Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate for Homemade Iced CoffeeHow to Make Cold Brew Concentrate at Home!Cold brew coffee concentrate is where the very best iced coffee begins! Simple, slow-brewed, extra strong and flavorful—the perfect brew to keep on-hand in your fridge. I’ll show you how to make cold brew concentrate in 3 easy steps, including the ideal cold brew concentrate ratio of coffee-to-water. Show
It starts with your favorite coffee beans, ground coarsely, and then mixed with water. Then, all that you have to do is steep overnight, strain, and dilute to serve! Simple as that, you’ve got homemade cold brew coffee concentrate that you can enjoy in your favorite homemade iced coffee drinks. What’s most important in this process is the cold brew concentrate ratio, or the amount of coffee grounds relative to the amount of water. Coffee concentrate is meant to be stronger, more concentrated, than a classic cold brew. That’s why it’s best served diluted with water, and why the coffee to water ratio will be a bit different for concentrate. Whether you’re wanting to make DIY cold brew concentrate or just a classic cold brew, I’ll share the ratios for both so you can decide. Whatever you choose, homemade cold brew will always be far cheaper than store-bought or heading to Starbucks, and so easy to make with your favorite beans. Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate Ingredients
You can make this concentrate with any coffee that you like, beans or grounds. That’s the beauty of homemade—you can customize! If you’re using whole beans, I recommend a coarse grind for best results. If you’re using store-bought coffee grounds and can find a coarse grind, great! But if not, don’t worry about it—any coffee grounds will do. Feel free to adjust the ingredient amounts based on the size of the batch you’d like to prepare. Cold Brew vs Cold Brew ConcentrateIn reality, classic cold brew and cold brew concentrate are pretty similar, one is just more potent than the other. Both are made through the process of cold brewing: steeping coffee grounds in water for many hours, then straining to get the resulting brew. It’s a much slower process than hot brewing, but it results in a stronger, more flavorful coffee. Cold brew is made with a higher coffee-to-water ratio than hot brewing, and hot brewing removes some of the flavor and some of the caffeine from your coffee. So even a classic cold brew will be more potent than your hot brewed coffee from the coffee pot! But, for the most potent possible brew, cold brew coffee concentrate is your best bet. As the name implies, this is more highly concentrated than a standard cold brew, meaning it’s more flavorful and higher in caffeine content. (And, that’s is why it’s best served diluted with water!) The key difference is the cold brew concentrate ratio: a greater amount of coffee relative to the amount of water. Cold Brew Coffee to Water RatioA standard cold brew to water ratio (using Starbucks cold brew as my standard) is 8oz water to 1oz coffee grounds. This equates to 1 cup of water to ~⅓ cup coarsely ground coffee.* For perspective, a typical hot brewing ratio is 8oz water to 1/2 oz coffee grounds. *Conversions are based on standard measurements for ground coffee as ~10g per 2 Tbsp, or 1.5oz per ½ cup. Cold Brew Concentrate RatioWith that cold brew ratio in mind, you can make cold brew coffee concentrate simply by increasing the amount of coffee relative to water. Both of the ratios below will result in a strong, potent brew that is best served diluted with water at a 1:1 ratio. Use whichever ratio you prefer, based on how strong you like your homemade iced coffee drinks!
How to Make Cold Brew Coffee ConcentrateOnce you’ve got your ideal ratio in mind, the process of how to make cold brew concentrate is so easy! To start, add your desired amount of water to a large bowl, followed by your coffee grounds, stirring well to combine. Again, these can be store-bought grounds, or you can coarsely grind your favorite beans. Next, simply cover the bowl and place it in the fridge overnight, for 12-24 hours. Similar to the ratio, the steeping time is up to you. The longer it steeps, the stronger and more bitter your brew will be! For perspective, Starbucks steeps their cold brew for 20 hours. Personally, I find that 14-18 hours works well for my cold brew coffee concentrate. After steeping, strain your mixture through a lined fine mesh sieve. I like to line my sieve with a double layer of coffee filters, but you could also use a clean handkerchief, T-shirt, or nut milk bag. Pour in batches as needed, stirring gently to help the liquid strain. Finally, once all of the liquid has separated from the grounds, your DIY cold brew coffee concentrate is ready to enjoy or store! I pour mine into mason jars to keep in the fridge and use throughout the week. How to Make Iced Coffee with This Concentrate (& More!)Many people don’t realize just how many things you can do with coffee concentrate – including heat it up! First things first, if you’ve made a true cold brew coffee concentrate and not just a classic cold brew, it’s best to dilute it with equal parts water before serving. That means combine ½ cup coffee concentrate with ½ cup water, before making any iced coffee drinks or heating it up. Of course, if you prefer to drink your ultra-potent brew straight up, go for it! Generally, the most popular use for cold brew concentrate is making homemade iced coffee drinks. It’s already cold, extra flavorful, and ultra-potent so it won’t get overly diluted served over ice. (Or, serve with my homemade coffee ice cubes for maximum flavor!) From a classic iced coffee like the recipe below, to fancy flavored lattes, there are so many fun options. But, don’t let the name deceive you. “Cold” simply describes the slow, not-hot brewing process—it doesn’t mean you have to enjoy your brew cold. If you’d like, after diluting with water, heat it up over the stove or in the microwave for a warm cup o’ joe! A simple, versatile brew, with the flavor and caffeine content of a true coffee lover’s dreams. To see how this recipe is made, watch my Immune Boosting Iced Coffee Drinks video!Cold Brew Coffee ConcentrateHow to make cold brew concentrate at home, with ratio adjustments to customize based on your preference. DIY Cold Brew Concentrate
Adjust recipe amounts based on a ratio of:
For a stronger brew:
Note on steeping time:The longer your cold brew steeps, the more bitter the flavor will be. Keep in mind, you’ll likely dilute it with water when serving because cold brew is stronger than regular brewed coffee! For reference, Starbucks steeps their cold brew for 20 hours. Option for homemade iced coffee recipes:If you’d rather not make your own cold brew concentrate, you can also just use regular, hot-brewed coffee to make homemade iced coffee! Simply brew coffee and allow to cool before storing in the fridge, or save any leftover coffee from the pot and refrigerate to use later. Course: Breakfast, Drinks Cuisine: American Share a photo and tag us @mindovermunch — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made! Basic Iced Coffee RecipeBasic Iced Coffee Recipe
Yield: 1 serving Prep Time: 2 mins Total Time: 2 mins Simple iced coffee recipe, made with homemade cold brew concentrate diluted with equal parts water. Basic Iced Coffee
Nutrition provided for iced coffee made with a splash of full-fat coconut milk. Serving: 1drink (8oz), Calories: 23kcal, Carbohydrates: 0.5g, Fat: 2g Course: Breakfast, Drinks Cuisine: American Share a photo and tag us @mindovermunch — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made! Check out this cold brew coffee concentrate story! Do you add water or milk to cold brew concentrate?First things first, if you've made a true cold brew coffee concentrate and not just a classic cold brew, it's best to dilute it with equal parts water before serving. That means combine ½ cup coffee concentrate with ½ cup water, before making any iced coffee drinks or heating it up.
Can you mix cold brew concentrate with milk?Remember to Dilute the Cold Brew Concentrate
Instead, what I recommend is serving this up over ice or diluting 50/50 with water. I also recommend adding your favorite milk, like almond milk, cashew milk or oat milk, for a deliciously creamy, and definitely thirst-quenching beverage.
How do you use cool brew concentrate?You take a few ounces of cold brew concentrate, cut with some cold water, top with ice, and you're done. It's simple, refreshing, and stunningly smooth. There's a reason so many coffee skeptics actually fall in love with iced cold brew.
Can you drink cold brew concentrate straight?However, almost nobody drinks cold brew concentrate straight. It's usually cut with more water, ice, or even milk or alt milk, which pushes the caffeine content of a single serving back down to the normal range for a typical cup of coffee.
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