So after years of not bothering, I finally bought a cold brew setup. I followed the directions and put 2 cups of coarse ground beans in the filter insert, and then put in as much water as would fit in the jar. I let it steep in the fridge for about 30 hours. That ended up making about 3 pints of cold brew coffee.
I just had my first glass of iced coffee from it, and I’m really underwhelmed. Mostly the economy of it. I used enough beans to make 10 pints of hot coffee based on my normal pour over method, and I only got 3 pints out of it. I’d always thought that was fine, because the cold brew is supposed to be diluted. There is no way I could dilute what came out. I’d just end up with cloudy water. It tasted fine, mostly like cold water with a bit of coffee flavor. Nothing sour or harsh, but I want more coffee flavor, not less. Or is this whole cold brew iced coffee thing just a trick for people to drink a big glass of whole milk and sugar, with a bit of caffeine in it?
So what am I doing wrong?
My first guess is that I actually used too many beans, despite the instructions. To be clear, it was 2 cups of un-ground beans, which I ground up and put in the filter. That completely filled the filter. Should I use fewer beans so they aren’t packed as tight? Then I’ll be able to stir it a bit after adding the coffee.
Should I let it steep longer? Considering no unpleasant tastes came out of the beans in 30 hours, I could try going to 48 and see what happens.
I’d appreciate advice and information about how other people do cold brewed coffee. My main goal is to have black iced coffee without the trouble of cooling off hot coffee.
I recently bought this cold-brew maker.
They say to use 12-14 scoops of coffee, which is around 50% more than my drip coffee maker would use, but I have found that 8-10 scoops seems to work just fine.
I drink most of my coffee cold, with Silk Protein, so I may not be as picky as some coffee snobs.
I haven’t tried making cold brew at home, but I had a similar reaction when coffee presses were having their moment. “You mean I need to use twice as much coffee to make something half as good?” I love my old school automatic drip coffeemaker. If I want hot coffee in the morning, I set it up on the timer the night before. If I want iced coffee, I brew it the night before and stick it in the fridge. Either way, I get a satisfying cup of coffee without too much waste or work–and I do drink it black.
A long time ago a friend of mine got a thing called a Toddy Coffee Maker, in which you put a whole can (the biggest size can you could buy at the store) of ground coffee into the maker, added water, and let it do its thing for 24 hours…or something like that. What you got was really concentrated coffee–about a 16 oz glass jar full–and you made hot coffee out of it by putting a measure–about a tablespoon–into your coffee cup and then adding hot water. And it was the best coffee I had ever had. Very smooth, no bite.
Of course I was like 22 at the time and had not yet experienced Jamaica BLue Mountain. But for instant coffee, it was great.
I think the cold brew stuff you see today is different. Not as concentrated.
Thirty hours is WAY too long to steep. Remember the device produces a coffee concentrate. You dilute it with hot water. Done correctly, the coffee is excellent.
Always just used a glass bowl. Set it on the counter, dump in the grounds (1/4 cup coarse per 8 ounces water), pour in the appropriate amount of water, and let it steep overnight. Then strain through a very fine mesh.
The concentrate is the problem. Everybody says it’s a concentrate, but I just didn’t find that. The next day, so 24 hours after removing the grounds, it seemed to be more concentrated. I had a cold glass that was about 50/50 coffee and water and it was ok. The cold brew seemed to get darker, too. I’m not sure how that works, so maybe I’m just imagining it.
My goal is to have something like iced tea, but coffee, you know? So put some ice in a glass, pour in a few ounces of the cold brew, and then top it off with water to get a cold summer drink.
Maybe cold brew is making something with the wrong flavor profile, so I’m just thinking it isn’t strong enough. I like the bitter part of coffee, but not the sour part.