How to make cold brew coffee – An Ultimate Guide (plus 5 delicious recipes!)

Don’t know how to make cold brew coffee? You’re not alone.

Plenty of people don’t know how to make cold brew coffee, but that’s about to change. We’ve created the only guide you’ll ever need to become a cold brew coffee master.

Once you learn how to make cold brew coffee, you’ll never want to go back to regular old coffee again. It’s that good. Plus, it’s so easy to make that there’s no excuse not to give it a try.

Read our guide below and I’ll teach you everything you need to know about how to make cold brew coffee!

How to make cold brew coffee – the easy way

Before we go any further, here’s a fast and easy way for you to learn how to make cold brew coffee without any fancy equipment.

What you’ll need:

• 1.5 cups of coarse ground coffee
• 6 cups of room temperature water
• a pitcher or container with a lid

Preparation:

1. Add the cold water and coffee grounds to your pitcher, and stir well. Make sure all of the grounds are wet.
2. Place the lid on your pitcher, and place in the fridge for 12 hours.
3. After 12 hours, remove from fridge and strain the coffee grounds from the liquid.
4. Pour cold brew coffee into a glass, stir in sweetener or creamer if desired, and enjoy!

That’s it! Bingo-bango, your cold brew coffee is done.

Jump down to my better, but still super-easy cold brew coffee recipe.

What is cold brew coffee?

If you want to know how to make cold brew coffee, we first need to look at what cold brew coffee is.

Cold brew coffee is made by steeping cold water and coffee grounds together for an extended period of time (usually 12-24 hours).

This results in a smooth, low acidity cup of coffee that’s perfect for summertime sipping.

Brewing with cold water trims the edges of the coffee’s flavor on both ends of the scale. By this I mean, cold brew coffee tastes less acidic and less bitter than coffee brewed with hot water.

Why make cold brew coffee?

We know what cold brew coffee is, and we know an easy way to make cold brew coffee. What we haven’t looked at yet is why we would want to make cold brew coffee.

There are a few reasons why you might want to give cold brew coffee a try:

• Cold brew coffee is smooth, low acidity, and easy on the stomach. It’s perfect for those of us with sensitive stomachs or who don’t enjoy the bitterness of regular coffee.
• Cold brew coffee is versatile. It can be enjoyed as is, with milk, in a cocktail, with sparkling water. The list goes on and on (and I’ll give you some ideas down here).
• Cold brew coffee is easy to prepare and make ahead of time. Make a batch the day before, then just grab it out of the fridge on your way to the office the next morning.
• Cold brew coffee is higher in caffeine than other coffee brewing methods.
• Cold brew coffee is also a great way to use up left-over or old coffee beans.

Cold brew coffee vs iced coffee vs cold drip coffee

Before we learn more about how to make cold brew coffee, let’s just clear up any confusion. Cold brew coffee is not iced coffee, nor is it cold drip coffee. Let’s look at cold brew coffee vs iced coffee first.

Iced coffee is simply coffee brewed with hot water that is poured over ice. It has a higher acidity and more bitter flavor than cold brew because of the hot water used in brewing.

Cold drip coffee is made by slowly dripping cold water over coffee grounds. This method produces a high-quality cup of coffee, but it’s also more complicated and time consuming than cold brew or iced coffee. It does look kind of cool though!

What equipment do I need to make cold brew coffee?

Learning how to make cold brew coffee means that you’ll need some essential equipment. You’ll need a brewing device (↓), coffee (↓), filtered water (↓), a grinder (↓) and a scale (↓).

What is the best cold brew brewing device?

As long as you have something to strain the coffee with later, cold brew coffee can be made in just about any container. Just make sure you have something to cover the top with (even cling film will work).

Here are some great cold brew coffee brewing devices:

• Toddy Cold Brew System
• Hario Mizudashi Coffee Pot
• OXO cold brew coffee maker
• Filtron Cold Brew Coffee Kit
• Goat Story Cold Brew Coffee Kit

These cold brew devices make cold brewing easier and give you more control over your finished product.

However, if you’re on a budget or want to try making cold brew before committing to buying any new equipment, using a French press will work just as well.

What coffee is best for cold brew coffee?

Not all coffee is created equal, and some coffees are better suited for cold brew than others.

You’ll want to use a light or medium roast coffee that’s been ground coarsely for best results. A French press grind size tends to work well for cold brew.

If you’re just getting started on your cold brew coffee journey, use any coffee that you have on hand.

If you're hoping for a sweet and fruity cup of cold brew coffee, use light roast coffee beans. My current favorite is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. 

I’d recommend using Arabica coffee over Robusta due to the sweeter, more desirable flavour of Arabica beans.

What water is best for cold brew?

Let’s talk about something obvious that most don’t even think about; water temperature for cold brew coffee and using filtered water.

Use cold or room temperature water when making cold brew coffee. The 'cold' in cold brew is in comparison to the near-boiling water temperature used in hot water brewing methods. So, you'll be fine using room temperature water.

The type of water you use has an impact on the coffee extraction. This can get a little bit too technical though and, if I’m being honest, I probably wouldn’t notice the difference much.

What’s more important though is that if your water tastes bad, your coffee is going to taste bad as well.

If the water that comes out of your kitchen faucet tastes good to drink, use it for making cold brew coffee. If not, use filtered or bottled water (just make sure to recycle).

What’s the best grinder for cold brew?

Using freshly ground coffee will always make a better cup of coffee. If you don’t have one, I strongly recommend getting a burr coffee grinder.

A burr coffee grinder gives you more control over the grind size, which is important for cold brew coffee.

A good entry-level burr grinder is the Hario Skerton Ceramic Coffee Mill. It’s affordable and does a great job grinding coffee beans for cold brew or any other brewing method.

If you don't have a coffee grinder, grind the beans at the store or get freshly ground beans from a local coffee shop or roaster.

As an absolute last resort, you could get away with using a blender with short, 1-second pulses. Just don’t overdo it! And don’t tell your local barista, or you might end up being lectured.

What’s the best scale for cold brew coffee?

A better question is probably, do you need a scale for cold brew coffee? The short answer is probably not.

A digital kitchen scale makes cold brewing easier and more consistent cup after cup. But, if you're using the same size spoons, scoops or vessels, you should get away with eyeballing it.

However, cold brew coffee does require a certain amount of precision when it comes to water and coffee ratio (more about cold brew ratios later). And the most accurate way to measure your cold brew ingredients is with a scale.

If you’re looking for a cheap digital scale, the OXO Good Grips Kitchen Scale is a good option. It has an easy-to-read display and can measure in both ounces and grams.

How to make cold brew coffee – Important info

Let’s get down into the nitty-gritty of how to make cold brew coffee. In this section we’ll learn about:

• Ready-to-drink cold brew and cold brew concentrate (↓)
• Brew ratio for cold brew coffee (↓)
• Brew time for cold brew coffee (↓)
• Grind size for cold brew coffee (↓)
• How to strain your cold brew coffee (↓)
• How to store your cold brew coffee (↓)

Ready-to-drink cold brew coffee vs. cold brew coffee concentrate

Two types of cold brew coffees get made. They are ready-to-drink cold brew coffee and cold brew coffee concentrate.

The main difference between the two is how much water is used in the brewing process.

Ready-to-drink cold brew coffee typically uses more water than cold brew concentrate. This dilutes the coffee and makes it a less-concentrated beverage.

Cold brew coffee concentrate is made with less water, so it has a higher coffee concentration. It’s more potent, so cold brew concentrate needs to be diluted before drinking.

This brings us to cold brew coffee brew ratios.

Brew ratio for cold brew coffee

If you’re making ready-to-drink cold brew coffee, use a coffee to water ratio of 1:15. This means that for every gram of coffee, you’ll need 15 grams of water.

If cold brew coffee concentrate is more your thing, use a cold brew ratio of 1:6. So for every gram of coffee, you’ll need 6 grams of water.

Here's an example. If I want to make 300 grams of ready-to-drink cold brew coffee, I'll need to use 20 grams of ground coffee. (300/15=20)

Using a scale will give you more consistent results, and it makes all this math a little easier to do!

Brew time for cold brew coffee

Assuming you're using room temperature water, expect a ready-to-drink cold brew coffee to be done brewing in 12 to 18 hours. Cold brew concentrate can take anywhere from 18 to 24 hours.

How long cold brew coffee takes to make will depend on how cold the water is. The colder the water, the longer it will take cold brew coffee to extract.

You’ll know cold brew coffee is done when it’s dark in color and has a strong coffee flavor.

Choose a brew time that’s convenient for you, then play around with the grind size to find the perfect balance.

Grind size for cold brew coffee

The grind size for cold brew coffee can be a little more forgiving than traditional brewing methods. You don’t need to go as fine with the grind size since the cold water will extract slower.

A good starting point is coarsely ground coffee, just a bit coarser than for French press. If the grind size is too fine, your cold brew coffee might become gritty.

How to strain cold brew coffee

After the cold brew coffee has finished brewing, it’s important to strain it correctly so you don’t end up with a sludgy mess.

If you’ve used a cold brew brewing device, it should have a filter built-in. Follow the instructions that came with the brewer.

If you’re using a DIY kit, there are a few ways to go about this:

• A fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth draped over
• A Frech press plunger
• A coffee filter

Filtering your cold brew coffee twice is acceptable and will give you a clean cup of coffee. But it's not advised to filter cold brew more than twice.

Filtering cold brew coffee too many times can result in a weak, flavorless cold brew.

If your cold brew is coming out watery or strange tasting, the problem might be that you’re filtering it too much!

How to store cold brew coffee

Once you’ve brewed and strained your cold brew coffee, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge.

Ideally, cold brew coffee should be consumed within a week of brewing.

Cold brew coffee recipes

Now, let’s take what we learned and practice how to make cold brew coffee.

Here are some of my favorite cold brew coffee recipes.

#1 – The easiest ready-to-drink cold brew coffee

What you’ll need:

• Cold brew brewing device
• 20 grams ground coffee
• 300 grams cold water

Preparation:

1. Grind your coffee to a coarse setting.
2. Place the coffee in the brewing chamber, then pour the full amount of water over the coffee.
3. Place the lid on your pitcher, and let it steep for 16 hours.
4. After 16 hours, strain the coffee grounds from the liquid.
5. Pour cold brew coffee into a container and store it in a fridge for up to a week. Or, drink immediately!

This recipe is really simple and will make a delicious cold brew coffee. If you want to make more coffee, simply double the ingredients.

#2 – The best cold brew coffee concentrate

What you’ll need:

• Cold brew brewing device
• 50 grams ground coffee
• 300 grams cold water

Preparation:

1. Grind your coffee to a coarse setting.
2. Place the coffee in the brewing chamber, then pour the full amount of water over the coffee.
3. Place the lid on your pitcher, and let it steep for 16 hours.
4. After 16 hours, strain the coffee grounds from the liquid.
5. Pour the cold brew coffee concentrate into a container and store it in the fridge.

This cold brew coffee concentrate can be used in a whole host of recipes, which we’ll take a look at below.

#3 – Cold brew tonic recipe

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup cold brew concentrate
• 1 cup tonic water
• Ice cubes
• Lemon or orange peel for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour the cold brew concentrate in a glass over some ice cubes.
2. Slowly pour tonic water above the coffee concentrate. Doing this slowly and carefully should form a layer of coffee and tonic water.
3. Garnish with a lemon peel and a fancy straw and you’re off!

This recipe is super refreshing and easy to do. A little adult-friendly tweak would be to add a shot of gin to it. Or, if you’re more adventurous, Kahlúa.

#4 – Cold brew coffee liqueur cocktail

What you’ll need:

• 1/4 cup cold brew coffee concentrate
• 1/4 cup coffee liqueur (like Kahlúa)
• 3/4 cup tonic water
• 1 twist of lemon peel

Preparation:

1. Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.
2. Add the Kahlúa and cold brew coffee concentrate.
3. Fill up the glass with the tonic.
4. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

The perfect way to end the day! Or start it. Who am I kidding?

#5 – Cold brew coffee milkshake recipe

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup cold brew coffee concentrate
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Add cold brew coffee concentrate, cold milk, ice cream, and vanilla extract to a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Serve in a glass and enjoy!

This recipe could also be done using espresso. Read this if you want to know how to make espresso without a machine.

FAQs

Should I put the cold brew coffee in the fridge?

Yes, cold brew coffee should be refrigerated and consumed within a week of brewing.

While steeping the cold brew coffee, it’s better to steep it at room temperature. If you’re steeping it in the fridge, add an extra two hours on to the brew time.

Can I reuse the coffee grounds?

No, do not reuse the coffee grounds.

What’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?

Cold brew is made by steeping ground coffee in cold water for an extended period of time.

Iced coffee is made with hot water in a short amount of time and is then added to ice.

How can I stop ice diluting my cold brew coffee?

If you’re looking to prevent ice from watering down your cold brew coffee, try using frozen coffee cubes. You can either make them yourself or buy them pre-made.

Or, just drink it all up before the ice has a chance to melt!

Do I need any special equipment to make cold brew coffee?

No, you don’t need any special equipment when starting off.

Do I need to bloom my cold brew coffee?

No, you don’t need to bloom your cold brew coffee. Cold brew is steeped over 12-24 hours, which is more than enough time for the Co2 bubble to escape, without hindering extraction.

What’s the best way to store my cold brew coffee?

Ideally, cold brew coffee should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze cold brew concentrate to extend its shelf life up to two months.

What next?

While you wait for your cold brew to steep, read about how decaf coffee is made. Or, if you want to up your coffee game, read about how to make iced coffee like a pro!