Cold brew concentrate — smooth, low-acid iced coffee
4
Units:
Prep: 5 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarsely ground coffee
- 4 cup cold filtered water
A smooth, low-acid coffee concentrate brewed slowly in the fridge with zero heat. The concentrate keeps up to two weeks, so one weekend brew is a whole week of instant iced coffee.
Instructions
- Combine: Stir the coarsely ground coffee and cold water together in a jar or pitcher.
- Cover and steep: Cover and refrigerate 12-24 hr. Longer = stronger.
- Strain: Pour through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper filter into a clean jar.
- Store: Cap tightly and keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
- Serve: Dilute 1:1 with water or milk over ice. Adjust to taste.
Tips
- Use a coarse grind (French-press texture) — fine grinds over-extract and make cloudy coffee.
- 12 hr = balanced flavor; 24 hr = maximum strength.
- Sweeten with simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, dissolved) — granulated sugar does not dissolve in cold coffee.
- A dedicated cold-brew maker ($15-25) simplifies straining, but a Mason jar + paper filter is all you truly need.
Created: 3/23/2026, 2:37:41 AM diyfree
Large jar or pitcher (2 qt), fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth or paper filter