Picture this: basking in the early morning sunshine, sipping from a glass of cold brew coffee. Doesn’t it sound enticing?
In recent years, cold brew coffee in the PH has become a big trend. It's easy to see why people like them so much. Many Filipinos are already iced coffee connoisseurs, so it makes sense they'll love the smooth flavor of cold-brewed coffee too.
Want to learn how to make cold brew coffee at home? It's a lot different from making your good old glass of iced coffee. That's why we've come up with a simple and easy cold brewed coffee recipe for you to try out, complete with coffee accessories you can easily find in the Philippines.
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide
There are a few luxuries simpler than a glass of cold brew coffee, made with premium beans and packed high full of ice. Here's how to make the best cold brew coffee, as smooth and delicious as the one in your favorite neighborhood cafe.
1. Pick your roastYou can make cold brew coffee at home using any roast or blend you like. If you're not sure where to start, you can grab a bag from your local coffee shop or order from Curated.PH! Our high-quality beans are perfect for any brewed coffee recipe.
2. Coarsely grind the beans
Make sure to use beans that are coarsely ground. A fine grind can slip through your fine-mesh sieve and create a cloudy, gritty end product. The grind you should aim for is extra coarse -- a grind that’s slightly larger than the one you use for a French press.
3. Get the ratio right
Search for any article on how to make cold brew coffee at home and you'll find a wide range of ratios. You'll see 1 part ground coffee to 16 parts water or 1 part ground coffee to 4 parts water.
If you're just starting out, it's good to go for 1 part coffee to 8 parts water. Or you can even go for a stronger brew as you can always dilute it with milk or cold water. If your brew is too weak, it'll be harder to correct.
4. Add cold water
Add your ground coffee to a glass pitcher with a lid or a large Mason jar. Then, top it with 6 to 8 cups of cold water. Cover the jar or pitcher with a container and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. For a stronger brew, you can let it sit for up to 24 hours.
5. Strain
After 12 hours or more, strain the coffee grounds and water mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Throw away the grounds. Afterwards, do a second strain, this time pouring the coffee through a coffee filter. This will remove any grounds or fine particles, yielding the smoothest possible cold brew coffee.
6. Enjoy and store
Serve your cold brew coffee with ice! It's delicious black but you can also add dash of cream or milk, sugar, or simple syrup. You can store the cold brew in your refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
Pro tip: You can freeze some of the cold brew in ice cube trays. This way, you can enjoy the strength and richness of your cold brew without watering it down.
How to Make Cold Brew with a French Press
With its built-in filter, a French press makes the cold brewing process easy for home baristas. Here are the basic steps:
- Mix the coffee and water in the chamber.
- Don't press the plunger down. Leave it be.
- Place the mixture in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, slowly press the plunger down.
- Pour the cold brew through a coffee filter to remove the coffee grounds.
- Serve over ice and enjoy.
Voila! That's how easy it is to make cold brew with your French press.
What's the Best Coffee for Making Cold Brew?
In terms of choosing the best roast or blend for a cold brewed coffee recipe, you can (in theory) use any type of coffee. However, cold brew connoisseurs swear by the following:
- Use coffee that is getting old or leftover coffee. This recommendation comes from the experts at the Bon Appetit test kitchen. They say it's a waste to use your super-fresh, premium, single-origin beans on cold brew. You can still get a high-quality batch of cold brew with coffee beans that are several weeks old.
- Sweet and fruity coffees. This is recommended by cold brew lovers as the extracting process helps bring out the subtle notes from these beans better.
Enjoy Cold Brew at Home with Curated.PH
Ready to become a loyal cold brew convert? The cold brew coffee rewards those who are prepared and patient. Once you've jotted down the steps in our easy "How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home" guide, it's time to get your beans and coffee accessories in order.
At Curated.ph, we have a wide range of premium coffee blends, French presses, and other coffee accessories so you can sip on your freshly made coffee at home. Browse through our shop today!
