It never fails, someone comes to stay the night with us and we forget to pull the coffee maker out. Yes, that’s right. The hubs and I don’t have a coffee maker that sits on our counter, nor gets regular use. We aren’t habitual coffee drinkers. The hubs hates anything to do with coffee. I enjoy it, but it isn’t an everyday essential to me. This fact is SO odd to most people, but to us, it’s just our normal.
When I do enjoy a cup of coffee, it’s typically a treat for me so I enjoy fancier, decadent coffee versus your average run of the mill everyday coffee. Enter my introduction to cold brew. I am sure it was in my quest to find fancy coffee that I came across cold brew. And have been making it ever since. Although now itt seems like cold brew is finally entering mainstream at big chains like S-bucks.
So what’s the difference? Well, it is just like it sounds. You brew the coffee with room temperature or cold water over a 12 to 24-hour brew time. There is no extra equipment required, especially if you don’t happen to own a coffee maker. I love it because I can always have coffee concentrate on hand for when I want to enjoy it. And specifically for me, cold brew coffee I’ve found is way easier on my stomach. Apparently this is because it is less acidic and also can taste more full bodied than traditionally brewed coffee.
Of course like anything else, fancy gadgets have been developed in order to specifically cold brew coffee. You can also use some of traditional brewing equipment, like a french press for cold brewing too. However, there is really no extra or even special equipment needed. I cold brew my coffee in a mason jar with a large tea basket (even this isn’t required). You can strain it with a fine mesh sieve that you already have in your kitchen. Easy peasy!
PrintCold Brew Coffee
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup ground coffee
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Add the water and ground coffee beans to a mason jar or other glass storage container. Leave it on your counter to steep for 12-24 hours, you can also put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours to steep.
- Strain the coffee. You can either use a fine mesh sieve that’s lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Filter twice if for best results.
- Pour the strained cold brew concentrate into a clean mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- To serve, pour the concentrate over ice. Add water, your favorite milk, or creamer to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you want to get really fancy, you can grind your own coffee beans to a medium course consistency. I just use already ground coffee typically and it works just fine.
This is so awesome. I’ve never thought of doing it myself, and appreciate your “recipe,” and tips. Maybe we should have this at an Alliance meeting!