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As Summer is finally here, we thought we should give a brew at home guide for cold brew. Cold brew on a warm day is a great alternative to hot coffee, offering a refreshing caffeine kick.
Brewing ratios for cold brew
The first thing to consider is the brewing ratios. When you make cold brew, cold water extracts the flavour from the coffee a lot slower than when you use hot water. So, when making cold brew, use twice as much coffee as you normally would – if you use two spoons of coffee for your cafetière (assuming 500ml), use four for your cold brew. It seems like a lot of coffee to use on one drink, but we promise it’s worth it!
How long does it take to make cold brew?
To make cold brew at home, if you want something a little lighter and less intense, we would recommend 12 hours brew time as a minimum. For something with more body and flavour (and you are planning well in advance) 18-24 hours is our recommendation. Use a coarse/medium grind of coffee for best results – anything too finely ground will result in an overly bitter drink.
Having tested our range, our team at Sourced highly recommend the Sourced Peru Organic Ground Coffee for making cold brew coffee. The Peru blend offers a smooth and vibrant cold brew, with the delicate yet delicious berry notes coming through offering a truly refreshing drink.
Brewing methods for cold brew
There are loads of ways to brew coffee at home (in this blog, we explored the pros & cons of each) and some of these can also be used to make cold brew.
Hario Cold Brew Coffee Filter in Bottle
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This clever cold brew bottle from Hario is ideal for brewing cold coffee. It is very easy to use. Simply add water into the bottle and coffee grounds inside the filter, then place it inside the fridge for anywhere between 8 to 24 hours. The longer you brew, the richer coffee flavour will be. The Hario cold brew bottle is great to refresh in hot summers day. Add ice into your cup and enjoy ice cold coffee!
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Maker
The Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Maker is the easiest way to enjoy cold brew coffee at home from Hario; simply fill in the filter cone with your favourite coffee, add room temperature spring water into the pot and stir the top grounds to let the coffee soak into the water fully. Once the coffee grounds are wet, store the cold brew pot in the refrigerator and leave it for at least 8 hours. Then, take the mesh filter out and drain it.
The French press/Cafetière for cold brew
For cold brew in the French press, add your ground coffee to the bottom of your beaker. Pour cold water on the top of (make it even better by using cold, filtered water!), making sure all the grounds have been covered and give it a good stir. Cover the cafetière and place in the fridge for at least twelve hours. Once ready to drink, give it another stir and then plunge and pour over ice.
Start by putting the plunger in to the top of the chamber, then turn it upside down. Add the ground coffee to the chamber (again, double what you normally would), pour cold water over the top of the grounds, making sure to cover them all. Give it a good stir. Put the filter paper in the filter cap and wet the filter, put the filter on, cap on top and place in the fridge for at least twelve hours. When you’re ready, flip back to the right way around (careful on this part not to spill any) and then PLUNGE. Serve over ice.
Keruig Cold Brew:
Turn your favourite Keurig K-Pod into a delicious cold brew by simply brewing directly onto ice. There are two options to this, you can either brew directly over ice, or brew you coffee and decanter over ice. We recommend using the Hario V60 Glass Range Server for either of these methods. If you prefer a stronger cup and you are worried the ice cubes will water your brew down too much, you can make coffee ice cubes using the step below!
Coffee Ice Cubes
Coffee ice cubes are a great way to add ice to cold brew without diluting the flavour of the coffee. To make these, brew your coffee hot using your normal method, leave to cool and then pour into an ice cube tray. Once frozen, simply add to your cold brew - be warned, this means the caffeine content will be around three times that of your normal brew so drink with caution!
Turbo Tonic
A great way to enjoy cold brew on a summer’s day is with tonic and lemon/lime. Make your cold brew using one of the methods above, then fill a glass halfway. Top up with tonic water. squeeze a wedge of lemon and/or lime and then add the squeezed fruit to garnish. Delicious and refreshing coffee mocktail for any time of the day. Add gin to make a "Turbo G&T" - a delicious, caffeinated alternative to the classic Gin & Tonic.
Cold brew is a great way to enjoy your favourite coffee in a refreshing format during the heatwave. As with a lot of coffee methods, trial different methods and brewing times to get a cold brew that suits your tastes.