Brew guide

How to Make Cold Brew at Home

Cold brew trades heat for time. Steeping coarse coffee in cold water for half a day pulls out its smooth, chocolatey sweetness and leaves most of the bitterness behind. Make one batch of concentrate and you'll have iced coffee ready all week. Downtown Local is the bean we slow-steep for cold brew in our cafés.

Makes About 3 cups of concentrate (6 iced coffees)

The basics

  • Coffee90 g (about 1 cup ground)
  • Water32 oz (950 ml), cold and filtered
  • Ratio1:10, then dilute 1:1
  • GrindExtra coarse, like cracked pepper
  • TemperatureCold, in the fridge
  • Time12–18 hours

You'll need

  • Large jar or pitcher
  • Fine-mesh sieve
  • Paper filter or cheesecloth
  • Burr grinder
  • Kitchen scale

Step by step

  1. Step 1

    Grind extra coarse

    Grind 90 g of beans as coarse as your grinder goes, like cracked pepper. A fine grind makes cold brew cloudy and bitter.

  2. Step 2

    Combine

    Add the grounds to a large jar, pour in 32 oz of cold, filtered water and stir until every bit of coffee is wet.

  3. Step 3

    Steep for 12 to 18 hours

    Cover the jar and leave it in the fridge. The longer it steeps, the stronger it gets.

  4. Step 4

    Strain

    Pour it through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a paper filter or cheesecloth. Take your time and don't squeeze the grounds.

  5. Step 5

    Dilute and serve

    Mix the concentrate 1:1 with cold water or milk and pour it over ice. Adjust to taste.

  6. Step 6

    Keep it cold

    Store the concentrate in a sealed jar in the fridge and enjoy it within a week.

Pro-tip

Freeze some cold brew in an ice cube tray. Coffee ice cubes chill your glass without watering it down.

Freshness

Keep your beans in the sealed bag or an airtight container, away from light, heat and moisture, and out of the fridge. Grind just before you brew and finish the bag within a few weeks of opening.

Brew it with

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