I started drinking coffee when I was a pre-teen (quite possibly the reason I never grew beyond 5'2") and over the last 16 years, I have tried just about every coffee brewing method available. I've had several French Presses (still a favorite when I'm making coffee just for myself), both cone and cup style filter machines, the Bialetti stovetop espresso pot and the classic Chemex pour through model (in addition to the plastic cone on the coffee cup set up). I also own a 50-cup party percolator that used to be my grandfather's and several pieces of an ancient aluminum stovetop percolator.
With all this coffee making power at my fingertips, I have never branched out into cold brew territory. However, I am becoming increasingly intrigued* by that particular style since reading this post by Leland over at Eat. He has been on a coffee journey similar to my own, and is loving the cold brew method for his summertime fix of iced coffee. There are a number of different ways to go about cold brewing coffee. He does his without any special equipment, but you can buy a kit to make the brewing process even easier.
*The process of writing this post made me so curious about making my own cold brewed coffee that I leaped off my couch and ran to the kitchen to whip up a batch. I put a full grinders worth of beans in the jar you see above, filled it the rest of the way up with water, gave it a bit of a stir and left it to do it's thing. I'll report back later on how it turned out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-23-2007 @ 10:55AM
deborahgoldberg.netdebbieblog said...
Since I got a Toddy, I haven't turned back. It's the smoothest coffee ever, though now I drink so much of it, my eye has developed a near-constant twitch. Still, worth it!
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8-23-2007 @ 11:44AM
GourmA4 said...
We just made a batch ourselves - 100+ degree heat indices here in the south mean iced coffee, not steaming coffee for us! My recipe and method: 1 gallon of filtered water + 1 can of el cheapo coffee ($1.99 at Target!) + 12 or more hours to soak; Strain into a big bowl or pot, first through a regular mesh strainer, then a fine mesh, then a gold mesh coffee filter. If you go right for the fine mesh, it will clog pretty quickly. Let it rest for an hour or so to let any fines settle to the bottom, then decant into a storage container. Cold brewed coffee is concentrated, so we dilute it with 1 part water and 1 part half-and-half, over ice, for iced coffee.
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8-23-2007 @ 12:10PM
Rob said...
Usually I use an old percolator pot from the 60's and when it cools off -remove the stem and put it in the fridge. However, this I've never done before and it seems like a fun experiment, I'm off to the kitchen!
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8-23-2007 @ 1:13PM
MJ said...
This looks really rough..........I will stick to sunt tea. im no teven crazt about the single serve coffee machines. Give me a good percalator anytime. Like my coffee, tea and men to be strong...LOL
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8-23-2007 @ 1:14PM
MJ said...
And for #2 Its so hot here in the south that should blow the top off!
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8-23-2007 @ 2:07PM
Julia said...
I've been doing the cold-brew with the ground coffee and water in a jar for a few weeks now and love it. If you have good coffee, you can pick out the roasty flavors. I find that when diluted with water and cream, there are a lot of chocolate notes. And no bitterness! Such a treat.
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8-23-2007 @ 5:50PM
SKR said...
Old news - this was in the NY Times earlier this summer. But nice to see word is spreading - hopefully more people will learn how easy it is to make good iced coffee. I used 4:1 proportion of water to coffee grinds, let sit in the fridge for at least 12 hours (stir it ever once in a while if you get a chance), then strain well. Cold brewed is much milder and requires less sweetener - almost has a "chocolately" note.
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8-24-2007 @ 12:24PM
Java Jones said...
What in good God's name is the point? In order for all the proper components to extract from the coffee bean everyone knows that you have to HOT brew within a temperature range of 195 - 205 degrees F.
I can't imagine dumping grounds into a Mason jar of cold water can come close to doing it justice. And, even if it did, like I said earlier -- what's the point?
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8-24-2007 @ 1:18PM
nolalover said...
I have been drinking Cold Brewed for years.
I buy it in New Orleans at the store.
I have sent it to friends usoing their shipping...
It is stronger than the Toddy stuff and they make it for you...
www.coolbrew.com
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8-25-2007 @ 8:37AM
Jay Nungesser said...
@ Java Jones: the "component extraction" debate goes on on both sides; cold-brew fans claim that water's enough of a solvent to extract the full flavor from the beans. (I disagree)
The point of cold-brewing, besides the convenience of having a jug of coffee extract in your fridge that you can dilute, heat up, and have a cup, is that it results in very low-acid coffee. For people with stomach trouble, or those who like their coffee smoother, it's a great way to brew.
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9-02-2007 @ 10:44AM
Fran said...
If you go to South America (at least, Peru), your morning coffee is likely to be served as a tiny pitcher of thick coffee concentrate and a steaming large pitcher of hot milk, which you then combine to your own taste. I do not know for sure that the coffee is cold-brewed, but as a tea-lover and coffee-disliker, I can say that the Peruvian style of coffee is comparatively yummy.
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