How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Ever wanted to know how to make cold brew coffee at home? It’s incredibly easy, so long as you have the patience. This aromatic and robust cold brew coffee blend contains an optional hint of cinnamon. This recipe also makes extra cold brew coffee which can be covered and stored in the fridge for later use.

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You don’t see me mention coffee too often on here; I am a tea lover through and through, and when I have the choice it’s always green, black, white or tisane and plenty of hot water or ice. 

Coffee is appealing, however, I have to be in the right mood for it; a mood usually prompted by social settings, weather or work environment. The aroma of coffee in the morning is lovely and I’m definitely not immune to it’s lure on occasion. Nevertheless, I love to include cold brew coffee during the summer when chilled blends are on repeat.

Why Cold Brew?

Cold brew coffee differs from the traditional hot water steep; it tends to be lower in acidity which yields a brew with a subtle sweetness.  The caffeine level of cold versus traditional brew is somewhat debatable. Because caffeine is water soluble,  I share the opinion that cold brew coffee contains more caffeine simply because the steeping time is so lengthy at 12-14 hours.

Cold brewing is a slower and, in my opinion, better process which yields a final brew with rich flavour that doesn’t degrade over time; it lasts several days in the fridge and still tastes like it was just made.

Keys to making a quality cold brew at home

• Be sure to source quality coffee beans- use a medium-dark roast for a classic cold brew flavour
• Grind the beans at home and use a coarse grind – finer grinds can create a bitter and or cloudy brew
• Use good quality filtered water
• Don’t over-brew. It takes 12-14 hours to properly steep the grinds- any longer and it may become bitter.

Let m know in the comments if you give this method a go!

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HOW TO MAKE COLD BREW COFFEE

Learn how to make cold brew coffee at home. This homemade coffee blend features an optional hint of ground cinnamon. This recipe also makes extra cold brew coffee which will last several days covered in the fridge with no degradation in flavour.

Course Drinks

Keyword coffee, cold brew

Prep Time 5 minutes

Steeping time 12 hours

Author Heidi Richter

Ingredients

For the cold brew coffee:

• 3/4 cup coarsely ground medium-dark coffee
• 1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon optional
• 4 cups filtered water

For the final blend:

• 3/4 cup cold brewed cinnamon coffee
• 1/2 cup chilled almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup or a pinch of pure stevia extract
• several ice cubes

Instructions

1. In a large french press, or 1 quart jar with a lid, place the coarsely ground coffee, cinnamon and filtered water. Stir gently to ensure all the grounds are saturated. Cover and place in the fridge to steep for 12 -14 hours.

2. Once the steeping time has elapsed, filter the coffee: if using a french press, simply use the filter plunger. Alternatively, filter the steeped grounds through a fine mesh sieve, several layers of cheesecloth, or a double lined paper coffee filter (my preferred method). If your filtered brew is cloudy, filter once more (see notes below).

3. Make the blend: to your favourite mug, add 1 cup of cold brewed cinnamon coffee and sweetener of choice. Mix until the sweetener is dissolved. Add ice and pour in chilled almond milk. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Don't brew longer than 14 hours as this may create a bitter taste. If your brew is cloudy after a second filtration, it may be that your coffee grounds are too fine- again use a coarser grind for this recipe. Cold brewed coffee will last several days covered in the fridge with no degradation in flavour, however, you will need to remove the grinds in advance if you plan to keep it longer than a day- Simply pour it into a storage vessel with a lid and keep refrigerated. 

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