I know you are used to your regular hot brewing process day in day out. But let’s now break the monotony and give this cold brewing process a shot. That means, I’m going to teach you how to make coffee concentrate at home. Moreover, who knows, you might even never get back to your regular hot coffee drinks after this. Besides, this article will discuss how to use cold brew concentrate.
To make your coffee concentrate, coarsely grind your coffee beans and mix with water. Afterward, let the mixture steep overnight or for 14-18 hours. Strain your brew through a sieve and dilute it before serving.
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Cold Brew Vs. Cold Brew Concentrate
Typically, cold brew concentrate and cold brew are quite similar. The two cold brews go through the same cold brewing process, which involves steeping coarse coffee grounds in the water for several hours, then strain. The cold brewing process is slower and results in a rich and more flavorful brew than hot brewing.
Even so, the two cold, caffeinated drinks are not the same; one stands out more potent compared to the other. Let’s see how.
The cold coffee concentrate is highly intense compared to a usual cold brew. In other words, the concentrate is more flavorful and contains the highest caffeine content. And that’s the reason why you dilute it with water or milk before drinking. But for the cold brew coffee, you consume it the way it is without diluting.
Regarding coffee grounds to water ratio, a standard cold brew utilizes 1-ounce coffee grounds to 8-ounce water. This ratio implies that for 1/3 of a cup of coarse coffee ground, you use one cup of water.
When it comes to the cold brew concentrate ratio, you increase the coffee grounds quantity relative to water. For a mid-level cold coffee concentrate, combine 1.5-ounce coarse coffee grounds with 8-ounce water. If you are still a beginner in this coffee concentrate game, I advise you to begin with this ratio.
If you aim to make the strongest cold coffee concentrate, use this ratio: 2-ounce coffee grounds to 8-ounce water. Better still, 2/3 cup of ground coffee to 1 cup of water.
Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate Ingredients
To make your cold brew coffee concentrate, you need:
- 2/3 cup of coarse coffee grounds
- 1 cup of cold water
Note that you can use any coffee beans type or grounds to prepare this concentrate. Even so, the coarse grind size is the most suitable. You can also adjust ingredient amounts to suit the brew size you wish to prepare.
How to Make Coffee Concentrate
Follow these 5 steps when preparing your cold brew coffee concentrate:
1: Mix Your Coarsely Ground Coffee with Water and Stir
Pour your coarse coffee grounds into a large bowl. Take your cold water and gradually add to them. Thereafter, stir the mixture to combine. You can decide to use store-bought grounds or buy your favorite beans and coarse-grind them yourself.
2: Allow to Steep
Cover your bowl with cheesecloth and leave it to steep at room temperature for about 14-18 hours. With Starbucks, their cold brew steeps for about 20 hours. Personally, my cold coffee concentrate stands for about 15 hours.
Therefore, I can say it’s up to you to decide on how long you want to steep your cold brew. Just bear in mind that the longer your cold brew takes to steep, the bitter and stronger it becomes.
3: Strain
Pull out the cheesecloth from your bowel and line it on a fine-mesh sieve placed on a large pitcher. Strain your coffee using the sieve into the jug. Don’t stir your concentrate; it will make your coffee cloudy. If you don’t have a cheesecloth, feel free to use coffee filters, a nut milk bag, or a clean handkerchief.
4: Transfer Your Cold Coffee Concentrate into a Reserved Jar and Store
Take your cold brew and pour it through a sieve lined with a coffee filter into a reserved jar. At this point, you may decide to get on and drink your cold brew coffee concentrate or store it in the fridge. Make sure you keep it chilled all the time.
5: Prepare to Drink
When you are ready to drink your cold coffee concentrate, put some ice cubes into a glass. Take ½ cup of the cold brew coffee concentrate and dilute it with ½ cup of water or milk, then add the mixture to the glass with ice cubes. If you like, you can add in a sweetener and stir. Fix your straw and enjoy your caffeinated drink while you are still alive.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best grind size for cold brew coffee concentrate, and how do you tell if the grind is correct?
The ideal grind for your cold brew concentrate is a coarse coffee grind. You can tell if your coffee beans grind is of the required size by observing how fast your brew drains. If the grind size is too fine, it can cause your coffee to drip at an extremely low speed. Some grounds may even clog the filter.
Do I need a specific cold brew coffee maker?
You can make your cold brew with or without a specified cold brew coffee maker. Even so, using a cold brew coffee maker would yield better results than when cold brewing without it. That’s because it evenly disperses water across the coffee grounds and helps you with filtering.
How long should I allow my cold brew coffee to steep?
Anywhere between 14-18 hours will give you excellent results. Just ensure you don’t go into the 20–24-hour range. It may give you some unfavorable woody notes in your coffee. If you need an intense profile, my advice is you dilute less instead of steeping longer than the recommended time.
How long does a cold brew concentrate last after making it?
If you refrigerate the concentrate well, it lasts for 7-14 days. But the earlier you consume your cold brew concentrate, the better. I am sure you wouldn’t want to drink something that is not fresh and tastes off.
How do you serve cold coffee concentrate?
You can dilute it with water or milk and ice. You can also use it as your shot of espresso version for some coffee recipes like maple pecan latte and crème egg Frappuccino.
Final Thoughts
You already have all it takes to make your fresh cold coffee concentrate at home. No more money wasted on ready-made cold brews that you don’t even know how long they have stayed on the shelf. This post is here to guide you every step of the way, and I will be glad to hear you made it.