Cold Brew Coffee!

If you’re like me, you love coffee. Now that it’s summer, you see iced coffee everywhere! By far the best way to make iced coffee is through the cold brew method.

Great question! Cold brew is a coffee brewing method that involves steeping the grounds in cold water for an extended period of time. This ensures that the coffee doesn't burn due to the hot water, and actually can give you extremely flavorful coffee! I know a lot of people who like the smell of coffee, but dislike the bitter taste. That is because when traditional methods are used, when hot water poured over the grounds, the water causes the coffee beans to release more in a short period of time. This includes not only the flavor, but a lot of acid. Cold brewing doesn't allow the coffee to release as much, but way less acid! So if you steep the same coffee for longer, you can have the same flavor but make the drink healthier for you in the long run!

Cold brew is relatively easy to make. If you already have supplies needed to make coffee, then you'll have most of what you need for cold brew!

1. Jar
   • I like to use a 32 oz mason jar, this isn't necessary, it's important that whatever container you use can be airtight, which keeps the coffee fresh for longer.
2. Coffee Grounds
   • You'll want beans to be ground coarsely
3. Water
   • It is very important that the water you use is NOT BOILING - the whole point of cold brew is that the coffee is steeped in water that is not hot! Either cold or room temperature water will do the trick!
4. Coffee Filters
5. Coffee Filter Cone
   • you can replace #4 and #5 with a french press, or only use a coffee filter. I find it easiest to use both of these to filter the coffee as I do not have a french press.

You'll want to use a coffee:water ratio of about 1:8. This means that for every 1 part coffee you put in, you'll want about 8 parts water. This is a pretty effective ratio, and if you are using a 32 oz mason jar, you will put about 5 tablespoons of coffee in and just fill the rest of the jar with water. Stir the grounds a little bit just to make sure all of them have been submerged in water.

Screw the lid on the jar, and put it in your fridge.

Now, wait! it will take anywhere from 12-24 hours for your coffee to be ready, so i'll usually make it in the afternoon or evening and know that it will be ready whenever I can get to filtering it the next day.

Phew! After all that waiting, you now get to filter your coffee. Take your coffee filter cone and place it on top of a glass, or another other mason jar (you hipster, you). Place one of the cone filters inside and pour the coffee you just brewed! You won't be able to filter it all at once, so give it time and just keep topping it off until all of your coffee is filtered!

If you have a french press, then pour your coffee in and simply press down on the plunger.

Be sure to either throw away your coffee grounds and NOT dump them down the sink, they really can clog it up badly. If you are environmentally friendly (and we all should be), rinse them out a bit and use them as fertilizer for your plants!

Voila! You now have filtered cold brew! The only thing left to do is drink it!

The best part about making cold brew is enjoying it! Here's how I like my cold brew:

1. Pour your freshly made coffee over some ice (bonus points to you if you freeze your cold brew and use it as ice cubes to combat watered down coffee)
2. Add a little milk
3. Stare at the pretty swirls your milk makes
4. Drink it!

You can also add sugar and any syrups of your choice! My personal favorite is coconut, what's yours?