Are you looking for just the recipe? Go here.

Otherwise, stick around to read about how I went from hating cold brew to loving it and the reasons why. 

While I was in the process of learning about various French press techniques, I eventually stumbled upon cold brewing in a French press. Up until this point, I was not ever really into the idea of a cold brew. The few cold brew coffees I previously had bought off the supermarket shelves made no sense to me. It is just cold coffee, with no redeeming qualities and an unpleasant fatty layer across the top. Just generally not pleasant and not worth trying again.

However, dismissing cold brew would hinder the development of my coffee brewing skills, and having seen a few coffee YouTubers do it, I figured it was worth trying. 

My first attempt was a total failure. I used a recipe from YouTube without thinking about it. The recipe called for 80 grams of coffee and 1 litre of water (a ratio of 1:12.5). I set up the brew and stored it in the fridge for 20 hours, but when decanting it, I did not position my jar carefully. I spilled that batch all over the kitchen floor. I did not try again for a long while after that.

I eventually came around to the idea again and made a more serious second attempt. I did some research online and wrote out a recipe, and decided to approach it in two ways - one using my large-French press and the other using a glass jar. I noticed the brew times were long, and I wondered if it was worth losing out on your morning French press brew if you had alternatives other than those specific cold brewer systems. 

When I got down to setting up the brew, I was confused. When researching the recipe this time around, I noted the ratio range and set my sites on 1:5, and off I went to set up my brew. However, as I loaded up my beaker with the coffee grounds for my 1:5 brew, I became concerned that something was off. That was too much coffee for the water I was going to pour in. It was not like what I had seen on YouTube. So, a quick Google search again, and I realised the crucial concept I had missed. 

There is cold brew concentrate, and then there is cold brew coffee; same goal but a different approach. 

Cold brew coffee is ready to drink cold or hot; after microwaving it. Cold brew concentrate is stronger, and you will need to dilute it, in a ratio of 1:1 at least, before consuming it. I am glad I caught that distinction before wasting all that coffee.

I quickly reworked my test and kept going.

For the cold brew concentrate in the French press, I used a ratio of 1:5. This worked out to be 70g of coffee to 350g of water for my test. Once set up, I set the plunger on the beaker with the filter just above the water and placed the French press in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

For the cold brew coffee in the mason jar, I used a ratio of 1:10, which worked out to be 50g of coffee to 500g of water. I sealed it with the lid and also placed it in the refrigerator, but this time for 24 hours. 

The brews went into the fridge at about 6 pm, so I knew that I would be tasting coffee made from the cold brew concentrate the next morning. 

I was up really early the next morning to get ready for the workday but found myself with some time before needing to press and decant the cold brew concentrate. So I went back to the recipes I used to make some notes when I saw the post by HomeGrounds.co on my search results.

"You shouldn’t steep cold brew in the fridge” it said.

Wait... my concentrate was in the fridge for 12 hours. Did I miss something? 

As I read further, "Cold water takes significantly longer to extract the coffee’s flavor"

I was mildly concerned the concentrate would be under-extracted. I realised I missed that crucial detail in some of the recipes I researched. If you brew in the fridge you'll need more time. 

Hoping for the best, at 6 am, I pressed, decanted, diluted, then tasted. It was sour. It was not horrible. I could see the potential. I added a spoonful of sweetener, and it was a reasonably okay black coffee. Strong, definitely hitting that mark. Smooth, pleasant mouthfeel, and nice aftertaste and finish. It drank so well. Even with this under-extracted mistake of a cold brew, I started to understand the appeal. 

That evening I decanted the cold brew coffee. I have a metal cone filter so I thought I'd try it for this application. Once decanted I tasted and the results were about the same. I had left that brew in the fridge even after learning about the issue. I figured it was worth exploring it. 

It took me a week to consume the concentrate and cold brew coffee. I adjusted for the sour taste with sweeteners and milk. And it had a caffeine kick. Homegrounds.co also mentioned that in the article I have linked. 

That week of drinking my poorly brewed cold brew had me hooked. Summer was coming in, I was waking up earlier and including it as part of my wake-up routine and pre-workout, and it just made things simple, and it fitted in well with my pre-workout mix. 

My third attempt was the one I had to get right. I was better informed and ready to make a better brew. This time I made the concentrate in the French press and brewed the cold brew coffee in the glass jar, both on the counter. Ratios and brew time stayed the same. 

I pressed and decanted the concentrate at 12 hours and stored it in a jar. For the cold brew coffee, I noticed the coffee formed a top layer and thought I'd have to break that layer and let it settle before pouring it out. When I went to do that, I noticed the coffee had settled to the bottom. I wondered if that had something to do with the warm brew. 

At 24-hours I then very carefully tried to decant the liquid without disturbing the bed of grounds too much. I did this straight into my cleaned French press. As the brew settled in there, I set up the plunger and pressed. Then I decanted. The metal cone filter was not required and I freed up the French press for the duration of the brew. 

Both brews tasted great. There was no sourness; both coffees were clean-tasting and so enjoyable. What was even more surprising was that I made those cold brew mixtures from a coffee I was not enjoying hot. 

Though I have to refine my technique a little, I will continue to brew this way for two main reasons. The ready-made coffee has simplified my mornings on our hotter days. And it is a great tasting experience. 

I am now a cold brew convert. 

Ready for the recipe? Go here.