What is a cold brew coffee?
Well, it is just an exceptional way to drink coffee, of course! A cold brew coffee is brewed with cold water over the course of an ideal 24 hours. It holds the integrity of the coffee bean while delivering a delicious taste. This one is for my iced coffee lovers who want actual coffee in their drink rather than 80% ice.
So why choose cold brewed coffee over a hot brewed coffee?
When a coffee is brewed with heat, it extracts the oils from the coffee bean, resulting in a cup of coffee with considerable levels of acidity. Though some people may like the acidity in a cup of joe, it may be an irritable factor for people with stomach issues. Cold brew, on the other hand, can deliver a cup of coffee with 67% less acid with a smooth, balanced taste.
So how do I go about making cold brew coffee?
The first step is finding a coffee bean you like. This can be something light or dark, because at the end of the day, you will be the one drinking it. I chose a Peruvian coffee bean from my local bulk store. I bought 4 ounces of coffee for this batch.
Then I grinding the coffee bean in coarsest setting possible. This is critical for our homemade filter method! Transfer the ground coffee into a bowl. This is what is should look like after.
The strength of your coffee will take some trial and error, but I have decided to do a 4:3 coffee (in ounces) to water ratio. Make sure to use filtered water so you can avoid any metallic taste that can come from sink water. You will want to pour 3 cups of water slowly into the coarse coffee so that everything is introduced to the water.
The hardest part! You will want to cover the bowl with a towel and leave it undisturbed for at least 24 hours. This time length is necessary since cold water will take longer to extract the coffee flavors from the bean as opposed to hot water.
When the 24 hours are up, you need to strain your coffee through a fine-meshed strainer into another bowl.
Then, you will want to do another strain. This time to get the smaller coffee bits. All you need is a damp paper towel over your strainer. Then pour your coffee over it.
There you have it! Cold-brewed coffee that will be good for at least 2 weeks! To drink, I usually dissolve my sugar in the minimum amount of hot water then I add 4 ounces of cold brew. I top that off with a splash of milk. I would suggest keeping your coffee in a sealed container. If you about that hipster life, you can keep it in a mason jar.
