There are many ways to enjoy the delicious flavours of expertly-sourced coffee. While espresso often takes the spotlight, when the summer heat makes us crave a cold drink, cold brew coffee becomes especially enticing. Why not take a few minutes out with us at Niche Coffee to explore how to make your own cold brew coffee at home - it’s easier than you think and you don’t need any additional equipment.
Cold brew vs iced coffee
Cold brew isn’t iced coffee - though it is easily (and fairly often) confused. Iced coffee and its variants (including the milkshake-like Frappuccino) are made by making a traditional espresso and cooling it down pouring it over ice, or blending it with ice. Cold brew coffee, however, starts off cold, stays cold, and is drunk cold - never heated from start to finish.
This process leads to a different taste - it’s a smoother, more mellow coffee that’s allowed the flavours to develop slowly, far less bitter than the espresso hit in an iced coffee.
When it comes to exploring the range of tastes that can be extracted from your chosen coffee beans, cold brew is an essential experience.
Making cold brew coffee at home
Creating a delicious cold brew coffee at home is easy - as long as you have a little patience. Unlike an espresso or filter coffee that can be prepared in a few minutes, cold brew needs to be given time. Outside of that though, the process is simplicity itself.
You will need:
1. Coarse ground coffee
Starting with the right coffee will make all the difference. Medium and dark roasts work best because cold brew naturally produces a sweeter and less acidic cup than traditional hot brewing methods. Lighter roasts are a little too delicate for the longer, slower extraction and end up tasting a bit flat.
Sticking to freshly ground darker roasts produces a richer final cup.
You also want to make sure the coffee is coarse and even. When you make a cold brew, you steep the grinds for hours and finer grinds will slip easily in to being over-extracted. Not only that, but the physical element of the filtering comes into play, with coarse grinds easier to filter cleanly - too fine and you end up with cloudy, gritty coffee.
Using a premium burr grinder will enable you to dial in to the perfect grind that’s a uniform size, where a blade grinder is going to produce a poor mix of fine powder and uneven chunks. A Niche Zero or Niche Duo grinder will get you on the right setting for a delicious cold brew.
2. Filtered water
Coffee is 98% water, so it’s not unexpected that the water you use has a huge impact. Taking it unfiltered straight from your tap means you’re putting whatever contaminates are in the system straight into your coffee, resulting in metallic-tasting, flat cold brew.
Using filtered water makes for a better cup - something that’s true for both cold brew and hot cups of coffee. To ensure the delicate flavours of your coffee reach your tastebuds without being muddied from unnecessary impurities, invest in a water filter jug - it’s a vital low-cost boost to your home coffee equipment.
3. A large jar…
Brewing the cold brew is ridiculously easy - you simply need to find a container that holds water and put the coffee/water mix in it into the fridge. At its most basic, this is simply a big glass jar that you later strain out of using a cheesecloth.
However, there are a few ways to make this a little more efficient and give it that more-modern feel. The first is to use your French press. Simply fill this with the water and coffee and don’t plunge - you use the plunger at the end of the brew time. To fit it all in the fridge (it’s a bit tall if you leave the plunger up) you can take the plunger off and cover it in cling film until it’s done.
The second is to invest in a cold brew coffee maker, such as a Hario cold brew maker. These are great if you are going to make cold brew often as they simplify the process, are easier to clean, and add a certain amount of enjoyable ritual to the event.
To start though, a big glass jar is perfect - just make sure it has a lid (or get the cling film out).
4. A strainer
Traditionally, cheesecloth is perfect for this, with natural fibres that will keep the grinds out no matter how fine, and let the pure liquid through, but you could also use a very fine mesh sieve or a coffee filter paper.
If using the French press method, you’ll already have a made-to-fit filter, and a cold brew coffee maker comes with an integrated strainer.
Four simple items to make a delicious cold drink.
Step-by-step - making cold brew coffee
With everything in place, it’s time to make the brew.
- Grind the beans - The best grinder for a homemade cold brew is a Niche Zero or Niche Duo, giving you a consistent virtually-zero retention coarse grind that guarantees a professional first step.
- Measure the coffee and water - The ideal ratio for cold brew coffee is approximately one-part coffee to eight-parts water (1:8), though cold brew ratios between 1:5 (for strong cold brew) to 1:10 (for a lighter flavour) are all appropriate. That’s 125g of ground coffee for every litre of water - as cold brew takes some time to make, you’re going to want to make enough for a few drinks each time.
- Mix the ingredients - Put the coffee and water together in your chosen vessel and stir.
- Steep - The brewing needs to be done somewhere cold, so your fridge is best. Cold brew brewing time is between 12-18 hours, depending on the strength of the extraction you’re after. Just leave it alone to steep.
- Strain - Carefully strain the grinds from the drink. A double strain can produce a purer cup, with the second strain through a coffee filter paper to ensure every grind has been removed.
- Serve and enjoy - Cold brew can be drunk as-is, diluted further up to a 1:1 ratio, or with milk. Adding ice will keep it cold, but be aware of the additional dilution.
Cold brew tips and tricks
While making a cold brew is delightfully simple, as with all coffee, perfecting the drink to your individual taste means a little experimentation. It’s great to note down your recipe and adjust each time until you hit upon the cold brew that hits your high points.
- Beans - Try a variety of beans to see what works for you. Single origin, medium to dark roasts are perfect for giving you that mellow chocolatey taste.
- Grind - Getting the right coarse grind is key. With a Niche grinder, you can dial this in with precision, adjusting each time until you get the best grind for cold brew, and then confidently achieving the same level every time.
- Storage - Both your fresh beans and post-brewed coffee need to be stored well. For the finished cold brew, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, drinking within a few days. Check out our article on storing coffee beans here
- Iterate and experiment - Coffee making is both an art and a science. By writing down your measurements and tweaking only one variable each time, you can scientifically close in on that desired taste, while the artist in you might enjoy playing with choices and getting a feel of what works. Either way, keep clear notes so you can return to a previous version whenever you like.
- Try some flavour twists - Adding some flavourful extra to the brew while it steeps can give you a subtle background note that enhances your enjoyment. Try dropping in some orange peel, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, or cacao nibs to infuse the process.
Exploring coffee with Niche
Cold brew is one of the niche ways you can enjoy coffee beyond the more common espresso-based drinks. With minimal equipment, you can make this delicious and refreshing cool drink. It's perfect for those hot summer months, but can be enjoyed all year round.
Investing in a Niche grinder for your home coffee bar will propel your coffee making to the next level. The ability to dial in a precision grind means your Niche Duo or Niche Zero grinder proves essential not just when trying out a cold brew, but for when you’re looking for a delicate pour-over, rich French-press, or intense espresso hit. Find out more by checking out some of our other blogs.