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cold brew coffee in short glasses with ice cubes
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Cold Brew Coffee

Skip the coffee shop and make your cold brew coffee at home for a smoother, less acidic, and more flavorful iced coffee.
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Keyword cold brew coffee, iced coffee
Prep Time 10 minutes
Brew Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 10 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 1kcal

Equipment

  • cheesecloth
  • container for brewing

Ingredients

  • 12 ounce bag coffee beans whole beans
  • 12 cups water 96 ounces, cold or room temp

Instructions

  • Find your ratio. The amount of coffee beans you need varies depending on how much coffee you want to make in one batch. The general rule is 1 pound of coffee beans to 1 gallon of water, but most whole bean coffee comes in 12 ounce bags. A large batch is a great option if you have a container large enough and there are 2 to 4 people in the house drinking the coffee. Here is a list of ratios to follow. Just remember, you will need space for both the water AND the coffee beans.
    -16 ounces coffee beans (1 pound): 1 gallon water/128 ounce/16 cups
    -12 ounce coffee beans: 96 ounces water/12 cups
    -8 ounces coffee beans: 8 cups water/64 ounces
    -4 ounces coffee beans: 32 ounces/ 4 cups water
  • Grind the beans. Use a coarse grind for the beans. I set my grinder to the 'percolator' setting. The beans should resemble kosher salt after grinding.
  • Make the cold brew. Place your ground coffee in the bottom of a large container. Pour cold or room temp water (filtered is best!) over the grinds, give it a stir, cover it and place it in the fridge.
  • Let it steep. Your beans and water should steep for 12 to 14 hours. It doesn't have to be exact.
  • Strain and drink. Strain the cold brew concentrate through a fine cheesecloth strainer. You can add water to the concentrate batch or leave it as concentrate and add water when you make a glass. My recommended ratio is 2 parts cold brew concentrate, 1 part water, then add your preferred milk and sweetener if desired.
  • Store. Keep your cold brew concentrate in an air-tight container in the fridge for 7 to 10 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcal | Sodium: 14mg | Calcium: 9mg