Slow Pour brew guide
How to make cold brew coffee
Stir 100 g of extra-coarse coffee into 800 g of cold water (1:8), leave it in the fridge for about 16 hours, then strain. Serve it over ice, half concentrate and half water or milk.
What you need
- A big jar or jug with a lid
- A paper filter, or a fine sieve lined with a cloth
- A scale
- Coffee ground extra coarse
The recipe
Cold water extracts slowly, so cold brew uses lots of time instead of heat. It comes out smooth, low in acidity and chocolatey. This makes a concentrate for about six glasses.
- Coffee: 100 g
- Water: 800 g
- Ratio: 1:8
- Grind: extra coarse (about 1200 to 1500 microns, like cracked pepper)
- Water temperature: cold water
- Total time: 16 hours in the fridge, plus a few minutes to strain
- Makes: about 600 ml of concentrate
Step by step
Zero the scale with the coffee in, then follow along. The times are from your first pour.
- Grind 100 g, extra coarse
- Put it in a big jar
- 0:00 Pour in 800 grams of cold water.
- 0:30 Stir until all the grounds are wet.
- 1:00 Lid on. Steep in the fridge. Sixteen hours. Anywhere from twelve to twenty is fine.
- 16 h 1 min Strain it. Through a paper filter or a fine sieve lined with a cloth.
- 16 h 6 min Pour over ice, half coffee and half water or milk. Keeps for about a week in the fridge.
Cold brew or iced coffee?
Cold brew is steeped cold for many hours. Iced coffee is brewed hot and cooled, often straight onto ice. Cold brew is rounder and sweeter; iced pour-over is brighter and fruitier, and it’s ready in three minutes.
If it doesn’t taste right
Weak: dilute it less, or steep a few hours longer. Bitter or woody: steep for less time, 12 hours instead of 16, and make sure the grind is coarse. Cloudy: strain it again through a paper filter.
Questions
How long does cold brew last?
About a week in a sealed jar in the fridge. The flavour slowly fades after that.
Can I steep cold brew at room temperature?
Yes, it brews a little faster, about 12 hours. Then strain it and keep it in the fridge.
Is cold brew stronger?
The concentrate is very strong. Once diluted half and half it’s about as strong as a normal coffee.