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Cold coffee isn’t just a drink to enjoy at a cafe. This refreshing drink can also be something you relax with at home, and you can make it yourself. A cold brew is a refined and tasty way to enjoy cold coffee. It differs from standard iced coffee, which is brewed hot, and has ice added to cool it.

Cold-brew coffee involves cold water from the start of the process, where the grounds are steeped rather than brewed. Don’t worry - it’s not as complicated as it sounds! Find out how to make cold brew at home with our step-by-step guide and handy tips.

Prepare To Make Cold Brew at Home

Before you learn how to make cold brew coffee at home, you need the right equipment to hand. The good thing about this kind of coffee is that you can keep it simple or add in some more time and attention. It all depends on how serious you are about your coffee!

We’ve added some tips and adjustments along the way to make it easier for everyone. You’ll need the following items to begin.

Coffee beans or grounds
Still or lightly sparkling water
Two jugs
A funnel
Kitchen towel, coffee filter paper or a muslin
Ice, milk and sugar to taste

Step 1: The Coffee

Making cold brew coffee starts with choosing the beans or grounds you like. It's worth noting that the steeping process makes for quite an intense cup, so take that into consideration when selecting the best coffee for cold brew.

If you usually buy beans and grind them, then you can definitely do that when making this drink. We recommend sticking to a coarse grind as it works best for the steeping and straining. If you’re buying coffee grounds, stick to coarse-ground for cafetières for the best results.

Step 2: Steeping

The next step means deciding your cold brew coffee ratio. In most cases, you can work with one part coffee to six parts of room temperature still water. Add the grounds to the jug, making sure all the coffee is wet, and cover with cold water. Stir the grounds and water and leave them to steep for around 12 to 16 hours. If you have room, you can leave it in the fridge to keep it cold.

Step 3: Stir and Strain

Now’s the time to stir it gently and remove the grounds by straining the mixture. Pour the mixture through a funnel lined with the coffee filter, kitchen paper or muslin into the other jug.

We recommend taking a look at the mixture to see if it’s cloudy as there’s a chance some grounds will remain. In that case, strain the mixture another one or twice, or as many times as you prefer.

Step 4: Serve and Store

The concentrate can now be stored in the fridge for three to five days. For a perfect cold brew coffee, dilute one third of concentrate to two third of water and then pour over ice in a glass and add milk and sugar according to your usual preference. Remember, it’s an intense hit of coffee!

If you made the concentrate, it’s time to figure out the cold brew concentrate ratio. For a refreshing and balanced drink, dilute one part concentrate with two parts sparkling or still water, whichever you prefer. The traditional way to drink it is over ice, but you can leave out the ice and add milk or sugar to your taste.

Tips for the Best Cold Brew

You’re almost ready. We’ll leave you with our top cold brew tips.

Choose coarsely ground coffee for the best flavour intensity
Leave to steep for at least 12 hours
Strain at least once, but more than once if necessary
It’s intense! Serve over ice with milk and sugar to taste

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How To Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home

Prepare To Make Cold Brew at Home

Step 1: The Coffee

Step 2: Steeping

Step 3: Stir and Strain

Step 4: Serve and Store