How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Advantages of Cold Brew Coffee

Making Cold Brew Coffee in KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffeemaker

Cold brew coffee is all the rage these days.  I have seen jugs of cold brew coffee for sale at the grocery store and have tried several types.  Recently I noticed that the local coffee shop lets you fill a growler with cold brew concentrate and take it home.

So why all the hype about cold brew coffee?

Unlike regular hot brewed coffee, cold brewed coffee is made at low temperature in a refrigerator and uses long exposure to the coffee grounds.  Cold brew coffee might brew for 24 hours in cold water instead of "regular" hot brewed coffee which brews for 5 minutes in hot water.

Cold brew coffee tastes different than "regular" hot brewed coffee, even if you use the exact same coffee grounds to make it.  Cold brew coffee is less acidic and is more mellow.  I like the idea of exploring new coffee experiences with new brewing methods.

Another difference between cold brew coffee and regular coffee is that cold brewing produces concentrated coffee.  Cold brew coffee concentrate is ideal for making iced coffee drinks since it is cold and since melting ice does not water it down in your iced coffee drink.

You can also use concentrated cold brew coffee to make hot coffee.  Just add 1 part cold brew concentrate to 3 parts hot water.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

My wife picked up a KitchenAid cold brew coffee maker to make coffee concentrate for her iced coffee drinks.



The first thing I noticed about the cold brew coffee maker is that there is no power cord.  You don't need power to run a cold brew coffee maker.  You put lots of coffee grounds in the filter, fill it with water, and then let the coffee brew at cold temperature for 12 to 24 yours in your refrigerator or on your countertop.

The next think I noticed is that this thing takes a lot of coffee grounds!  The instructions call for 250g of coffee grounds and 1 Liter of cold water.  I ran my coffee grinder a few times to produce the amount of coffee grounds needed.  I made a blend of Bluebird "Extra Chirps" Blend and Cafe Fair Machu Picchu.  This took several runs with my Mr. Coffee simple blade coffee grinder.

The process of making cold brew coffee is pretty simple:

• Grind some coffee beans, or you can use ground coffee.  
• Fill the metal filter up to the line with coffee grounds, about 250g.
• Add 1 L of cold water, pouring it over the coffee grounds in the filter.
• After the grounds "bloom", add a bit more water- about 1/4 L.
• Use a spoon to press any dry grounds down into the water.
• Let it brew for 12 to 24 hours in your refrigerator.

Cold Brew Coffeemaker in Refrigerator

After brewing is complete, carefully lift the filter filled with grounds out of the coffeemaker and dispose of the grounds.  You can lift the filter up part way and tilt it against the side of the opening to let all of the liquid drain out of the filter basket before removing it.

Draining the Cold Brew Filter

Of course you don't need to wait 12 to 24 hours for your coffee to brew every day.  Once you have brewed the cold brew concentrate, you can simply dispense some from your cold brew coffee maker whenever you want coffee.  The KitchenAid cold brew coffeemaker has a handy dispenser on the tank.

I like the idea of being able to brew my own cold brew coffee at home instead of buying it at a store or coffee shop.  For one thing, I can try my own blends of ground coffee.  I can also experiment with different brewing times and temperatures.

If you are looking for a new way to enjoy coffee, give cold brewing a try!


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