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It all about timing. Coarsely grind some coffee, add room temperature water, and steep for 12-24 hours. Remove grounds from the liquid and pour into a glass of ice. This is cold brew coffee at its simplest form.
There are a few different cold brew coffee makers/kits on the market but the good old fashion homemade method will delivery you fantastic results too.
Water to coffee ratio for Cold Brewing is 9 grams of coffee for every 40 grams of water (9:40 ratio).
To calculate how much coffee you need, weigh the amount of water you want to brew multiple by 9 and divide that by 40. That will give you the amount of coffee to grind.
| Cups of Coffee | Water (grams) | Water (fl oz) | Water (ml) | Coffee (grams) | Coffee (oz) | Coffee (~Tbsp) |
| 1 | 170 | 6 | 180 | 38.25 | 1.35 | 2.70 |
| 2 | 340 | 12 | 350 | 76.5 | 2.69 | 5.40 |
| 3 | 510 | 18 | 530 | 114.75 | 4.04 | 8.10 |
| 4 | 680 | 24 | 710 | 153 | 5.39 | 10.80 |
| 5 | 850 | 30 | 887 | 192.25 | 6.78 | 13.50 |
| 6 | 1020 | 36 | 1064 | 229.5 | 8.09 | 16.20 |
Use the table as a reference. Depending on how potent you want your coffee you can either add more water or grounds to your cup.
What is Cold Brew Coffee?
Cold brew coffee is just that, it’s cold brewed. Meaning there was not hot water or high pressure steam used during the process. Instead, using coarsely ground beans in a vessel of room temperated water steeped for 12 to 24 hours extracted all the flavors and aroma from the beans.
When you cold brew coffee using room temperature or cold water, some of the acid and bitterness you would find in hot coffee will not show its face. In that case should you prefer your iced coffee with a smooth, mild taste, cold brew brewing is the method for you.
Why does the coffee to water ratio matter?
It matters for the flavor of your coffee. Each coffee bean has a finite amount of flavor that can be extracted and you don’t want to ruin it by not properly brewing it.
If you use too little coffee grounds, you will have a diluted, watery cup. If you use too much, you’ll have a caffeine-loaded cup of coffee that may lack in the flavor nuances of fine specialty coffee.
But like I mentioned earlier, use the table as a reference as you will have your own preference of how your coffee should taste. Start with the ratio recommendations above and adjust by a few grams until you find the perfect ratio for you.
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Breakdown
- Measure your coffee beans and grind to a coarse texture. If you want your cold brew stronger, you can make the grind a bit finer.
- Add ground coffee to your container and add correct amount of water per coffee grounds. Pour in half the water and stir the coffee grounds until all of the coffee is saturated with water. Pour in the rest of the water and stir again.
- Cover the coffee & water mixture and let it steep at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
- Slowly strain the coffee by pouring it through the filter into the new container. If you used a finer grind you may need to do this a few more times to get out all the particles.
- Serve the cold brew immediately over ice or place it in the refrigerator to chill. If the coffee is a bit too strong for your taste, dilute with equal parts water or cream when you’re ready to drink. Store the rest of the coffee in the fridge in a covered container & consume within a week.
