This may the least expensive way for the Bean Team to make delicious cold-brew coffee at home. There is really no need to spend money on a single-purpose gadget if you already have a gadget that can be pressed into double duty. What gadget? For making cold-brew: a French press!

• A French Press (at least 34 oz. size) is ideal for making CBC. If you don't have one, you can use a mason jar or some other properly sized food safe container. From here on out we'll call it the “brewing vessel.”
• Coffee (142 g. or 5 oz.): Medium-dark roast (we use our Sumatra), coarsely ground, roughly the texture of sea salt.
• Water (850 g. or 30 oz.): Use cool, fresh water. 
• Spoon or spatula: For stirring the concentrate while it's steeping.

If your brewing vessel holds more or less than 34 oz., don’t worry about it….with Coach's CBC Ratio of 1:6 you can easily adjust. That's 1 part coffee to 6 parts water by weight. Example: 300 g. coffee to 1800 g. water.

KEY: Use a scale and measure the water and the coffee grounds with it. Do not use volume measurements (Cups, Ounces, Scoops...those are all volumes).

Brewing Process: 
Start 18 hours earlier than the time you plan to finish. Coach typically starts at 4:00 pm so he can filter at 10:00 am the next day.

1. Combine coffee grounds and water into the brewing vessel. First the grounds then add the water. It’s critical that all the grounds are fully saturated. You're going to need to stir a few times.
2. Stir Periodically: Stir the mixture every ten-ish minutes until the grounds are fully saturated. How can you tell? A cake of grounds is no longer floating at the top of the vessel.
3. Cover and Steep: After the final stir, cover the vessel with an appropriate lid and let the mixture steep at room temperature. (It’s called cold-brew because you don't use hot water. Do not put this in the fridge to steep unless you want to extend the steeping time to a full 24 hours.)

• IF you’ve used a French Press, gently press the plunger all the way down and trap the grounds at the bottom. Pour the CBC into a container and refrigerate. This should yield about 26-28 ounces of CBC. (Some water is absorbed by the grounds. Consider it a gift to the grounds.)
• Pressless brewing vessel? No worries. Strain the grounds out through the metal or paper filter you use with a drip coffee machine. This may take a little longer, but the result will be worth it!

Serving Your Cold Brew:
Remember, you've just brewed a concentrate. Drink it straight in an emergency only. For less dire situations, dilute it with water before imbibing. How diluted? Start with a 1:2 ratio of concentrate to water and then adjust according to your preference. Cold brew is best when served over ice.

 

 

Storage:
Your CBC will stay fresh and tasty in a sealed container in the refrigerator for at least 21 days. Coach has tested it up to 34 days with no loss in quality, so sip neither hurry nor worry.

Bottoms Up!