I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of it being 22⁰F outside. With a Cruel Summer around the corner, I’m making cold brew, and I’m …Ready For It. If you’re feeling Fearless and want to make your own cold brew, you can be The Man.
Look What You Made Me Do….
Cold Brew vs. Iced Coffee
The most common question is what the difference between cold brew and iced coffee is. It’s fairly straight forward, but makes a world of difference when it comes to the end result.
Iced Coffee
Iced coffee is regular, hot coffee that is served over ice. It is a more acidic cold coffee drink that usually requires some sweetener. This is a more budget friendly option that can be made with your regular hot coffee. Just add ice!
Cold Brew
Cold brew is a steeped coffee that takes hours to make, but the end result is a smooth cup that can’t be beat. Cold brew is usually made in bulk batches that results in a concentrate. This concentrate is combined with milk or water to create the final cold brew drink.
Cold brew is a refreshing cup of cold coffee with lower acid and higher caffeine. This method draws out the natural flavors of the coffee.
The Recipe
If you want to brew some cold brew for yourself, I suggest you go grab yourself a cold brew system. There are a lot of different ones on the market and I have only ever used one. The Toddy Cold Brew system. This comes with a brewing container, rubber stopper, brew bag, and a glass carafe. With this system I suggest the following recipe:
- 340g coarse-ground coffee
- 8 cups of water
Scoop the ground coffee into the brew bag and place in the brewing container. Pour your 8 cups of water into the bag to slowly fill the container. Cover the system with a lid and store in the fridge for 8-24 hours. When you are ready, empty the grounds bag into the trash or compost pile and add water to taste. If you like your coffee stronger, add less water. That’s up to you.
Don’t Blame Me
If you love cold brew coffee, I highly recommend you try making your own. The cost savings is astronomical and you can support your favorite roaster while you do it! If you like a certain “cold foam” or “sweet cream” from the large siren, you can find a number of recipes online. I’ve tried a few and it is remarkable how similar they are. Try it out, let me know how it goes!
