Make Cold Brew Coffee Even Easier With These 10 Products
I've always been an iced coffee girl. Even when it was 2°F and snowing, you could spot me walking to class holding a Dunkin iced coffee in my gloved hand. After I graduated college and didn't have an excuse to go buy iced coffee every day, I tried making it at home, but it was always tedious and not as tasty as I was used to. Reluctantly, I started drinking hot coffee.
Then, I found out about cold brew coffee.
What is cold brew coffee?
Cold brew coffee, as the name suggests, is coffee that has been brewed in cold or room temperature water. It is made by steeping coarsely ground coffee beans in cool water for 12 to 24 hours and then straining. This produces a coffee concentrate that is then diluted with water, milk, or both. It can be served hot but is usually served over ice. Cold brew coffee has a higher caffeine content than traditionally brewed coffee and often tastes less acidic.
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
Cold brewing coffee is incredibly easy to do at home. You'll need:
- Coarsely ground coffee (My personal ratio calls for 6 oz. by weight.)
- Cool water (I use 3 cups or 24 oz.)
- A container (Make sure it is big enough to hold all your water and grounds.)
- A coffee filter, fine-mesh sieve, or some other way to strain out the coffee grounds.
To brew the coffee:
- Place your coffee grounds into the container and pour the water on top.
- Place the lid onto the container tightly and give the whole thing a good shake to make sure all the grounds are wet.
- Let the coffee steep for 12-16 hours out on the counter at room temperature or 18-24 hours in the fridge.
- After the coffee is done steeping, carefully strain out the grounds by pouring the contents of the brewing container through the sieve or filter and into another container. You may want to do this filtering process twice, depending on your filter.
Then, you'll have cold brew concentrate that you will need to dilute with water, milk, or both. How much you'll need to dilute the concentrate depends on your personal tastes.
My personal ratio of 6 oz of coffee to 3 cups of water is what works for me, but feel free to experiment if you find that you like your concentrate weaker or stronger than I do!
Products That Make Cold Brewing Coffee Even Easier
As easy as it is to make cold brew coffee, it can be even easier if you have the right tools! Here are some products to try if you're looking to simplify your cold brew experience, even while enhancing it:
1. Compact Cold Brew Maker
This small, compact cold brew maker from OXO is actually my preferred brewer. When you place the included glass container below the brewer, it automatically filters the coffee for no-mess and no-hassle brewing. It yields enough coffee for just me for about a week. It is easy to take apart and clean, just make sure that you close it as tight as possible to prevent leaking.
2. Two Quart Maker
If you have more than one person drinking coffee or would just like a bigger batch, this Takeya Cold Brew Maker has a 2-quart capacity. It features a removable fine mesh filter that the coffee is held in, so there's no pouring to filter. After the 12 to 24 hour steep time is over, just remove the filter and replace the airtight lid to store the coffee until you're ready to serve.
3. Gallon Size Cold Brew Maker
If you have a lot of coffee drinkers at home, or just drink a lot more coffee than me, you may be interested in this gallon-sized cold brew maker from Original Grind Co. It comes with a removable filter like the 2-liter Takeya brand maker, so all you need to do when your brewing time is up is remove the filter from the container. The spigot on the container (that reviewers recommend tightening with a wrench) makes for easy serving when you're ready to drink.
4. Single-Serve Cold Brew Maker
With this cold brew maker from Primula, you brew your coffee in the same container you drink it from, saving you time and dishwasher space. This brewer features the same removable filter concept as the previous two makers, just on a smaller scale. Place your coffee and water into the bottle, set it in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours, and then remove the filter and grounds. You're ready to prepare your coffee with ice, milk, and sugar the way you like it.
5. Cheesecloth Bags
If you don't want to buy a whole new container to brew your coffee in, try these cheesecloth bags. They work just like the filters in most makers. Just place your coarse coffee grounds into the bag, tie it closed, and place the bag into a container of water. Then, remove the bag and dispose of the grounds. The best part is that cheesecloths are washable and reusable.
6. Food Scale
Since I measure my ratio of coffee-to-water by weight, a food scale is essential to my setup. If you're looking for accuracy in your coffee making, invest in a food scale! I also find measuring the weight of things to be easier than using measuring cups and spoons.
7. Electric Grinder
You can buy your coffee already ground, but some of the best taste comes from freshly ground coffee beans. Additionally, some beans are only sold whole, and if you want to make a cold brew out of those specific beans, you'll need to grind them yourself. If you're grinding a large number of beans, you'll want an electric grinder, as hand grinding takes a lot of effort. I recommend the Bodum Bistro Burr Coffee Grinder because burr grinders preserve the flavor and aroma of beans better than blade grinders, and it is the one I personally use.
8. Airtight Containers
One way I make my coffee experience easy is by buying my beans or grounds in large quantities. I save money, and I don't have to visit the store as often. In order to preserve the freshness and flavor of my coffee, I use airtight containers to store it.
9. Single Serve Brew Bags
When I'm staying with family or friends and can't bring all my coffee accessories with me, I like to pack single serve brew bags. You use one disposable bag per one cup of water and let it sit in the fridge overnight. My favorite is brewbike Cinnamon Sugar flavor, but there are a ton of single-serve and pitcher size brew bags to choose from. These brew bags are also excellent for students who live in dorms and don't have a ton of space.
10. Bottomless Coffee
Though Bottomless is more of a service than a product, they're one of the main reasons making coffee at home has become a breeze. Bottomless provides you with a scale to place your coffee on and automatically orders more for you when it detects that you're running low. I have never run out of coffee thanks to this service, and that is why it's one of my essential coffee tools.
I hope these products can make your coffee routine easy and save you time and money. If you're missing those fun coffeehouse flavors though, you'll be happy to know that you can buy flavored syrups like vanilla and caramel to use at home! Happy brewing!
Opinions and Perspectives
Be careful with the glass containers. Lost my first batch to a crack in the pitcher.
The article makes it sound so easy. Might finally give it a try this weekend.
After three months of making my own, I actually prefer it to store bought now.
These methods all seem great but sometimes I just miss my barista's perfect brew.
Still getting used to the taste difference but my stomach definitely appreciates it.
My partner and I argue about dilution ratios. Guess it really is about personal taste.
Anyone tried adding spices to their grounds? Cinnamon has been great in mine.
Started cold brewing to save money. Now saving about $100 a month on coffee shops!
Thanks for including the ratio details. My previous attempts were always hit or miss.
The Bottomless subscription sounds convenient but I prefer choosing my beans each time.
Been doing this for years with just a mason jar and strainer. Works just fine!
These are great suggestions but I wish they included more budget-friendly options.
Remember to clean your grinder regularly. Made that mistake and it affected the taste.
Using this method for my coffee shop. Customers love the smooth taste of cold brew.
True about mason jars but the specialized makers make filtering so much easier.
Surprised the article doesn't mention mason jars. They work perfectly fine for cold brew.
I combine the cold brew with protein shakes for my post-workout drink. Works great!
The Primula seems perfect for my tiny kitchen. Thanks for including smaller options!
Tried reusing grounds once. Don't bother. Second batch was super weak and flavorless.
Anyone know if you can reuse the grounds for a second batch? Hate being wasteful.
Made my first batch yesterday following these instructions. Turned out perfect!
Never thought about storing beans in airtight containers. That explains why mine taste stale so quickly.
Actually, it's way less work than making hot coffee every morning. Just prep once for the whole week.
Think I'll stick to my daily coffee shop run. This seems like too much work.
Appreciate the tip about coarse grounds. Made the mistake of using fine once and it was a mess.
The Takeya is good but watch out for the filter. Mine started falling apart after 6 months.
Started making cold brew to save money but now I prefer it to regular coffee.
Just tried the cinnamon sugar brew bags. Game changer for my morning routine!
They absolutely work with decaf! I make both regular and decaf batches for afternoon cravings.
Wonder if these methods work well with decaf beans too? Looking to cut back on caffeine.
I find 18 hours in the fridge gives the perfect strength for my taste.
My cold brew always ends up too weak. Going to try the ratio suggested here next time.
The food scale seemed unnecessary until I tried it. Now I can't imagine making cold brew without it.
Yes! I heat up my cold brew concentrate in winter. Tastes smoother than regular hot coffee.
Anyone tried making hot coffee from cold brew concentrate? Curious if it's any good.
Been using the single serve bags for my dorm room. Totally beats the dining hall coffee!
I actually prefer using my French press for cold brew. Works just as well and I already own it.
Just ordered the OXO maker after reading this. Fingers crossed it lives up to the hype!
Does anyone else add a pinch of salt to their grounds? Really helps cut the bitterness.
Can't believe I've been paying for cold brew all this time when it's so simple to make at home.
Love cold brew but hate cleaning the containers. The cheesecloth option might be my solution.
The double filtering makes a huge difference in clarity. Try it once and you'll see what I mean.
Do you really need to filter it twice? I usually just do it once and it seems fine.
My roommate and I split the cost of the 2-quart maker. Best decision ever for our morning routines.
Six ounces of coffee seems excessive. I use half that amount and it turns out fine.
Started making cold brew to save money but honestly prefer the taste now to coffee shop versions.
I love that these methods require zero electricity. Perfect for camping or power outages.
Interesting that cold brew has more caffeine. No wonder I was bouncing off the walls when I didn't dilute it enough!
The article mentions flavored syrups but does anyone have recommendations for sugar-free options?
Been using my scale for years and totally agree it's essential. Measuring by volume just isn't accurate enough.
I'm skeptical about leaving coffee out at room temperature for brewing. Isn't the fridge method safer?
For a family of four coffee drinkers, the gallon size is perfect. We go through it in less than a week.
Anyone else think the gallon size is overkill? Seems like the coffee would go stale before you could drink it all.
Just got those airtight containers and they're fantastic. My coffee stays fresh so much longer now.
Yes! The lower acidity is exactly why I switched. Haven't had coffee heartburn since.
Does anyone else find cold brew less acidic? My stomach definitely prefers it to regular iced coffee.
The Primula single-serve looks perfect for my office desk. No more spending $5 every morning!
I've been using regular store-bought ground coffee for my cold brew. Would switching to freshly ground beans make that big of a difference?
Trust me, the burr grinder makes a huge difference. You get much more consistent grounds which really affects the final taste.
Not sure about investing in a burr grinder. Is it really worth the extra money compared to a regular blade grinder?
Those single serve bags are perfect for travel! Wish I knew about these during my last vacation.
The Bottomless subscription service sounds interesting but I'm worried about the cost. Anyone know the pricing?
I still prefer hot coffee personally. Cold brew just doesn't give me the same satisfaction.
Thanks for the tip about tightening the spigot with a wrench on the gallon maker. Saved me from a potential mess!
My Takeya pitcher has been life-changing. I make a batch on Sunday and I'm set for the whole week.
The ratio of 6 oz coffee to 3 cups water seems like a lot. I usually use much less coffee but maybe that's why mine always tastes weak.
Never thought of using cheesecloth bags. That's such a smart budget-friendly option!
I tried cold brew once but found it too strong. Now I realize I probably wasn't diluting the concentrate enough.
I've been using the OXO compact for 6 months now and absolutely love it! Super easy to clean and the coffee tastes amazing.
The OXO compact maker looks perfect for my needs. Anyone tried it? Would love to hear real experiences before buying.
This is exactly what I needed! I've been spending way too much on coffee shop cold brew lately. Time to start making my own at home.