One or the other coffee lover has heard the name of the drink before: cold brew coffee. Its fame and popularity has grown over the years. Especially in the warm summer months, the cold coffee drink regularly finds its way into many households. It is not only refreshing but also offers a great advantage: once prepared, the concentrate can be kept for up to 10 days. Another advantage: you don’t need any expensive accessories to enjoy cold coffee, because a Chemex, a hand filter or a coffee maker or French press are completely sufficient. Those who like to experiment with their coffee have plenty of opportunities to adapt the drink to their individual taste.
What is cold brew coffee and where does it come from?
Anyone who now thinks that cold brew coffee is a completely new invention is wrong. Because the cold coffee originally comes from Japan and is also called “Kyoto coffee”. It was introduced there in the 17th century by Dutch traders who had no way of preparing it with hot water during their travels.
In addition, it is well suited for travel due to its durability. Nevertheless, the way of preparing cold coffee only gained attention again a few years ago and triggered a real hype in some countries. Some coffee chains have already included the trendy coffee drink in their coffee range. In addition to the coffee maker or the French press, the Chemex and the hand filter, there are now also special accessories especially for cold coffee preparation.
Can I also prepare cold brew coffee at home with the French press?
The preparation of this aromatic refreshment is extremely simple and can easily be replicated at home. However, you need one thing above all: sufficient time. If you just want to prepare a coffee for your visit, you should use the filter coffee machine. Because the preparation can take up to 12 hours – sometimes even longer.
To make cold brew coffee you need:
A glass or container with a lid – a French press also works
Freshly ground coffee
Cold water (if you want, you can filter it first)
a filter option (fine sieve, coffee filter, Chemex or stamp of the coffee maker or French press)
And then it can start:
For cold brew coffee, you must first grind the coffee coarsely, preferably a little coarser than when preparing it in a coffee maker or French press. About 150 – 200 g of coffee powder are used for 1 liter of water. The amount of coffee depends on the type of coffee and your personal taste.
Put the ground coffee in the jar, pour in the cold water, stir once and then close the lid. Now let the whole thing steep at room temperature for 8 – 12 hours without stirring again.
If you use a French press for the cold brew, you can now press down the press plunger. Even if the coffee powder is now held on the ground, there will still be particles in the coffee. It is therefore advisable to filter the coffee concentrate again with a hand filter, a chemex or otherwise. If you do not use a coffee maker but a glass, you can now also filter the coffee concentrate.
Now you can put one part of the concentrate in a glass and dilute it with one or two parts of water. Try out your personal cold brew recipe and test how strong or mild you would like to enjoy your coffee. You can add ice cubes. You can put the remaining concentrate in the fridge and use it within the next few days.
Special features of cold brew coffee
During the entire process, the coffee is not heated and does not come into contact with heat. The preparation takes place exclusively at room temperature.
The coffee concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for approx. 14 days. If you would like to enjoy a refreshing cold drink, you can always take small amounts.
Depending on taste, the concentrate can be diluted with water. In addition, ice cubes, ice cream or other ingredients can be added. There are no limits to the fantasies.
No special accessories are required for the preparation. A glass with a lid or a French press and a filter option are sufficient.
The preparation can take up to 24 hours, depending on your own taste.
Compared to conventional coffee, cold brew coffee has less acid and is therefore a stomach-friendly alternative to filter coffee.
Cold Brew Coffee vs. Ice Brew Coffee
Ice brew coffee is normal coffee that, unlike cold brew coffee, is boiled and cooled down with the help of ice cubes during the brewing process. A portafilter machine or a simple filter is best suited for the preparation. Through contact with the ice, the coffee is immediately cooled down again and the bitter substances are also removed from the drink. The Ice Brew coffee tastes wonderfully fruity and summery like a fresh and hot brewed coffee. Ice brew coffee can be refined with vanilla ice cream, especially on hot summer days. Our tip: Because of the melt water, divide the amount of water into 50% liquid and 50% ice when preparing. It tastes perfect!
Conclusion: it is worth trying out the trend
If you have a French press at home, you should definitely try the trend drink cold brew, but you can also do without it. Simply pull a freshly ground coffee from the coffee machine and off you go.
