – Grind your own beans on a coarse setting. Finely ground coffee will result in a cloudier brew. If you buy pre-ground coffee go for a cafetiere grind as it tends to be quite coarsely ground.
Just add water
I have been experimenting and I like to make quite a concentrated brew. That gives me the option to add however much extra water, ice or milk I want. Everyone loves coffee in their own special way so if you make a concentrated brew you have a bit more versatility. Because cold brew coffee is made cold it keeps well in the fridge for at least a week; mine never lasts longer than that so I can’t comment on how well it lasts after that!
Cold brew brewing
I love my cold brew over ice with a splash of almond milk. You can add coconut milk or regular milk or just a bit of water, whatever floats your boat!
Cold drink for a hot day!
Jools Crory
Serves 1
5 minPrep Time
12 hrCook Time
12 hr, 5 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 200g Coarsely Ground Coffee
- 1 litre of water at room temp. (A litre and a half is fine if you want it to be less concentrated)
- A container big enough to hold everything!
- A cafetiere/jelly bag/muslin fabric for straining
Method
- Put the coffee grounds in your container.
- Add the water, making sure that the coffee is all saturated. I like to give it a stir as I add the water just to make sure that all the coffee is wet before I leave it to sit.
- Cover your container with a tea towel and leave the coffee to soak in the water for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours. The longer you leave the coffee the stronger it will be. You want to make sure it is fully extracted so don’t leave it for less than 12 hours.
- You’ll see in my photo I’ve used a kilner jar and the lid is closed. Don’t leave the lid tight on! I use a jar like this because I can’t leave anything alone and I like to give my coffee a shake every now and again. You don’t actually need to do anything to your coffee once the water is in but feel free to give it a jiggle or a stir if you can’t help yourself!
- When you are ready to drink it either strain it all through a muslin cloth or jelly bag if you want a really clear brew but I’m usually just happy enough to put it through my cafetiere. It comes out a little cloudier but the bigger particles tend to settle to the bottom if you’re keeping it for any length of time so it doesn’t bother me too much. It still tastes great!
I have more ideas of what to do with your cold brew coffee concentrate coming up so keep your eyes peeled for all my favourite coffee based drinks! In the mean time I would love to hear all about yours ♥
