Cold brew quick picks
Coffee maker: Oxo Compact Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Coffee pot: Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot
Coffee grinder: Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder
Coffee scale: Greater Goods Digital Coffee Scale
Coffee beans: Equator Coffees Cold Brew Blend
Cold brew coffee can be found at most neighborhood coffee shops no matter what time of year it is. And though It may look like iced coffee, cold brew is a wildly different drink than cooled pour-over or drip coffee — from the way it’s made to its caffeine content. Yet, not everyone has the extra time or money to hit the coffee shop every time they have a craving.
In order to get the full lowdown on everything cold brew, including why you’d want it and how to brew a perfect batch of this strong, chilled drink in your own home, we reached out to five industry-leading speciality roasters. Here’s what you need to know.
What is cold brew coffee?
“Cold brew is a method that involves immersion, letting coffee grounds and water steep over long periods of time — up to 24 hours in certain situations,” says Michael Phillips, the senior editorial director at Blue Bottle Coffee.
Most coffee is brewed hot, using hot water as a solvent to extract the flavor and caffeine that make the drink both flavorful and energizing. But as its name suggests, cold brew is different.
Ben Helfen, a former education support specialist at Counter Culture Coffee, explains that cold brew comes with a flavor of its own, thanks to this drawn-out extraction.
“Iced coffee tends to have a more tannic quality to it, while cold brew is sweeter, brighter and more quenching,” says Brent Wolczynski, the director of product development and cold brew at Stumptown Coffee Roasters.
A batch of cold brew is especially easy to make because it requires very little gear, special prep or know-how. “Espresso and hot concentrate poured over ice are more intimidating to the average consumer because they require brewing devices they might not have handy,” Helfen says. “Whereas, cold brew can easily be done in a Mason jar or French press.”
What coffee should I use for cold brew?
When it comes to choosing specific coffee for cold brew, Trade Coffee director of coffee Maciej Kasperowicz thinks it is ultimately a matter of personal preference.
“Because ultra-light roasts can be less soluble, it’s hard to extract all the good stuff out of those beans without hot water, so I wouldn’t go for those,” he says. “If you’re looking at, say, an East African coffee that features juicy citrus acidity and floral aromatics, those qualities have a hard time showing up in cold brew. It won’t taste bad, certainly, but if you’re buying specifically for cold brew, you might be better off buying a coffee that has a lot of chocolaty sweetness and a big body — qualities that cold brew brings out well.”
Regardless, you should always brew your coffee with fresh, high-quality beans. “Your cold brew will only be as good as the coffee and water you use to make it,” Wolczynski says. “The cold brew process already lends itself to showcasing the sweet and bright parts of the coffee, so going too light in roast can be off-putting, especially if you’re looking to add cream or alt milks.”
How should I brew cold brew coffee?
There are a variety of cold brew devices on the market, but aside from convenience, these don’t necessarily create a better drink, according to Helfen. Some of the devices, such as a Toddy or Filtron, can make bigger batches, but he tends to use what’s easy and cheap for making cold brew at home, which could just as easily be a Mason jar.
How to make cold brew coffee
But you don’t have to take it from us. Here are Helfon’s instructions on the easiest way to make cold brew at-home.
- Start with a 32-ounce wide-mouth Mason jar. Thoroughly clean and sanitize the Mason jar, including the lid.
- Using a kitchen scale, measure 100 grams of coffee. Grind coffee to a medium grind (somewhere between table salt and coarse sea salt).
- Heat a kettle to 160 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit or so, and, using a glass measuring cup, add 100 grams of this water.
- Using the measuring cup, add the rest of the water (700 grams) at room temperature, making sure the grounds are completely saturated (no dry pockets).
- Tightly cover the Mason jar with plastic wrap to make sure there’s no air in the brewing environment.
- Put the lid on the Mason jar and refrigerate for 12 to 14 hours.
- Retrieve the Mason jar and pour the contents slowly through a flat-bottom paper coffee filter into another receptacle (Helfen uses another 32-ounce Mason jar).Be patient: This process could take 15 to 20 minutes. Cold brew is a slow brew. If the first filter gets clogged with grounds, dispose of it and start the filtration with a new filter.
- Once brew is filtered, pour desired amount into a glass, with an equal amount of water and ice.
How to make cold brew in a French press
You can also use a simple French press to make your own cold brew. “There’s no real need for complex machinery in cold brew making,” Kasperowicz says. “It’s one of the easiest methods to make in your home at a similar level to what you’d get at a coffee shop.”
Here’s Kasperowicz’s French press cold brew method:
- Coarsely grind 3 ounces of coffee.
- Put the grounds into the French press.
- Add 24 ounces of water.
- Cover without pressing the plunger.
- Let brew at room temperature for 12 hours.
- Plunge and pour out.
If you have a smaller French press, just use less coffee and water, while maintaining the same ratio, such as 1.5 ounce coffee and 12 ounces of water, he advises.
The best brewing systems for cold brew
All the following expert-approved cold brew systems will make great coffee. But each device — from the simple Mason jar to the bulk-brew Toddy — have their unique quirks and perks. When selecting a system for your home, think about your budget and how much cold brew you’d like to make.
Mason jars give the cold brew making process a more homey feel, if you’re into that vibe. These large 32-ounce jars will let you store at least a weeks’ worth of daily coffee. Plus, now that you have Mason jars, you can even try to make Mason jar ice cream.
“If you are an avid cold brew drinker, this brewer makes a large pitcher, which can be brewed as a concentrate and diluted to taste with water or milk,” says Ted Stachura, the director of coffee at Equator Coffees. “We use the commercial version of this brewing system in our cafés.”
Wolczynski recommends this brewer for its easy-to-use design. Just add grounds and water, then wait for 12 to 24 hours for up to 24 ounces of cold brew. Want an extra “clean cup” of cold brew? Wolczynski says you can add an optional paper filter, which is “as close as you can get to the extremely tight filtration we use in our cold brew.”
For cold brew enthusiasts who take their coffee black, Phillips says the Hario Cold Brew Bottle is “hands down the best bet.” The convenient thing about this brew system is that it doubles as a carafe.
Since French presses come with a built-in strainer and plunger, they make a natural vessel for cold brew. “If you’re fine with a little more silt, a French press absolutely does the trick,” Kasperowicz says. “And if you’re fine having a little more grit than that, just throwing grinds and cold water in any container and straining with a regular mesh strainer is A-OK as well.”
Easy to assemble, affordable and designed to look great in any kitchen, the Hario Mizudashi is our favorite cold brew coffee maker. Stachura is a fan too, calling it elegant and easy to use. “One of the complaints we hear about making cold brew at home is how messy the brewing process can be,” he says. But the Mizudashi makes cleanup simple with its removable infuser.
We hold the AeroPress in high regard at CNN Underscored, where many of our editors swear by the travel-friendly device's durability, versatility and portability. While it's most well known for making hot coffee, it can also brew a mean cold brew-style cup. AeroPress's recipe comes together in two minutes.
Colby Barr, Verve Coffee Roaster’s CEO, argues that hot-brewing coffee extracts "many more complex aromatic and flavor compounds." So when the weather is hot, Verve baristas simply brew strong pour-over coffee using the Kalita Wave, then add the cold aspect. For a 16-ounce cup, Barr recommends 25 grams of ground coffee, 275 grams of water and 100 grams of ice.
The best tools and equipment for cold brew
All you really need to make cold brew is a Mason jar, but these appliances and tools will level up your brew for a coffee shop-level cup of Joe.
“A decent burr grinder makes any brew better,” Kasperowicz says. “The Baratza Encore is a favorite; it grinds evenly enough, plus Baratza is known for their customer service and parts program, so it’ll be easier to fix should something happen, instead of having to buy a new grinder.”
Because making cold brew requires a longer brewing and holding time, Helfen recommends securing your container with plastic wrap to prevent air and bacteria from creeping in. “Keeping as much air out as possible will dramatically improve the flavor of the beverage,” says Helfen, who always wraps his Mason jar with plastic before replacing the lid.
You can use any flat-bottom paper filter to make cold brew, even the ones you use for your drip coffee maker. These unbleached filters are also compostable, so you can put them in the compost pile along with your used grounds.
A coffee scale, like this one from Greater Goods specifically made for home brew drip coffee, is key to getting that perfect ratio of grounds to water that creates a tasty cup of joe. Out of six speciality coffee scales we tested, it was our favorite, offering a balance between affordability and performance.
“Always use filtered water for your coffee brewing! Hot or cold,” Helfen says. “Even if it’s just a Brita pitcher or simple carbon filtration, it will improve the flavor of your coffee significantly.” This 10-cup pitcher from Brita is our favorite for keeping in your fridge so you’ll always have crisp water on hand.
Some people make cold brew without measuring the temperature of the water, but the professionals insist that controlling the hot bloom is key to the process. “It highlights a little bit more brightness and more of the delicate flavors of a coffee,” Helfen says.
Helfen says highly sanitized brewing equipment is key for the best-tasting results. He washes his Mason jar in soapy water or, if time permits, will boil it for 10 minutes or deep-clean it in a solution of this brewing sanitizer.
The best beans for cold brew coffee
As long as they’re fresh and high-quality, you can use any coffee beans for cold brew. As mentioned, and like most speciality foods and beverages, it comes down to personal preference. But if you’re lost, you can’t go wrong with these beans, all of which come from some of the world’s most prestigious roasters.
“For a sweet and chocolaty brew, our Sermon is fantastic,” says Barr. This blend sources coffee from Colombia and East Africa.
Sourced from Latin America, East Africa and Indonesia, this blend is versatile enough for most brewing methods, including cold brew. Wolczynski describes it as “sweet, clean and complex,” even if you had cream or alt milk.
“Most folks I know that enjoy cold brew don’t particularly like some of the brightness or perceived acidity that lighter roasts can have,” Helfen says, pointing to his brand’s Apollo blend as his favorite for cold brew.
“Cold brew drinkers are usually looking for chocolaty and sweet flavors, and a little more developed roast can help with those flavors,” he says. Helfen sees Apollo as a nice, balanced flavor blend: “a little bit chocolaty and sweet, but also has some nice delicate floral and citrus flavors.”
You can use the same beans the pros at Equator Coffee brew with if you pick up a bag of these medium-roast beans.?“This roast degree and flavor profile are satisfying to a wide range of taste preferences,” Stachura says, adding that “it’s crushable as a black coffee but can also handle milk” (or alternative milk).
