How To Make The Perfect Cold Brew At Home

July 18, 2019

Being a coffee drinker, it has never been about the caffeine for me (even if I am a miserable morning person). It’s the ritual, the taste, and the aroma that get me excited for a good cuppa joe. And as the temperature gets warmer and the weather becomes less gloomy, I start to transition from brewing my own morning coffee to buying iced coffee at coffee shops. And if there’s a type of iced coffee that I get really excited for on a hot sunny day, it’s cold brew coffee.

What is cold brew coffee anyways?

Think of cold brew coffee as the much cooler sibling to what regular iced coffee would have been if it had any trace of personality–the latter is basically watered-down bunkum. But I know what you’re thinking, iced coffee saves time. And does anyone even really know how to make cold brew coffee? Well, it turns out it’s not that hard, and it really doesn’t take a lot of your effort or time.

What makes cold brew coffee better than iced coffee?

But first, what exactly makes cold brew better, you ask? The main difference is that cold brew is brewed with cold water, and iced coffee is brewed with hot water. So the immediate difference is the iced coffee has to be diluted, as it’s poured over ice whereas cold brew is steeped in coarse ground coffee for about twelve hours. This also means that more caffeine is eventually extracted–more buzz, more win!

And if you’re not a fan of bright coffee–aka a fancy way to say acidic–cold brew is definitely the way to go as it’s not subjected to the intense heat of boiling water, which tends to make coffee more bitter. In short, this method of making iced coffee is not diluted, is easier on the stomach, sweeter, and has more caffeine!

How to make delicious cold brew coffee at home.

Because cold brew coffee needs to steep for at least twelve hours, it’s a good idea to prepare this before going to bed, so that you wake up with a delicious, aromatic cup of cold buzz. To make it, you can use a French press, mason jar, or any container–just make sure it has a sealable lid! And make sure not to over-grind the coffee, as too thin of a grind can result in cloudy coffee.

What you need:

1 cup coarsely ground coffee
4 cups cold water

How to prepare:

Add the coffee grounds into a French press or jar and pour in the water. Stir to make sure the coffee grounds are fully saturated.
If using a French press, cover, leave the plunger up, and store in the fridge for twelve hours. If using a mason jar, cover with lid and store in the fridge for twelve hours.
Press the plunger down in the French press and pour out the coffee into another container. If using a mason jar, pour into another container through a sieve to filter out the coffee grounds.
Pour over ice cubes and add your favourite sweetener and milk to serve.

Because cold brew coffee has much lower acidity, it should stay fresh in the fridge for a good week. But chances are, it won’t last that long (it’s too delicious)!

Find your favourite coffee at Spud and make your own cold brew at home! But if you really aren’t much of a “coffee maker” at home, shop our selection and have it delivered to you.

Have you tried making cold brew at home? Let us know your thoughts and how you make it!

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Daniel Huang

Daniel is a Digital Marketing and Content Strategist at SPUD. He graduated from UBC with a degree in English and International Relations with a focus on environmental topics. A wordsmith by day and a bookman by night, he's a self-proclaimed gastronomic snob, a buck-a-shuck addict, a sub-par skier, and a devoted kingsguard of the oxford comma. He also frequents the dog park with a schnauzer named Duke. | Instagram: @dannnyellow