Cold Brew In A French Press

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

• Cold brew is easy to make at home.
• Cold brew is far less acidic and bitter than regularly brewed coffee, making it gentler on the stomach and less likely to cause acid reflux.
• It's a great iced coffee. It can be drunk with or without milk, sweetened, or unsweetened.

What is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew coffee is coffee that is made from coarsely ground coffee beans and cold or room temperature water rather than hot. It is left too steep for up to twenty hours at a cold temperature.

It is a concentrated coffee that needs to be diluted to taste with water or milk before drinking.

Equipment

Here is a list of what you will need to make cold brew coffee in a French press:

1. You will need a 4 cup  French press (1 liter / 32 oz).
2. Coffee beans.
3. Coffee grinder or mill - you will need to grind the beans to a medium grind. If you don't have a coffee mill, you could use a spice grinder.
4. Kitchen scales - to accurately weigh the coffee beans.
5. Measuring cups or a measuring jug -  to accurately measure water.
6. Room temperature water - preferably filtered water, but you could also use cold tap water.
7. A sealable container to pour your cold brew concentrate into. The container needs to be large enough to hold 2 cups of liquid.
8. Optional a fine filter like a muslin cloth or coffee filter paper.

Cold Brew French Press Ratio

To make cold brew in a 4 cup French press, we use a coffee bean to water ratio of 1:8. That is 90 grams of unground coffee beans to 720 grams water. In cups, this is about 1 cup unground coffee beans to 3 cups water.

Step By Step Instructions

Making cold brew in a French press is very easy, the hardest part is waiting for 24 hours for it to brew.

• Coarsely grind the coffee beans.
• Add the ground coffee beans into a 4 cup French press.
• Pour 3 cups of room temperature or cold water over the ground beans. Use a spoon and stir several times.
• Cover the jug with plastic or foil, and put it in the fridge for 24 hours.
• After 24 hours, use the French press plunger to slowly press the plunger down into the jug to separate the coffee grounds and liquid.
• Pour the cold brew concentrate into a clean glass container and discard the ground coffee beans.

Recipe Tips

If you have ground the coffee beans too fine and notice sediment after separating the liquid from the beans, pass the coffee concentrate through a filter like coffee paper or a muslin cloth.

Serving Size

How Much Cold Brew Do You Get?

After brewing and decanting the coffee, you get about 2 cups of concentrated cold brewed coffee.

Serving Suggestions

The concentrate should be diluted at a 1:1 ratio, which will give you a smooth and drinkable coffee. If you like your coffee weaker or stronger adjust the amount of water you add to suit your tastes.

Serve cold brew coffee with or without milk, sweetened or unsweetened.

If you like sweetened coffee, use a sugar syrup rather than granulated sugar because syrup mixes better in cold liquids than granulated sugar.

How To Make Sugar Syrup

To make 1 cup of simple sugar syrup:

• Place ¾ cup water and ¾ cup granulated white sugar into a small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over medium/high heat, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 -3 minutes on low heat.
• Remove from the heat and cool completely before transferring to a clean and dry sealable container. 
• Store in the fridge.

You can make vanilla or hazelnut flavored syrups by adding one tablespoon of either flavor into the syrup after it has cooled slightly.

Frequently Asked Questions

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