It’s red hot outside, you’ve been up early and already necked a flat white first thing and you’re in need of your second coffee of the day but the thought of a hot drink in this weather is unthinkable.

Just like your regular delicious filter coffee except this guy is cold and refreshing.

Cold brew coffee is still relatively young. It was popularised around the world (especially in warmer climates) around 10 years ago but has never really been able to compete with the sales of its warmer older brother. 

This may be because coffee is considered a hot drink and much like drinking a warm beer (provoking memories of my Grandad handing me a beer straight out of the cupboard) the thought of a cold coffee scares people away. 

Brewing coffee as a cold brew can highlight flavour profiles that regular hot-water brew methods can’t achieve. The coffee is ground coarse and is sometimes submerged for hours creating a whole different method of extraction and resulting in a smoother, less bitter tasting coffee. 

There are a few different ways of making cold brew coffee at home (check out our guide on cold brew coffee machines). Here are a couple of our favourites;

1. Kilner Jar Cold Brew

Out of all the homemade cold brew methods, this is probably the easiest and most popular. It requires a large container like a kilner jar but any liquid holding vessel will suffice plus a cheesecloth or filter paper.

Brew Ratio: 1 to 17.5

1. Grind the coffee coarse. You’re aiming for just coarser than a french press setting.

2. Add the coarse ground coffee to the Kilner Jar then pour over the cold water. Try and use a container that just fits the coffee and water mix in so the amount of air is reduced.

3. Gently stir the mixture so all the coffee is submerged in the water.

4. Screw the lid on and place it in a shaded area for 12-24 hours*.

5. Gently pour all of the mixture over the cheesecloth or filter paper (the gentler the better as you’re aiming to keep as much of the grinds at the bottom of the kilner jar as possible, so the filter doesn’t clog).

6. Refrigerate the filtered coffee and then pour over ice to serve.

* The brew time is really down to the particular coffee and your preference. Taste the coffee after 12 hours and see if you think it needs longer to extract.

2. French Press Cold Brew

The French press cold brew method is arguably the simplest as long as you have a cafetiere and it’s big enough for the amount you’d like to make.

Brew Ratio: 1 to 18

1. Grind the coffee coarse. You’re aiming for just coarser than a french press setting.

2. Add the ground coffee to the French Press then pour over the cold water. Depending on the size of your cafetiere aim for the mixture to just fit, for example, if you have a 500ml French press you need 25g coffee and 450ml water. 

3. Gently agitate the mixture so all the coffee is submerged in the water.

4. Cover with the lid so the plunger is fully extended for 12-24 hours.

5. Gently plunge the French press, you’re aiming for all the grounds to be sitting on the bottom.

6. Pour the brewed coffee, gently again into a jar and whack into the fridge to later serve over ice.

* The brew time is really down to the particular coffee and your preference. Taste the coffee after 12 hours and see if you think it needs longer to extract.

You can also use a French Press to make a Cascara tea. What is Cascara?

3. Aeropress Cold Brew

This is a quick fix cold brew method that takes around 2 minutes altogether. It makes a delicious clean cup but can take a little tweaking depending on the coffee you use. 

Brew Ratio: 1 to 9

1. Grind the coffee to a medium/fine setting. You’re aiming for something similar to what you would use for a Moka pot. 

2. Set up your Aeropress in its regular position sat over a coffee cup with a presoaked filter in place. 

3. Empty in the grinds and pour over the cold water. 

4. Stir the Aeropress for 1 minute. 

5. Gently plunge the Aeropress and serve with a few ice cubes.

4. Japanese Cold Brew

Like the Aeropress method above this is a quick fix cold brew method using a pour-over method like a V60, Chemex or Kalita Wave. The method uses hot water so technically isn’t cold brewing however the filtered coffee immediately cools when it hits the ice in the server which locks in certain flavours.

Brew Ratio: 1 to 16.5

1. Grind the coffee to a medium level, the same as you would for a regular pour-over.

2. Add the ice into the server and rest the pour-over method with a presoaked filter on top. 

3. Add the ground coffee and start extracting the coffee using your pour-over recipe.

4. Give the brewed coffee and ice mixture a swirl and serve.

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