Homemade Cold Brew — our recipe, in two variations
It's warm outside, and coffee is always welcome, but not just any coffee. You want a cafe-quality drink, a refreshing cold brew tonic, a simple one, or one with a splash of milk over ice. The good news is you don't need anything fancy to make it just as good at home.
All you need is ground coffee, a vessel for infusing, and something to strain it with at the end. This is where the fun part comes in: you can use anything you have around the house, or you can do things by the book, with tools designed specifically for this. We'll show you both options below.
Our basic recommendation: divide a bag of coffee in half and use 125g of coffee per 1250ml of water. This yields approximately one liter of cold brew, enough for 20 balanced servings or 15 more intense ones. Essentially, a whole week of cold drinks from a single infusion.
The improvised method, with whatever you have around the house
Place 125g of ground coffee in 1250ml of room temperature water in a 2-liter container. Stir once, thoroughly, to ensure all the coffee is uniformly wet. Cover the container and let it infuse at room temperature for 20 to 36 hours; 24 hours is a safe benchmark if you don't want to bother with precision.
When it's ready, the more delicate part begins: separating the coffee from the grounds. You can use whatever you have in the kitchen. A fine mesh sieve, cheesecloth or food-grade fabric placed over a colander, a classic pour-over dripper with a paper filter if you have one in a drawer, or, if you want to have a little fun, a new sponge cut to fit the mouth of a bottle. Yes, it really works, I've heard from several creative people, and the result is surprisingly good.
It doesn't necessarily matter what you filter with; what matters is patience and not rushing. The coffee will be clear regardless; only the draining time will differ.
The professional way, with Toddy filter bags
Here, things are much simpler, which is why we give them away as gifts. Put the ground coffee directly into the filter bag, slowly submerge it in water without tearing it, and make sure no dry coffee clumps remain; you can stir gently by hand, directly inside the bag. Close the bag, cover the container, and let it infuse, again for 20 to 36 hours.
When it's ready, simply lift the bag out of the water. Done, no sieve, no cheesecloth, no need to think about anything else. That's the whole advantage: a clean extraction from the start, no hassle at the end.
A few things that really matter
- Cold brew settles slightly, so shake the bottle vigorously before each pour.
- Choose naturally processed, intense, and fruity coffees (such as BERRIBERI or Los Pedregales), with a roast date older than two weeks. For cold brew, more rested coffee yields equally good, sometimes even better, results than freshly roasted coffee. So if you have half a bag of ground coffee left in your pantry, there's no rush to finish it.
- It keeps for up to 30 days in the refrigerator, with one simple condition: everything that comes into contact with it must be clean – bottles, extraction vessel, any utensil you use.
What to do with it
Cold Brew Tonic: Take a tall glass and fill it with ice. Pour tonic water (we recommend sugar-free – there are several options on the market) until the glass is three-quarters full. Add 50ml of cold brew and stir only once, with an upward motion, to preserve the carbonation. For extra freshness, add a slice of freshly cut lime.
Cold Brew Latte: Take your favorite glass, add ice, 100ml of milk, and 50ml of cold brew. Stir.
And, of course, for the enthusiasts or simply the lazy ones — it can also be drunk plain, over ice, or directly from the bottle, in front of the fridge.
May your coffee be good!
