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(and an easy cold brew recipe to make at home!)
Welcome to Battle of the Brews!
Today we’re diving into Cold Brew. I must admit, a well-made cold brew for me of the ultimate coffee drinks out there. It’s refreshing, incredibly smooth, and so juicy (if the right coffee is used)!
So how exactly do you nail a perfect cold brew? First of all the foundation of any successful coffee is the recipe, and it’s no different for cold brew. Here’s my go-to recipe for making cold brew at home:
Pierre’s Cold Brew Recipe
You’ll Need
• 100g coffee of your choice ground very coarse (35+ clicks on the Comandante)
• a 1L bottle to make the cold brew
• a metal sieve
• a V60 or some sort of filtration device
The Recipe
• In the 1L bottle add the 100g of coffee first, then the 1L of water, and stir gently to make sure all the coffee is wet
• Place the bottle in the fridge and set a timer for 16 hours (I recommend putting on the cold brew in the evening, and you’ll have it ready for the next day)
• After 16 hours taste some of the cold brew to check the extraction - if the coffee tastes sour then keep it in the fridge for another hour. Repeat until the Cold Brew tastes balanced
Note: A good extraction time for cold brew is between 16 to 20 hours depending on your grind size. The best way to know is to taste it regularly at one-hour intervals. Once you make a few brews you’ll have a better idea of the perfect brewing time for your specific grind size.
• Once the cold brew tastes balanced, strain out the larger coffee particles using a metal sieve. Then strain the remaining coffee using a V60 or similar brewer using a paper filter.
• Serve with ice and enjoy!
Using this recipe will help you get café quality cold brew at home, with minimum effort! While making cold brew at home is quite simple, here are some of my secret barista hacks to help you get the best cold brew possible...
Pierre’s Cold Brew Hacks
1. A great brewing ratio for cold brew is 100g of coffee per 1L of water. Yes, this is going to result in a strong drink, but a good cold brew should be served with ice, which will water down the brew as it melts. My personal experience is that using the classic 60g per 1L results in a weak and underwhelming cold brew.
2. Double-filter for a clean cold brew! You’ll notice in this recipe that first I filter the cold brew using a sieve, and then using a v60. This helps remove all of the little particles in the cold brew and results in an incredibly clean drink.
3. Don’t skimp on the brew time! You might think if you’re tight on time you can grind finer and shorten the total brew time. While this can be a fun experiment, in my experience the best results come from letting your cold brew infuse for at least 16 hours.
4. Use filtered water! It’s easy to forget this step, but of course, using filtered water will result in an extra juicy brew.
Cold brew is a refreshing way to enjoy coffee in summer. By following this recipe and implementing these hacks you’ll be enjoying a delicious cold brew in no time (well, in at least 16 hours time 😉). Happy Brewing!
— P.T.
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