How to make cold-brew coffee at home

If you thought cold-brew coffee was low-tech, think again. Medicinalmixology.com offers an eight-point guide to cold-brewing coffee.
Science of coffee: cold-brew making at London Coffee Festival
19 June 2014

You will need:

Coffee (1lb bag), large glass jug, cheesecloth, funnel, French press, pitcher or large bowl, filtered water

Tips:

Use good-quality single-origin coffee.

Select a coffee that has been roasted three to 14 days before you grind the beans.

Grind the beans immediately before making the cold brew.

The jug should be large enough to hold 10 cups of water and 1lb of ground coffee beans.

Step-by-step process

It takes 12 to 16 hours, so start making the cold-brew the day before.

1. Grind the beans at a coarse grind. It is important that the beans are ground so the particle size is still rather large… which makes for a longer extraction.

2. Put the ground coffee into the jug.

3. Add half the water and swirl so all the grounds are saturated and wet. Add the rest of the water.

4. After all the water has been added gently turn the jug one last time before storing away. If you have no lid, cover with clingfilm and bind with rubber bands.

5. Allow the coffee to steep at room temperature for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 16. During the steeping time give the jug a shake every now and then.

6. Use a two-step filtration method.

First filtering: pour the coffee-saturated water directly from the jug into a French press. Press down to complete the first filter. Pour the resulting liquid into a large bowl.

Second filtering: fold the cheesecloth several times to make a thick square. Place the cheesecloth inside the top of a large funnel, then put the funnel in the mouth of the (now cleaned) jug you originally used for steeping the coffee. Pour the filtered coffee from the bowl into the cheesecloth-lined funnel. Once the coffee has been filtered again (to remove any small sediment), put the jug in the refrigerator.

7. Enjoy. The coffee extract should be diluted with each serving. Some shops pour a 50-50 concentration of coffee to water extract. A 70-30 mix will give a strong brew. Add milk if necessary.

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