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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home
Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold water for 12-24 hours — produces a smoother, less acidic cup than hot-brewed iced coffee. Costs about $0.40 per glass to make at home vs $5-6 at a coffee shop, and once you have the jar and beans, the active time is 5 minutes.
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0 of 7 steps completedStep-by-Step Instructions
1 Step 1: Get a cold brew maker or large glass jar
Step 1: Get a cold brew maker or large glass jar
Cold brew makers have a built-in fine-mesh filter — pour in grounds and water, steep, lift the filter out. Mason jars work too with a separate strainer. A 1-quart vessel makes ~4 servings of concentrate.
Toddy Cold Brew System
Original cold brew kit since 1964. Makes 5 cups of concentrate per batch. Reusable felt filter, rubber stopper. ~$30-38.
OXO Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker
32oz countertop maker. Push-button extraction, glass carafe. Mid-tier favorite. ~$45-55.
Hario Mizudashi 1L Cold Brew Pot
Sleek glass pot with built-in fine mesh insert. Fits in the fridge door. ~$22-28.
1-quart Mason jar + strainer
Cheap. Pour grounds + water in jar, steep, strain through a paper filter or cheesecloth. Acceptable starter setup. ~$5-8 plus filter.
2 Step 2: Get a fine-mesh strainer or filter
Step 2: Get a fine-mesh strainer or filter
Even with a cold brew maker, a paper filter pass-through removes fines for a cleaner cup. Skip if you don't mind a hint of sediment.
Hario V60 02 paper filters, 100ct
Pass concentrate through a V60 lined with paper filter for the cleanest cup. ~$8.
Bouncy Bee unbleached cheesecloth, 4 yards
Old-school strain. Layer 2-3 plies in a strainer over the storage jar. ~$8-12.
Skip filtering (if your maker has fine mesh)
Toddy/OXO/Hario built-in filters are fine enough that a second pass isn't necessary. Cup has slight texture but most people don't mind.
3 Step 3: Pick beans (whole bean, medium-to-dark roast)
Step 3: Pick beans (whole bean, medium-to-dark roast)
Medium-to-dark roasts make the best cold brew — light roasts tend to taste flat without heat to bring out brightness. Single-origin works fine; blends are easier and cheaper.
Stumptown Hair Bender, 12 oz
Bright but balanced blend, works hot or cold. Widely available. ~$16-19.
La Colombe Corsica Blend, 12 oz
Dark roast, chocolate notes. Specifically designed for cold extraction by La Colombe. ~$16-20.
Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee, 12 oz
Whole bean, pre-coarse-ground option. Cheapest acceptable choice. ~$8-10.
Whatever you already have (medium-dark)
If you've got a daily-driver bag of beans, just use a coarser grind. No need to buy 'cold brew specific' beans.
4 Step 4: Grind coarse (like coarse sea salt)
Step 4: Grind coarse (like coarse sea salt)
Cold brew uses a much coarser grind than hot methods — French press coarseness or coarser. Fine grounds over-extract during the long steep, making the concentrate bitter and silty.
Coarse grind (French press setting on a burr grinder)
Visible chunks the size of sea salt. If your grinder has 40 settings, coarse cold brew is around setting 35-40.
Buy pre-ground 'cold brew' coffee
Many roasters sell coarse-pre-ground bags. Acceptable shortcut if you don't own a burr grinder.
Baratza Encore burr grinder (recommended)
Setting 35-38 for cold brew. The single biggest upgrade to your coffee setup. ~$160-175.
5 Step 5: Combine: 1:8 ratio coffee to water
Step 5: Combine: 1:8 ratio coffee to water
Weighing by grams is most consistent: 100g coffee : 800g water makes about 28 oz of concentrate. By volume: 1 cup coffee : 4 cups water also works. Stir to make sure all grounds are wet. The mixture should look like a coffee-grounds slurry.
Concentrate ratio: 1:8 (100g coffee : 800g water)
Standard. Steep, strain, then dilute the concentrate 1:1 with water or milk to drink. Makes 4-5 servings.
Ready-to-drink ratio: 1:15 (100g coffee : 1500g water)
Skip the dilution step — drink it straight from the jar. Weaker than concentrate, simpler workflow.
Filtered water (not tap)
Cold brew has nowhere to hide bad water. Brita-filtered or bottled. The single biggest taste upgrade after the bean choice.
6 Step 6: Steep 12-24 hours in the fridge
Step 6: Steep 12-24 hours in the fridge
Cold brew is patient. 12 hours = lighter, fruitier. 16-18 hours = the sweet spot for most beans. 24 hours = max strength, sometimes bitter. Refrigerate during the steep — room-temp steep is fine but slightly less smooth.
16-18 hour fridge steep (recommended)
Start it before bed; strain in the morning. Sweet spot of strength vs. brightness for most beans.
12-hour fridge steep (lighter)
Faster turnaround. Good for fruity light-medium roasts. Slightly less developed than 18 hours.
24-hour room-temp steep
Old-school approach — produces a stronger, slightly more bitter concentrate. Skip if you can fridge it.
7 Step 7: Strain and store
Step 7: Strain and store
Lift the filter or strain through paper into a storage container. Concentrate keeps 7-10 days in the fridge in a sealed jar. Dilute 1:1 with water (or milk, oat milk, or just over ice) when you pour. Add simple syrup if you want it sweet — sugar doesn't dissolve well in cold liquid.
Dilute 1:1 with water or milk
Standard. 8oz concentrate + 8oz water = 16oz cold brew. Adjust to taste over the first few cups.
Drink straight over ice (concentrate)
Strong! 4-6oz of concentrate over ice — comparable to a double espresso. Best for early morning when you need it.
Store in a sealed quart jar 7-10 days
Concentrate keeps in fridge. After 10 days the bright flavors fade. Make a batch every weekend.
Use simple syrup, not raw sugar
1:1 sugar:hot water dissolved into syrup. Stays liquid in cold drinks. ~$5 for an 8oz bottle of pre-made.
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