Cold Brew Coffee
Coarse coffee steeped in cold water for eighteen hours and filtered, giving a concentrate that is smooth, low in acid and keeps for a fortnight.
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Cold water never extracts the bitter and sour compounds that hot water pulls out in seconds, which is why cold brew tastes smooth and sweet without being weaker — the trade is time, roughly eighteen hours for what hot water does in four minutes. Grinding coarse is essential: fine grounds over-extract even cold and clog every filter you own.
What People Ask
How long does Cold Brew Coffee take to make?
10 minutes of preparation and of cooking, plus 16 hours to 18 hours of steeping, so allow 16 hours 10 minutes to 18 hours 10 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
The Method for Cold Brew Coffee
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Grind the beans coarsely — much coarser than for filter, closer to raw sugar or breadcrumbs.
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Put the grounds in a large jar and pour over the cold water.
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Stir gently to make sure every ground is wet, then push any floating grounds under with a spoon.
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Cover and leave at room temperature for 16 to 18 hours, or in the fridge for 20 to 24.
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Do not stir it again during the steep; agitation increases extraction unevenly.
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Strain through a fine sieve first to take out the bulk of the grounds.
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Then filter again through a paper coffee filter or a double layer of muslin. This second pass is slow — 20 minutes or more — and it is what makes the brew clear rather than silty.
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You now have a concentrate. Taste it neat: it should be sweet, heavy and low in acid.
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To serve, dilute one part concentrate to one or two parts cold water or milk, over plenty of ice.
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A pinch of salt cuts any remaining bitterness, and a strip of orange peel suits fruitier beans.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.
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A Few Pointers
- Coarse grind. Fine grounds turn cold brew bitter and cloudy.
- Do not stir during the steep.
- Filter twice, and be patient with the second pass.
Serve It With
A splash of oat milk · Buttered toast · A pastry
Keeping and Reheating
The concentrate keeps 2 weeks refrigerated in a sealed bottle. Dilute to order.
Cold Brew Coffee Nutrition Facts
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.
Vegan when served with cold water rather than milk.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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