The cold brewed coffee method is possibly one of the easiest and most foolproof ways of brewing coffee. If you have been looking for a great base for your home made iced coffee's then read on to learn more about the cold brewed coffee method.
So what is a Cold Brewed Coffee?
Generally when we think about brewing coffee the preparation uses just off the boil hot water, such as you would use in a french press or drip filter. However the Cold Brewed Coffee method, just like the name says uses cold water. This method uses a combination of coarsely ground coffee to a specified quantity of cold water combined with around a twelve hour brewing time to achieve the desired results.
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One of the big benefits to a cold brew is not only that you end up with a great iced coffee, but brewing your coffee using this method will produce a significantly less acidic drink. When coffee is brewed using heated water it will draw out the acids and negative flavours of the coffee quickly, this is why a normal extraction for something like a frech press is around 4-5 minutes. If a hot brew is left for longer you start to get more and more of these undesirable flavours, the same concept applies when making espresso. There is an optimum pour time and when you start exceeding this you start drawing out the bad tasting flavours. The difference with a cold brew is that the chemical reaction is different, so a long brew time is needed to leech out the flavours however you are left with a significantly less acidic drink.
What equipment is Required?
My favourite thing about this method is that you do not need a lot of expensive equipment to make a great cold brew. No there isn't any expensive espresso machines needed here. If you plan on making large quantities of iced coffee or perhaps for a commercial setting you may like to look into the Toddy Coffee Maker. However great results can be achieved with things that you most likely would already have around the kitchen. The set up that I use is listed below:
- French Press / Plunger
- Coffee Grinder
- Fresh Coffee beans (a medium or dark blend should be fine depending on your preferences)
- Filtered Water
- Coffee Filter Paper (optional)
- Measuring Cups
Cold Brewed Coffee Recipe
To make your cold brewed coffee, I use the recipe as below. To increase the volume of liquid that you get out of it simply double/triple etc the quantities.
- 1/3 Cup Coarsely Ground coffee
- 1 1/2 Cups Cold (Room Temp) Filtered Water
Simply combine the two ingredients. I put these both into a french press and give them a stir. Then simply let the brew sit for around 12 hours before plunging the french press down. The benefit here is that the fine metal mesh in a french press filters the grinds out of the brew. If you like you can then pass it through a filter coffee paper just to get rid of any left over grounds.
If you don't have a french press, you can simply mix together the brew in a jug and let sit for 12 hours. Once the time is up then just pour the mixture through a coffee filter paper to strain the liquid from the grounds. You will get the same result as if you were using a french press.
Iced Coffee Recipe
If you enjoy a nice iced coffee from your local coffee shop, then you will now be able to enjoy this delicious drink at home.
You will need:
- Iced Coffee brew (as above)
- Approx 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 Tsp Sugar or Sweetener (sweeten to your liking)
- Milk / Ice
By using the above recipe, I then take about 1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract, and add sugar to taste (as much or as little as you like) mix this into the brewed coffee mix.
The cold brew mix will make up approximately half of your drink, add some ice to your glass and add another equal part of either chilled milk or refrigerated water to the concentrate. Mix these together and enjoy!