(Hello again to Trent, who is trying out for a spot on the Re-Nest editorial team. His first post on Tankless Water Heaters can be found here and comments are welcome.)
After biking to work during these humid Southern summer days, the last thing I want is a hot cup of coffee. But like most folks, I need something to get me going in the morning. Making ice coffee the usual way, with a coffee maker or French press (over ice), uses energy, requires added equipment, creates unwanted heat and even cracks the occasional pint glass! I was at a loss until last month, when a friend told me about cold brew coffee.
Cold brew coffee requires nothing more than some ground coffee grounds, an old spaghetti jar, a filter of sorts and some planning ahead. This method works great with just about any coffee and produces a wonderful flavor, without the bitterness associated with less expensive beans.
There are a few recipes online with conflicting coffee-to-water ratios, but in my experience, just about any combination of coffee and water, left over night in the fridge, seems to work! I typically put a quantity of medium-course grinds in a spaghetti jar, fill it up with water, shake, and let it sit for a couple days in my fridge. When you're ready for a cup, simply filter it through a coffee filter, or a fine strainer, dilute to taste, and enjoy over ice. I'd also like to try fastening some cheese cloth over the jar for an instant as-you-pour filter. If anyone tries this, let me know if it works!
For those who prefer a more precise recipe, here's one compliments of the New York Times:
1. In a jar, stir together 1/3 cup (medium-course grind is best) coffee and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight or 12 hours.
2. Strain twice through a coffee filter, a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. In a tall glass filled with ice, mix equal parts coffee concentrate and water, or to taste. If desired, add milk.
-Trent
Fantastic idea, I've been forgoing my morning brew more often than not due to summer heat- and find myself splurging on an iced coffee in the am way more than I can really afford to. I'll have to give this a try!
view stella24's profile
Excellent suggestion, especially with how hot this summer has been. I should make one for work instead of constantly paying for ice coffee. Any idea on how long it would last?
view SadieSue's profile
Coffee made this way really is a lot less bitter, so you can get away with adding less sweetener to it, which is another plus. Can be pretty caffeine-heavy, though, so be careful at first. :)
view benfest's profile
Couldn't I use my french press in this way? Put the coffee grounds and water in and then stick it in the fridge overnight? I've made coffee in the morning and then stuck in the fridge to cool a bit. Then I used coffee cubes( left over coffee made into icecubes) to make it cooler. But it would be smarter to just do it the night before?-
cold coffee= yum!
view Jet'set's profile
I've just been either a) recycling what's left in the pot after making regular hot coffee, either by sticking it in fridge if there's alot, or just adding ice to the cooled down coffee(I like hot coffee stronger than cold coffee, so it works) and
b) making a pot strong, and pouting over ice like I do for iced tea.
But I'll have to try the cold filter, although it seems like you would use up more coffee this way...
view Rndrc's profile
Jet set-I just read your post; I do the same, tea ice cubes and lemonade icecubes...for those that like mint I'll stick a bit of mint leaf in the cubes as well
view Rndrc's profile
The New York Times has a great article on New Orleans iced coffee - a time honored Southern favorite!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/style/tmagazine/06ticed.html?scp=5&sq=orleans%20coffee&st=cse
view Aunt Honey's profile
I drink a lot of coffee and typically have a mason jar of this "brewing" on my counter every 12 hrs.
view Ari_B's profile
Awesome! I've been serving iced coffee (hot poured over ice to chill it) all summer long and considered buying a toddy brewer... I held back because I thought, gee, why do you need a special piece of equipment to do that? You have provided the solution. Muchas gracias.
view whytephoenix's profile
And yes, I think the french press would work fine.
view whytephoenix's profile
I agree - the french press is a great idea for those who already have them!
And cold brew makes a nice strong mixture, with lots of caffeine as benfest said, so diluting it will make it go pretty far.
view ttbj's profile
I love making this style of coffee. It tastes great and saves me time in the morning!
view dct's profile
I tried this, using the NYT recipe after googling it, and although it was doubtful, it turned out fine. I think my coffee was old, though. I wonder how this would work with finer ground espresso type coffee... maybe I should try it.
view rosy's profile
I love cold brew coffee and have made it at home for years to drink both iced and hot with hot water. I just found the coolest cold brew maker (no pun intended) at www.hourglasscoffee.com. This maker uses no filters and has these little Bean Kanteens which go in the refrigerator and look like they can go just about anywhere too. I can't wait to have a less messy way to make cold brewed coffee.
view Tammy30's profile