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Drinks · Global

Cold Brew Coffee

Five minutes tonight, smooth iced coffee tomorrow morning. The fridge does the work.

Hands-on
5 min
Hands-off
18 h
Total
18 h 5 min
Makes
2 glasses (about 1 1/2 cups / 360 ml concentrate, diluted 1:1)
Serves
2

Five minutes to grind and set up, then 18 hours steeping in the fridge. It's drinkable after 12 hours; up to 24 hours gives a stronger brew.

  • easy
  • vegan
  • gluten-free
  • dairy-free
  • make-ahead
  • no-cook
  • summer
  • brunch

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Cold Brew Coffee
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: coffee grinder with a coarse setting · cheesecloth (a 15 x 15 cm / 6 x 6 in piece, folded double) and kitchen twine, or a paper coffee filter · 500 ml (1 pint) glass jar with a lid · funnel or sieve for straining

Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients

Method

  1. Grind coarse

    Grind the 80 ml (1/3 cup) whole beans on the coarsest setting.

    Otto tried this firstOtto uses the fine espresso grind he already has. The brew turns cloudy and the cloth clogs when he strains it. He starts over with a coarse grind, which steeps and strains cleanly.

  2. Make a coffee bundle

    Fold a 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 in) piece of cheesecloth in half, pile the grounds in the middle and tie it shut with twine. Put the bundle in the jar, pour in the 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) cold water and close the lid. No cheesecloth? Stir the grounds straight into the water and strain them out later.

  3. Steep in the fridge

    Put the jar in the fridge and leave it for at least 12 hours. 18 to 24 hours gives the fullest flavour.

  4. Strain

    Lift out the bundle and squeeze it over the jar to get every drop back, then throw it away. If you steeped the grounds loose, pour the coffee through a coffee filter or cheesecloth set in a funnel. Still cloudy? Strain it once or twice more.

  5. Dilute and serve

    Fill a glass with ice and pour in equal parts concentrate and cold water. Add milk and sweetener if you like.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Strain the concentrate and keep it sealed in the fridge, then dilute a glass at a time (see storage).
Storage
Keep the strained concentrate in a tightly closed jar in the fridge and drink it within 3 to 5 days. Some guides allow up to a week; we keep to the shorter limit.

If something goes wrong

  • Cloudy or gritty coffee Why: The grind was too fine, or the coffee needs more straining.
    Use a coarse grind next time, and strain again through a coffee filter or cheesecloth.
  • Too strong Why: Cold brew concentrate is very strong on its own.
    Use more water: 1 part concentrate to 2 parts water works well. Next time you can also steep it for fewer hours.
  • Too weak Why: It didn't steep long enough.
    Give the next batch the full 18 to 24 hours, or add less water when serving.

Good to know

  • To sweeten a cold drink, make a simple syrup: warm equal parts water and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then cool it and keep it in the fridge.
  • The coffee should feel like coarse sugar or sand after grinding.

Safety

  • This is a strong coffee concentrate with a lot of caffeine. Always dilute it before drinking, and keep it out of kids' reach.
  • Steep and store it in the fridge, not on the counter, and keep the jar closed.