Cold Brew Guide

Cold brew has a reputation of being flat, chocolaty, and lacking in acidity, but it doesn't have to be that way. This brewing method will help you make drinking strength cold brew that reflects the same flavors you find in a hot cup of coffee—no diluting or fancy equipment necessary.

Most cold brew recipes produce a drink that is just a very large dose of coffee and water steeped overnight at room temperature, filtered through a simple mesh strainer, with the resulting product then needing to be diluted; this gives you bland cold brew that has lost the origin flavors of the coffee. We use a different method that produces a ready-to-drink, flavorful beverage without sacrificing the ease and convenience of homemade cold brew.

It's all about the basics: accurate brew ratios, the correct grind, right brewing temperatures, fine filtration & good storage. We’ve adapted this method from the technology we use to brew cold brew for our cafes so you can enjoy barismo quality cold brew in your own kitchen.

1. We recommend a 1 liter batch size for brewing at home; with regular home storage, cold brew has a limited shelf life, 3–5 days max. Only brew larger batches if you are sure you can use it in that time window.

2. Make sure your water is cold; pre-chill in the refrigerator if needed. The goal is to brew below 40°F. For home brewing, mason jars are our preferred vessel.

3. Grind 80–90 grams of coffee on a medium grind setting. This should be finer than what you might use for a French press.

4. Add your freshly ground coffee to your chilled water and stir. You want to ensure that the coffee is able to become fully saturated. Seal the jar—or whatever vessel you’re brewing in—and store in the refrigerator.

5. After 1–2 hours, stir again. This will ensure that the coffee is incorporated with the water fully, rather than rising to & sitting at the top while off-gassing. If possible, stir again at the 12 hour mark; this isn’t necessary, but we find it works best if you do.

6. At the 22–23 hour mark, stir once more, then strain. Filter the coffee through a metal strainer to remove larger particles, then strain again through cloth or polypropylene. Cloth is easily cleanable & reusable; a woodneck brewer works well for this. You may have to clean the cloth in between batches to avoid it clogging with fine particles.
   Food grade polypropylene bag filters are more efficient, especially for larger batch sizes. They come in a variety of sizes & filtrations, down to 1 micron or finer. We find 1–5 microns works well. However, unlike cloth, polypropylene is difficult to fully clean after use, so consider them a one time use product.

7. Once filtered, cold brew should be stored in a refrigerated, minimal oxygen environment. The easiest way to achieve this is by storing it in a sealed vessel that is completely filled, so that there is little to no headspace. On a commercial level, nitrogen-flushed kegs can preserve the product for a significant period of time.

CHEAT SHEET