Coffee is a necessity to wake up in the mornings, especially for my partner Reggie. For many people, coffee is a sacred and necessary drink to start the day. On hot days, hot coffee can have a bit too much heat to start the day with. I used to pour brewed coffee over ice to make it cold, but I’ve learned that I’ve been doing it wrong. Cold coffee actually needs to be cold brewed.
Cold brewing coffee is a make-it-and-leave-it affair, so if you drink a lot of coffee, make a large amount of this recipe. The proportions here make a coffee concentrate that will keep for up to two weeks. I’ve tried weaker proportions of this recipe and it left me wanting for more. The best proportion I’ve been able to make consistently is 50 grams medium-coarse ground coffee to 100 milliliters water. If you have a coffee grinder, buy whole beans and grind the beans before brewing. If you’re buying ground coffee, choose ground coffee meant to be used in a french press.
The type of coffee is also important in cold coffee. This brewing method will bring out the subtler nuances of the coffee. It’s best to use a light to medium roast coffee. Water is also important in coffee. Distilled water makes it taste lifeless. Use filtered water or mineral water to give additional nuances to your coffee. The final bit of nuance to your coffee is a sprig of mint. It gives the coffee a gently refreshing note.
The tech geek in me would demand a gadget, but I have yet to find a cold brewing machine in the Philippines. So in MacGuyver fashion, I’ve found a simple and easy way to cold brew coffee using a pitcher, cheesecloth, string, a sieve, and a paper coffee filter.
This recipe will make you about one liter of coffee concentrate.
Ingredients
- 500 grams medium-coarse grind coffee, coffee should be a light to medium roast
- 1 liter water
- 1 sprig of mint
Brewing Procedure
- Measure out coffee and add sprig of mint to it. Place the coffee and mint onto a cheesecloth that has been shaped to resemble a pouch. Gather up the ends of the cheesecloth to form a pouch that holds the coffee and the mint together. Tie the cheesecloth with a piece of string so that the coffee and mint are held inside the cheesecloth.
- Get a pitcher that can hold at least 1.5 liters of water. Add cheesecloth pouch containing coffee. Fill pitcher with one liter of water. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for 18 to 24 hours.
- After brewing time, get a sieve and line it with a paper coffee filter or paper towel. Place sieve over a bowl. Slowly pour the liquid over the paper coffee filter to remove any powdery sediment from the coffee. After all the liquid has been poured off, get the cheesecloth pouch and place it on top of the paper coffee filter for at least 45 minutes to allow any remaining liquid to be collected. The liquid is now coffee concentrate.
- Transfer coffee concentrate to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator until needed. The concentrate will keep for up to two weeks.
Concentrate Dilution
The suggested dilution is 1 part coffee concentrate to 2 parts milk or water. Add sugar or other sweeteners to your preference. If you find the mixture too weak, change the dilution to 1 part coffee concentrate to 1 part water or milk. Add ice to your preference then serve.