You are tired of espresso or filter coffee, but you don’t want to give up caffeine? So why not get tempted by cold brew coffee? This method of preparation is not new but has been gaining interest in recent years. You can easily get it at a coffee shop or in ready-to-drink preparation, but it is also easy to make cold brewed coffee at home.
With a homemade cold brewed coffee, you:
- control the sugar content which tends to be high in the commercial versions
- save money, its price in your coffee shop can be a bit high
Follow our guide on how to make cold brew coffee.
Cold brewed coffee: difference with cold coffee
The two have nothing to do with each other. Cold coffee is prepared in a classic way, hot and then cooled, sometimes with ice cubes.
Hot coffee reveals its aromatic compounds by mixing hot water with ground coffee.
A cold brew coffee is prepared at a low temperature and gives a subtle and different taste from its hot counterpart.
What do you need to make cold brew coffee?
You might think you need a special machine for brewing cold coffee? Well, yes you can use a drip tower, a kind of coffee maker with an adjustable drip system. Of course, it’s a nice piece of furniture, aesthetic and cool if you are a fan of cold brewed coffee (or if you want to make an interesting gift)… but don’t worry, there are other ways to proceed!
All you need is a plunger coffee maker and good-quality ground coffee of your choice. You don’t have this type of coffee maker? Fall back on an airtight jar.
Use tap water if you like it or filtered or bottled water, depending on your preferences.
Recipe for cold brew coffee
Put your coffee (for everything on the dosage check out our blog post HERE) in the airtight jar or the coffee maker. Cover with water and stir.
Close and let it brew for 12 hours at room temperature. Filter with a coffee filter on a strainer if you used a jar, simply press the plunger if you have a piston coffee maker.
And that’s it, it’s ready, now enjoy your homemade cold brewed coffee.
Variations of cold brew coffee
You can also add to your cold brewed coffee:
- spices, cinnamon, orange peel
- milk (classic or vegetable), sugar, maple syrup, etc.
- ice cubes, for an iced version.
And for a gourmet version combine it with ice cream or desserts.