Anyone can take their leftover hot coffee and stick it in the fridge to save for later, but really? That’s just cold coffee, that ain’t Cold Brew my friend. And like we say at Press & Grind Café in Fort Lauderdale, Florida . . . the Proof is in the cup ! We take great pride in our Cold Brew at Press & Grind Café and we’ve kinda (almost) become famous for our cold brew. So we wanted to share some of our secrets for those who want to try using a cold brewing method.
Cold Brew Coffee is easy to make, it takes about 12 hours, but it’s worth it. Simply grind your coffee beans on the most coarse setting you have on your grinder. You almost want it similar to fresh ground pepper or sea salt. Combine this freshly coarse ground coffee with filtered, cold water, toss it in the fridge (or let it sit at room temperature) and forget it for at least 12-24 hours. We prefer to let our cold brew steep for 18 hours.
The end result of a proper cold brew is a less acidic drink that brings out the sweeter, more subtle notes in the coffee. It’s also much easier on the stomach. This mellow flavor will highlight the subtleties of a high-quality coffee roast. And if you are working with older beans that have been sitting in the cupboard for a while, don’t despair. Cold brewing is a much more forgiving process which saves you from wasting any expensive beans you may have forgotten about or simply didn’t get around to brewing.
The flavor of a quality cold brew coffee won’t get stale, sour or fade. The cold brewing method produces super-concentrated coffee, which means you can dilute it with water or your favorite syrup or milk to taste. A quality Cold brew concentrate can last up to 30 days in the fridge, so you’ll always have delicious and refreshing coffee ready to go.
Are you ready to makes some cold brew? Here’s is a simple cold brew coffee recipe using a 6:1 ratio of water to coffee beans. I suggest you treat this as a starting point, you may find you want something bolder, or that this is too bold, so start small and tweak the mixture using more water or coffee beans until you find your sweet spot. I suggest using refrigerated, filtered water, but you can also use room temperature water if refrigerated water is not available. You can also experiment with different brew times until you achieve a taste that’s perfect for your preference. Lastly, some people like to experiment with flavors, adding things like cinnamon, nutmeg or flavored syrups to the brew.