If you’re a fan of big-batch cold brew coffee, you might be used to buying concentrate in big bottles from the store. Having a bottle of cold brew concentrate in your fridge is super convenient because it lasts a long time and you don’t need to worry about brewing—you simply water it down and drink. But store-bought cold brew can get expensive, and it doesn’t let you customize the coffee to your liking. Here’s how to make your own concentrate to push your coffee game to the next level with the same amount of daily convenience.
Ratio and Grind
Because this is cold brew concentrate, the ratio of coffee to water will be quite high. You can use anywhere from a 1:4 ground coffee to water to a 1:2 ratio if you want it really concentrated. Grind the beans relatively course, around how you’d grind for a French press. If you buy locally and can request grind size, ask for a French press or cold-brew-sized grind. If you are buying your coffee pre-ground, this method will still work fine, but you may find the coffee a bit silty and a bit bitter.
Method
There are many different methods to cold brew, but most of them are some variate of pouring the water over the ground beans and leaving in the fridge for 12-24 hours. The longer you can leave them, the stronger your brew will be (up to 24 hours). Once it’s been long enough, strain your coffee through a cheesecloth or coffee into a jar or bottle. For even simpler cleanup, brew the cold brew directly into a French press, and then simply pour into your jar or bottle. Your cold brew concentrate should last for around 2 weeks at least.
