Cold Brew Recipe
Make Cold Brew Recipe in just 12h 10m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Cold Brew Concentrate
To Serve
Method
Cold Brew Concentrate
- 1
Grind and measure
Weigh 250 g of coffee and grind to a coarse, even texture (similar to coarse sea salt or French press grind). Use freshly roasted beans for best flavor.
- 2
Combine coffee and water
Place the ground coffee in a large, clean jar or pitcher. Pour 1,000 ml of filtered cold water evenly over the grounds. Add 0.125 tsp fine salt if using. Stir gently for 20–30 seconds to ensure all grounds are saturated and no dry clumps remain.
- 3
Steep
Cover the container (lid or plastic wrap) and let it steep at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 12 hours. For a slightly brighter cup, steep 12 hours; for deeper, mellower flavors, steep up to 16 hours. Do not exceed 20 hours to avoid over-extraction bitterness.
- 4
Strain coarse solids
After steeping, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter set in a sieve. Pour slowly and allow gravity to filter; avoid pressing the grounds. If you want an extra clear concentrate, filter a second time through a clean paper filter.
- 5
To Serve
- 6
Dilute for drinking strength
For a standard ready-to-drink cold brew, dilute the concentrate 1:1 with cold water or milk: combine 1,000 ml cold brew concentrate with 1,000 ml cold filtered water or milk to yield about 2,000 ml of ready cold brew. Adjust dilution (1:1 is standard; use 1:1.5 for stronger, 1:2 for lighter).
- 7
Sweeten (optional)
If you want sweetened cold brew, stir in simple syrup (4 tbs / ~60 ml) to the diluted batch, mixing thoroughly. Simple syrup dissolves easily in cold liquids; add more or less to taste. For individual glasses you can add syrup per glass instead of the whole batch.
- 8
Prepare glass
Fill each serving glass with about 1 cup (≈1 cup = 8 fl oz) of ice (adjust ice to taste). Pour the diluted cold brew over the ice, leaving room if you plan to add milk or cream.
- 9
- 10
Garnish and serve
Garnish with a citrus slice or twist if desired. Serve immediately over ice. Offer additional simple syrup, milk, or sparkling water on the side so guests can adjust sweetness, creaminess, or effervescence.
- 11
Storage and notes
Keep unused concentrate refrigerated in a sealed container. Use concentrate within 10–14 days. If the concentrate tastes too strong when cold, dilute more heavily; if too weak, use less dilution for future batches or steep a higher coffee-to-water ratio next time.
