A Coffee Expert's Beginner Tips For Making Cold Brew At Home
A good cold brew can make or break a coffee shop. But what a lot of coffee drinkers don't realize is that it's fairly easy to make cold brew at home. We highly recommend getting into making your own brew because then you always have it ready to go when you need a cool drink or a simple pick-me-up. We talked to Jee Choe, a coffee and tea sommelier who runs the delightful blog, Oh, How Civilized, to see what tips she has on getting into the at-home cold brew game.
According to Choe, "The easiest way to make cold brew at home is in a cold brew maker that has a mesh filter that can be removed after steeping. Ground coffee goes into the cold brew maker filter and after it has been in the refrigerator overnight, the filter with the ground coffee is taken out." The great thing about cold brew coffee makers is they're extremely easy to use and only run you about $25 to $30. Considering a cup of cold brew will cost you anywhere from $3 to $5, you'll make your money back on investing in a cold brew maker after about 10 cups of cold brew. However, we don't recommend drinking all 10 cups in one day because you'll probably vibrate off into the stratosphere.
Which type of coffee is best for cold brew?
Yet another plus for making cold brew at home is you don't need to spring for any fancy-pants coffee blends to get a delicious cuppa. Choe says, "Since cold brewing creates a mellower, smoother coffee taste, you don't need to use the most expensive coffee. Any supermarket ground coffee will work." Aside from a longer-than-iced coffee steep time, cold brew has a relatively no-frills recipe that delivers bold flavor.
If you're not ready to invest in a cold brew maker, no worries! We have a cold brew recipe that simply requires a pitcher and a strainer to get you going. You also can make your cold brew in a French press – just leave the grounds loose in the French press in your fridge, and then press them to the bottom when you're ready for your coffee. The only thing you need to be careful about is getting grounds in your cold brew because no one wants grit in the brew.