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Ingredients
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Cold Brew Concentrate
To Serve (for a 16 oz serving)
Equipment & extras
Method
Cold Brew Concentrate
- 1
Combine coffee and water
Place 1 cup coarsely ground coffee into a clean 1-quart jar or pitcher. Pour 4 cups cold filtered water over the grounds, ensuring all grounds are saturated. Stir gently for 10–15 seconds to incorporate and eliminate dry pockets.
- 2
Steep
Cover the jar with a lid or plastic wrap and let steep at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 16–20 hours. For a stronger concentrate, steep up to 24 hours; for a lighter cup, aim for 12–14 hours.
- 3
Filter
After steeping, strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth (or a dedicated coffee filter) into a clean container. If using cheesecloth, strain once, then fold and strain a second time to remove fines. The resulting liquid is your cold brew concentrate (roughly 28–32 fl oz).
- 4
Store
Seal the concentrate and refrigerate. Cold brew concentrate will keep refrigerated for up to 10 days; best within 5 days for optimal flavor.
To Serve (makes a 16 oz glass)
- 5
Fill a 16 oz glass with 1 cup (about 8 fl oz) ice.
- 6
Pour 4 fl oz (half cup) cold brew concentrate over the ice.
- 7
Add 4 fl oz cold water or milk to dilute the concentrate to drinking strength (adjust to taste).
- 8
If desired, add 1 tablespoon simple syrup or preferred sweetener and stir until combined.
- 9
Taste and adjust: add more water/milk to lighten, more concentrate for stronger flavor, or extra sweetener as needed. Serve immediately.
Cleanup
- 10
Discard spent coffee grounds (they make good compost). Rinse and wash all equipment with warm soapy water and let dry.