We have a serious problem in the Twin Cities: Good cold-brewed coffee is hard to find. Almost everyone makes it, but it’s either, sour, bitter, day-old-coffee-dirty-tasting, or just, well, blah. 1 out of the 5 coffee shops in Uptown (coffee shop central) make a decent cold brew. It’s not hard people. Not sure why this is a common occurrence, but there is an easy way to fix it: Make your own.
Cold Brew Coffee, yield: 1/2gal
1/3lb coffee. Use your favorite whole bean coffee here, or Yeti blend from Peace coffee is bomb. This method of coffee brewing is not fancy, not complicated and not hard. But, this method of coffee brewing does give you an excellent smooth tasting coffee beverage. The cold water steeping is much easier on the coffee, making it less likely to get harsh, bitter or burnt notes. It’s a soft way of extracting the coffee, so there fore you get smooth, eased, uninterrupted flavors of the coffee. There is a lot of conversation built up around what’s best, but use one you like for the first time. Next time try something different if you’re up too it.
1/2 gal water, cold and filtered
Tools:
- Container large enough to fit the coffee grounds and the cold water.
- fine mesh sieve
- a coffee filter
Super simple method: Grind coffee beans fresh. Steep ground coffee in cold filtered water for 12-48hrs, and strain off coffee grounds. Whoa! Strain with fine mesh sieve first, to get the bulk of the grounds, then rinse sieve and place a coffee filter in it, then strain off coffee again to remove and small muddy like particles.
Depending in the roast and richness of the coffee, you can steep for 12-48hrs. The longer you sit the more complex the coffee will get, but beware: The longer it sits the more of a chance it has to get tart, sour of bitter. Each coffee is different. You must find your sweet spot. Start with 12hrs and go from there, heck you could even taste it along the way (i.e. taste it at 12hrs, taste it at 18hrs, etc…).
Pour over ice and enjoy. Feel free to add your favorite mixers to make a yummy, frou-frou drink. I like to add a small amount of cream or unsweetened soy milk.
*****One could do all of this in a smaller amount, in a French press pot. It is then considered a “cold press“****
