Cold-brewed coffee is not the same as iced coffee. Repeat with me, it’s not the same! Trust me on this. I never liked cold coffee anything, even ice cream, until I tried cold-brewed coffee. It can be hard to find unless you live near a locally roasted coffee shop like Stumptown or Gimme!, but it’s so easy to make.
- Get yourself some fresh coffee beans and grind them to a medium coarseness, somewhere in between what you would use for french press and drip. It’s okay to use the store’s grinder since you’re brewing the whole bag right away. (Pro Tip: Always grind only what you need right before you brew)
- Put the ground coffee into a plastic or glass container that is big enough to hold 12-15 cups of water. Take a deep breath and inhale the intoxicating aroma of freshly ground coffee and say a quick prayer of thanks to the Ethiopians who discovered this amazing fruit. Sorry, where were we?
- Add 1 1/2 cups of cold water to every 1 cup of ground coffee. For a pound of coffee, I usually add 14-16 cups.
- Stir until all of the ground coffee is saturated. Some will rise to the top, that’s okay. Stir it a few more times and cover.
- Leave covered for at least 12 hours. I usually make it at night and then give it another stir in the morning.
- Strain the coffee into another container using a fine metal strainer and discard the spent grounds.
- Strain it again using a gold-mesh or paper filter. You can use a cheese cloth, if you have such things.
- Store this liquid gold in the fridge or in an airtight container for up to two weeks, but mine has never lasted that long! (Pro Tip: Make some ice cubes with the coffee)
- Cold-brewed coffee is concentrated so you should add water, but those who like really strong coffee can drink it straight black.
- Pour the coffee over ice cubes. Of course use the coffee ones you made earlier. If you missed that step, use less water in step 1.
- Add cream and sugar to suit your taste, but because cold-brewed coffee has lower acidity than regular coffee it is great by itself. (Pro Tip: coffee is best enjoyed black so you can savor the qualities of the beans without masking them with fats and sugars, and it’s fewer calories)
- Enjoy each sip of the smooth, flavorful iced coffee. Cheers!
- Brag on Facebook or Twitter how much a coffee snob you are now. Well, at least that’s what I did :)
- Leave a comment below on your own experiences having and making cold-brewed coffee.
With any luck, tomorrow morning I’ll be sipping some of this. Cuz you rocketh.
Thanks! You might never want hot brewed iced coffee again. Let us know how it turns out.
I recently made my first batch of cold-brewed coffee. You are right – it is NOT ICED COFFEE! I like mine black but my husband prefers it when I put one small can of sweetened condensed milk in the pitcher. Then it’s slightly sweetened and it dissolves quite easily. Great post! Everyone should make this at home. It saves a ton of money and smells so good.
Black is the way to go! I believe it’s called “Vietnamese coffee” by adding sweetened condensed milk. My wife likes a little raw sugar and some 1/2 and 1/2.
I know, but don’t worry. I have plenty of other posts coming that involve food and heat. :) Thanks for reading.
Nathan, this sounds so easy and so amazing. I will do it this weekend! Also, I think it’s kind of funny that your first recipe on “Cooking with Nathan” is cold-brewed coffee, which is not cooked at all! ;-)