Cold brew has a reputation for being complicated — or for requiring specialized equipment. Neither is true. I’ve been making it at home for three years with equipment that cost nothing extra, and the results are consistently good.
The Equipment You Actually Need
A large jar or pitcher, coarsely ground coffee, cold water, and something to filter with (a paper coffee filter, a fine-mesh strainer, or cheesecloth). That’s it. No cold brew tower, no special device.
The Basic Ratio
Start with 1:8 coffee to water by weight — 100g coffee to 800ml water. This produces a concentrate that you dilute 1:1 with water or milk when drinking. If you want to drink it straight (not diluted), use 1:12 instead.
The 1:8 concentrate keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks without significant degradation. Make a larger batch and dilute as you drink — it’s efficient and means good coffee is always 30 seconds away.
The Process
- Grind coffee coarsely (rougher than you’d use for French press)
- Combine coffee and cold water in a jar, stir to ensure all grounds are wet
- Cover and refrigerate for 16–18 hours
- Filter: pour through a paper coffee filter set in a fine-mesh strainer over another jar. This takes 5–10 minutes and produces a very clean concentrate.
- Store the filtered concentrate in the fridge.
Which Beans Work Best?
Medium to dark roasts work particularly well for cold brew because the cold extraction emphasizes sweetness and chocolate notes while minimizing acidity. Light roasts can produce interesting cold brew but may taste more sour and less sweet.
Research comparing cold brew and hot brew chemistry found that cold brew retains different antioxidant profiles than hot-brewed coffee, which is part of why the flavor is so distinctly different — not just chilled hot coffee.
Common Mistakes
Too fine a grind: produces a bitter, over-extracted concentrate that’s hard to filter. Too short a steep: weak and sour. Too warm a room (if you steep on the counter): fermentation can start, producing strange flavors. Stick to the fridge for most reliable results.
