Cold Brew Coffee is a must-try for those who love rich, smooth coffee. This simple brewing method produces a coffee concentrate similar to hot brewed coffee, albeit much weaker and less acidic.
Cold brew is also less bitter than hot brew without sacrificing flavor.
While it’s not the first or the most popular cold brew coffee maker, the AeroPress is among the most versatile and portable.
It’s also easy to use and doesn’t require any additional equipment, making it a viable option for both coffee enthusiasts and beginners alike. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making cold brew with the AeroPress.
What is AeroPress cold brew?
AeroPress cold brew is a fun and exciting way to make cold brew concentrate in just a few minutes.
The AeroPress is already known to brew fantastic coffee in a short time. Because the summer is here, most people are searching for a way to brew fast coffee that is great to drink on ice.
That’s where this amazing brewing technique comes in. AeroPress cold brew is made with freshly ground coffee and cold tap water.
The best part about brewing cold brew coffee with the AeroPress is that it saves you so much time.
Once you’ve brewed the cold brew concentrate, you can then dilute it the way you like. You can add cold tap water, milk, and so much more. I’ll talk about this later on; first, let’s talk about why you should use this technique:
Why use an AeroPress for cold brew?
The main reason I recommend making cold brew coffee with the AeroPress is that it’s super fast.
Instead of waiting between 12 and 24 hours on your regular cold brew coffee, you can make cold brew within minutes.
Because the AeroPress is made from plastic, you can easily clean it after using it. I’ve made coffee using this technique while grinding the coffee beans fresh and cleaning the brewer after, within just six minutes!
Below, I’ll talk about the best grind size to use, the coffee beans, and what water to coffee ratio to use. All of these tips will help you make this recipe within minutes.
What is the best coffee grind size to use?
When making cold brew with the AeroPress, a fine coffee grind size is best used. The fine coffee grind size ensures that in the short time that the coffee ground comes in contact with water, it extracts all the flavors.
I like to use a grind size that is finer than the AeroPress grind size you usually use. The grind size looks like this:
As you can see from the photo above, there are no big chunks of coffee left. This grind size makes for the most delicious coffee.
I’ve also tested it with coarser grind sizes, but the coffee it produced was a bit under-extracted.
The coarser the grind size is, the more trouble the water will have extracting those amazing flavors from the coffee beans.
What kind of coffee beans should I use?
The best coffee beans for this technique are either medium or dark roasted coffee beans.
I prefer and recommend sticking with dark roasted coffee beans for the best cold brew coffee. Medium roasted coffee beans don’t have that robust coffee flavor unique in a cold brew coffee.
The dark roasted coffee beans don’t have to be a dark espresso roast, they can be a bit lighter, but it’s best not to go lighter than medium roasted. The coffee beans I like to use looks like this:
As you can see, the coffee beans I’m using are very dark roasted. The cold brew coffee it produces tastes strong, which is just the way I like it.
Because this recipe is for a cold brew concentrate, which you can then dilute with whatever you like, it’s a fun way to experiment with different flavors.
For more information about the best coffee beans for cold brew, check out this article here!
And don’t forget that you can also make decaf cold brew with your AeroPress.
Let’s talk more about the different things you can add to your cold brew concentrate:
What do I dilute my cold brew coffee with?
This recipe for AeroPress cold brew produces a strong-tasting cold brew concentrate that will be a bit too strong to drink as is.
Because dark roasted coffee beans are used, many flavors are extracted, making for a robust tasting coffee basis.
You can dilute the concentrate with the following ingredients:
- Cold tap water
- Milk
- A mix of water and milk
- A splash of heavy cream
Most cold brew coffees are diluted. Because of the strong flavors, it’s not enjoyable to drink a cup’s worth of the stuff with such a strong flavor.
I like to add enough cold tap water to my concentrate for a full cup of cold brew coffee.
You can add milk to your concentrate, or even a combination of some water and a splash of milk.
If you like add-ins with a bit more depth, you can also add half/half or heavy cream to the cold brew concentrate. It’s a fun way to play around with different flavors.
After diluting your cold brew coffee, you can also sweeten it with whatever sweetener you like.
AeroPress cold brew ratio
The best ratio for AeroPress cold brew is a 1:4 coffee to water ratio. This ratio results in a well-rounded and robust cold brew concentrate that tastes amazing.
I like to use 15 grams of finely ground coffee to 60 grams of cold tap water for one serving of cold brew concentrate made with the AeroPress.
After brewing, you can dilute it however you like, which makes this drink is great.
If you prefer to make more coffee at once, you can double or even triple the numbers; doubling and tripling the numbers of coffee and water will fit into your AeroPress.
AeroPress Cold Brew
You can make this easy-to-make cold brew recipe in minutes, so you have more time to enjoy the summer!
Ingredients
- 15 grams of finely ground coffee beans
- 60 grams of cold tap water
Instructions
Now that you have all the information about this easy recipe, it's time to get started on making it:
- Start by grinding your dark roasted coffee beans. Aim for a fine grind size. You can have a look above for the grind size I'm using.
- Get a new filter and add it to your AeroPress. Prepare and place the AeroPress on a cup of choice. Make sure it's nice and sturdy.
- Add the freshly ground coffee to the AeroPress cylinder.
- Pour the cold tap water on top of the ground coffee beans.
- Stir the ground coffee and cold water for 45 to 60 seconds.
- After stirring the coffee and making sure that all the ground coffee is equally wetted, place the remaining cylinder on top of the AeroPress.
- Slowly apply pressure to the cylinder, making sure to push the liquid through the filter within 30 seconds.
- Remove the AeroPress from the cup, and optionally start cleaning it right away.
- Now, you can add any add-ins to your AeroPress cold brew.
I've added 180 grams of cold water to make a cup's worth of cold brew coffee. You can choose to use the same amount, or even less, depending on your taste.
Notes
If you want to double the amounts so you can make two cups of cold brew coffee, make sure to pour equal amounts of cold brew concentrate into each cup.
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Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1
Making this cold brew with water will create a calorie-free drink. When adding your favorite add-ins, this might change.
Conclusion
This easy-to-make cold brew recipe is amazing for those hot days when you want to cool down with a nice glass of cold brew coffee, but you forget to make a batch the night before.
Because this recipe is so easy to make and requires almost no effort, you’ll have more time to sit out and enjoy the summer!
If you love cold brew coffee as much as I do, you can have a look below for a few cold brew recipes that you can make when you’ve got some leftover cold brew coffee.
How do you like to dilute your cold brew coffee? Let me know by leaving a comment down below. If you have any other questions regarding coffee, you can also contact me directly by pressing the “Contact Me” button at the top!
