Cold brew coffee is fantastic to drink on a sunny day, but what about making it the best way possible?
In this article, I talk you through the cold brew coffee, frequently asked questions, and answer them all. When you finish reading this article, you will be able to make Your Dream Coffee at home.
Are you ready to learn some amazing things? Grab a good cup of coffee and start reading away!
How long to steep cold brew coffee?
Good cold brew coffee is steeped from 12 to up to 24 hours in some cases. I found that the sweet spot for me is between 14 and 16 hours of steeping the cold brew.
After the 16-hour mark, you are slightly over-extracting the coffee beans, and you are left with a super strong and woody-tasting cold brew concentrate.
This is great for people who like to drink super strong coffee and can handle the taste that comes with it.
But, if you are just starting with brewing cold brew coffee at home, I would try 14 hours at most for the first time. If you like the coffee’s taste and don’t need to dilute it a lot to get the flavor profile you want, it’s perfect.
If you feel like the coffee can be a little stronger, start adding a few hours to your clock the next time you will brew cold brew coffee.
Should you stir cold brew coffee while steeping?
No, you want to avoid stirring cold brew coffee while it’s steeping. The ground coffee beans will sink to the bottom and only give off their flavor to the water at the bottom of the container or mug you are using.
One time, I stirred my cold brew coffee, and it didn’t taste good. It tasted watery, and because of this, I don’t recommend stirring your cold brew.
If you don’t stir the cold brew, the ground coffee beans will steep through the entire water-filled cup. This way, the cold brew will taste the best and will be evenly extracted.
Where do you keep the cold brew while steeping?
When you finish filling your cold brew container, you can leave it on your kitchen counter for the upcoming hours. This way, the coffee will extract the fastest.
The downside of leaving it on the kitchen counter is that after you’ve filtered your cold brew concentrate, you’ll need to cool it completely to enjoy it fully. For this reason, I like placing the cold brew in my refrigerator for the steeping time.
After the cold brew has steeped long enough, you have to filter it, and you can start drinking it right away. It’s amazing.
Do you keep cold brew coffee in the refrigerator?
Yes, you have to keep your cold brew concentrate in the refrigerator. This will extend the expiration date. But better yet, when refrigerating your cold brew concentrate, you can make a cold drink in a matter of minutes.
How long does cold brew concentrate last?
Cold brew concentrate lasts for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. I have found that keeping the cold brew concentrate longer than five days will harm the flavor.
But let’s be honest, cold brew coffee is delicious, and you probably will not leave the concentrate in the fridge for so long.
What coffee beans to use for cold brew?
The best coffee beans for cold brew coffee are dark roasted coffee beans. Using dark roasted coffee beans will ensure you get that signature strong coffee flavored cold brew concentrate. Dark roasted coffee beans look like this:
However, I have used medium roasted coffee beans for my cold brews a lot lately, and I like its taste. The only difference between the coffee beans is that I use more cold brew concentrate in my finished cold brew drink.
For example, I would typically use just a tiny bit of milk for my cold brew coffee. This is with medium roasted coffee beans. When I use dark roasted coffee beans, I would add more milk to the cold brew coffee. This is to balance out the flavors of the coffee, but more on this later.
I do not recommend using a lightly roasted coffee bean for the making of cold brew coffee. The perfect flavor profile that these coffee beans usually have is not a fan of steeping for so long. The coffee will not taste great because these coffee beans don’t have the roast level to cut through the other coffee beans’ punchy flavors.
Can I use decaffeinated coffee beans for my cold brew?
Yes! It’s a great idea and will taste amazing as well. Decaffeinated coffee beans are used pretty often when brewing cold brew coffee.
Because of the tremendous amount of caffeine in regular cold brew coffee, some people like to use decaffeinated coffee to brew some cold brew coffee, myself included.
Decaffeinated coffee beans taste amazing when you find a coffee origin you like best. These coffee beans taste the same as caffeinated coffee beans, and you will not taste a difference when trying them out next to each other.
I recommend using decaffeinated coffee beans when you want to have a cold brew coffee later in the evening and still want to have a good night’s sleep.
What coffee grind is best for cold brew?
The best coffee grind size for cold brew coffee is a coarse grind. Because the cold brew coffee will steep for a long time, the coarse ground coffee beans help make sure you are not over-extracting your coffee.
When I first started making cold brew coffee, I used a medium to fine coffee grind for my cold brew coffee and let it steep for 18 hours. The cold brew was so bitter that I had to throw it out; even a lot of added milk didn’t help.
So I am here not to let you make the same mistake as I did. The coffee grind for cold brew coffee looks like this:
How do you filter cold brew coffee?
Filtering the cold brew coffee is the hardest part of the brewing process of cold brew coffee. I always brew my cold brew coffee in a French press. The French press has a great plunger with a filter at the bottom.
Most of the time, I will make cold brew coffee and fill up the French press to its max level. Then, after the cold brew has steeped for long enough, I will add the plunger and press it down. You will press the coffee grounds to the bottom, leaving you with a clean cold brew concentrate.
Don’t have a French press at home? Don’t worry; you’ll still be able to make cold brew coffee. The best way is to add the water and ground coffee to a large mug or any large enough container.
After the brewing process, grab a sieve and pour the cold brew concentrate into it. Ensure a clean mug or container is placed on the bottom to collect all of the delicious coffee.
Are you a fan of making cold brew coffee, and do you want a dedicated cold brew maker? I suggest clicking here!
This cold brew maker has a sieve inside the container, so you just have to remove this, and you have an excellent cold brew coffee.
How do you serve cold brew coffee?
How you serve cold brew coffee is all up to you. Some people like to enjoy their cold brew coffee a bit more diluted than others.
I would suggest filling up a nice tall glass with the cold brew concentrate to about half full. Then adding ice cubes to it and adding just a little bit of milk or milk substitute. You can also dilute the cold brew coffee by adding a bit of water.
You can also drink the cold brew as is. However, cold brew coffee has lots of caffeine, and drinking the cold brew concentrate like that will probably give you a caffeine high. So I always suggest diluting the cold brew coffee a bit.
Making Your Dream Coffee at home is all about trying out different coffees and finding out what you like. So I would try out some cold brew coffee with added milk and some with added water to give it a more natural coffee taste.
Are you interested in learning more about the serving of cold brew coffee? Check out my complete cold brew guide here!
Can cold brew coffee be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze cold brew coffee. If you’ve made too big a batch, you can quickly freeze some to save for a later date.
The best way to serve cold brew concentrate is to do so in an ice cube tray. The “ice cubes” can then be used when you want to serve your cold brew coffee. The coffee will be less diluted by adding these cold brew ice cubes than using water-based ice cubes.
Cold brew coffee to water ratio
The best cold brew coffee ratio is a 1:10 ratio of coffee to water. When I make cold brew using my French press, I will use 80 grams of coffee beans to about 3.5 cups (0.83 l) of water. It will fill the French press up to its max.
Down below, you can see how much coffee you’ll need to grind for the amount of coffee you want to brew:
| Amount of coffee beans | Amount of water |
| 24 grams of coffee | 1 cup (0.24 l) |
| 47 grams of coffee | 2 cups (0.47 l) |
| 71 grams of coffee | 3 cups (0.71 l) |
| 95 grams of coffee | 4 cups (0.95 l) |
Depending on how much cold brew coffee you would like to make at once, you can calculate how many coffee beans you’ll need for your amount.
This coffee to water ratio will give you a strong cold brew concentrate you will still need to dilute a little. However, you can always add more coffee beans to your cold brew if you still feel that the coffee tastes a bit too weak.
Why is cold brew so expensive?
Cold brew coffee is expensive because many coffee beans are used, and the brewing time is quite long. Let’s take an espresso; for example, the barista will need to use about half of the coffee beans, which will be made in under 30 seconds.
Cold brew coffee will need to steep for a long time to taste amazing and use double the number of coffee beans that other coffees use. This is why cold brew coffee is a lot more expensive than other coffees.
Conclusion
Wow! That was a fun article to write. Most of these questions that I have answered are questions that I had when I made cold brew coffee for the first time. These 13 questions and answers will help you to create excellent cold brew coffee.
If you’re getting excited to make some delicious cold brew recipes, you can have a look below for some inspiration.
Did I answer all your cold brew coffee questions? 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!
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