Cold brew is not in French habits. In general, when I talk about cold coffee around me, the reactions are rather mixed. Why ? Quite simply because the only cold brew experience people think of is a cup of filtered coffee that you have unintentionally left to cool… But cold brew is much more than a Grand Mother who has chilled.
What is cold brew?
Cold brew is an English term (which coffee lovers even use in French) and which simply means “ cold brew ”. It is therefore, as the name suggests, a coffee preparation technique that does not require hot water.
We therefore infuse ground coffee in fresh water or at room temperature. When the water is not hot, it takes much longer to soak up the oils and aromas of the coffee . It is for this reason that the cold brew technique requires several hours to obtain a coffee.
Why should you try?
Several hours to make a coffee? You may be wondering what the point is of cold brewing coffee for several hours . It takes between 8 and 20 hours of infusion , depending on the recipes, the coffees and especially the size of the grind.
You probably know that there are a multitude of ways to make coffee: espresso, filter coffee, French press (etc.). Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages, but most importantly, each of them helps reveal more about certain aspects of a coffee.
It's the same for cold brew . Generally, the cold infusion of a coffee gives it a great aromatic richness . It's a way to rediscover your favorite coffee and surprise your taste buds.
The pros and cons of cold brew
The main disadvantage of this method (and from my point of view, the only one) is obviously the preparation time, or at least the infusion time which is particularly long. If you want a coffee, right now, right away, it won't be possible.
If I had to give just one advantage, it would be that coffee made this way is quite simply good! But it's also a technique accessible to everyone: you don't need a lot of equipment and it's very simple to do.
In addition, it is possible to keep your coffee for a few days in the fridge . It's ideal afterwards if you want a refreshing drink at any time of the day!
How to make a cold brew (without a coffee maker)
To make a cold brew at home , it's very simple. You need :
- good coffee (preferably beans)
- a coffee grinder (if your coffee is in beans 😏)
- water (preferably filtered)
- a container
- a filter (paper or reusable)
I advise you to use 7 to 8 grams of coffee per 10 cl of water . Thus, if you pour 70 cl of water into your container, put 50 to 55 grams of coffee there.
Keep in mind, however, that you will have to experiment a bit and see what works best for you, in terms of coffee, brewing time, grind, etc.
Here I share with you what is generally advised to do when it comes to cold-brew , but you can totally adapt according to your preferences.
Coffee
The coffee should be coarsely ground . The grind should be close to a French press grind.
Too fine a grind will lead to over-extraction which will make your coffee bitter. On the contrary, too coarse a grind would not allow a good extraction of your coffee and result, the coffee obtained would then be a little bland.
It is necessary to favor a quality coffee, with a roasting date relatively close to ensure the presence of a maximum of aromas. I invite you to read my article dedicated to specialty coffee if you want to maximize your chances of enjoying a cold brew at its fair value 😊
The infusion
The infusion must last at least 8 hours and can go up to 20 hours . This infusion time depends on two criteria:
- the size of the grind: the finer your coffee is ground, the shorter the infusion should be, at the risk of over-extracting the coffee.
- the quantity of coffee: the less coffee there is, the more it will have to be left to infuse.
It is possible to leave the infusion to be done at room temperature or in a refrigerator. For my part, I let the coffee infuse at room temperature, but I put it in the fridge once the operation is complete.
Preparation steps
I present here the steps for preparing cold brew , with the recipe I use:
Let's say you want to make 1 liter of cold brew , here are the steps to follow:
- Grind 80 grams of coffee (coarse grind)
- Place the coffee in a container (carafe, empty bottle, etc.)
- Pour 1 liter of water at room temperature
- Shake everything lightly to soak all the ground coffee
- Leave to infuse for 8 to 12 hours according to your preferences.
- Once the infusion is finished, filter the coffee and keep it cool.
Here, letting the coffee infuse longer could lead to bitterness when tasted. For an infusion between 6 and 8 p.m., count about half as much coffee.
If the infusion was made out of a fridge, I advise you to add a few ice cubes to your drink!
My dedicated cold brew coffee maker
If you want to make a cold brew recipe that is approved by professionals and made in the best conditions, I invite you to get the cold brew coffee maker from Hario .
This bottle-shaped coffee maker is ideal for making your new favorite cold drink. Indeed, in addition to being very easy to use, it is self-sufficient to make a cold coffee worthy of the name and really very good on arrival. Provided you follow the cold brew recipe provided in the instructions and then use a good coffee!
I usually follow the recommendations and I've never been disappointed with the result 🙂
Simply fill the filter with 55 grams of coarsely ground coffee, then fill the bottle with approximately 700ml of water. The infusion should then last 8 hours. There you can remove the filter filled with coffee and keep the bottle cool.
Difference cold brew / cold drip
I want to end this article by explaining the difference between cold brew and cold drip .
This second term is only rarely used in France and for good reason, we often also speak of cold brew to explain the operation of this second method, wrongly.
As we saw earlier, the term cold brew means “cold brew” . The term “cold drip” could be translated as “cold drop”. It is in fact a question of running water, drop by drop, on the ground coffee.
You understand here that there is no real infusion in the strict sense of the term:
- The water infuses as it passes through the grind, of course.
- The extraction can actually take several hours there too.
- However, the coffee is not in direct contact with all the water during this time.
This is indeed a drip coffee extraction .
Unlike cold brew, cold drip necessarily requires specific equipment.
This is the coffee maker I use. His nickname is BRRREWER (not easy to say 😅)
I find it particularly aesthetic and easy to use. Simply fill the upper part with water, place ground coffee in the middle, between two filters, and position the carafe correctly. Then I just have to adjust the drip so that there is a drop of water falling every 3-4 seconds.
I have to come back between 2 and 4 times during the extraction, because the lower the amount of water at the top, the less frequent the drops.
Here are other models of cold drip coffee makers that you can find on Amazon.
If you have never made cold brew , I invite you first of all to carry out a first test with accessories which you already have at home.
Once you have tasted and enjoyed the drink, I urge you to get a cold brew coffee maker , which is, in my opinion, more practical. If drip extraction interests you, I can only encourage you to try the adventure!
Unfortunately, I haven't done enough tests yet and above all, I don't yet have a sufficiently developed palate to be able to share with you the taste differences between a cold brew coffee and a cold drip coffee . I enjoy both equally! 😋