Your Ultimate Guide to Cold Brew

5 Best Ways to Drink Coffee Cold

(easy tips and recipes!)

Coffee Cup Philippines

Photo by Yaroslav from Pexels

 

Iced coffee has always been an all-time favorite by us whether it’s  freezing cold or a scorching hot season.  Do you know you could save a lot of bucks by making your own iced coffee or cold brew? Not to mention you can freely customize your drink to your heart’s content – and control the sugar for a healthier choice. Read on to know how you can prepare cold brew with a cold brew maker, French press or DIY style, its surprising benefits and easy tips to jazz it up!

 

What is the best coffee for cold brew?

The best type of coffee for cold brew is dark roast, and there’s a good explanation for that. Cold brew coffee or concentrate tends to  give stronger, darker and richer taste with hints of chocolate and nuts, making it a perfect match with the profile of dark roast where all its flavors will come out. But like coffee in general has been said to be based on our own personal preferences, you can use lighter roasts for cold brew. However, the bright acidity will be hard to extract in the process and thus, the fruity and floral notes will end up subdued. This also explains why cold brew is known to be less acidic!

Try our dark roast coffee here

 

What’s the Basic Cold Brew Ratio?

The standard coffee to water for cold brew is 1:8.  If you want a stronger brew (cold brew concentrate), you can use 1:4 , up to 1:2. 

 

3 Different Ways to Make Cold Brew

 

1. How to Make Cold Brew with a Cold Brew Maker

Hario Cold Brew PH

 

Hario Cold Brew Maker photo from global.hario.com

 

For this recipe, we’ll use the standard coffee to water ratio for cold brew which is 1:8. So for a 1000mL batch of cold brew, prepare 125 grams of ground coffee. Scale accordingly if you want to make a smaller batch!

 

  1. Take out the brew chamber of the cold brew maker.
  2. Put 125 grams (or 25 tablespoons) of medium-coarse ground coffee into the brew chamber and put it back inside the carafe.
  3.  Pour filtered water slowly over the grounds. Once the coffee grounds are fully submerged, place the lid back on the carafe.
  4. Shake the carafe gently to ensure the grounds are completely saturated with water.
  5. Let the coffee steep at room temperature for about 12 – 20 hours.
  6. If you’re satisfied with the current brew strength, you can already remove the brew chamber and store your cold brew in the refrigerator or serve right away with ice.
  7. Serve your coffee and enjoy! Add milk if preferred.

 

The big question is, do you really need a cold brew maker to make cold brew?

Definitely not! There are tons of ways in this DIY age to make your perfectly bold cold brew, and you don’t need to buy any tool. It could be just in your kitchen.

 

2. How to Make Cold Brew Without a Cold Brew Maker

Easy DIY: Using Basic Kitchen Items

Make cold brew without cold brewer

Photo from Canva

 

  1. Prepare your medium coarse grounds or if coffee beans, coarsely grind first. 
  2. Add 4 1/2 tablespoons of ground coffee to 180ml of water. Stir well to make sure all grounds are wet. Place the lid back on the container. If making a big batch, make sure to scale the portions accordingly
  3. Let the coffee steep for at least 12 hours (up to 20 hours) and leave it on the counter. While you can already put it in the fridge, the coffee may get affected and have a weaker taste.
  4. After 12 – 20 hours or once desired brew strength is achieved, it’s time to strain the coffee. Put cheesecloth or fine mesh above a small strainer and place over a large measuring cup or bowl.
  5. Pour the coffee carefully through the cloth and strainer.
  6. Transfer the coffee to another container or jar. 
  7. If you made a big batch, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to a week or serve over ice! Add milk if preferred.

 

3. How to Make Cold Brew Using French Press

French Press PH

French Press Photo from Canva

 

  1. Add 8 tablespoons of coarse ground coffee into the French press pot.
  2. Pour 3 cups of cold or room temperature water.
  3. Stir well to make sure the grounds are fully saturated.
  4. Let the coffee steep for 14 – 16 hours at room temperature.
  5. Once brew strength is achieved, steadily push the plunger down.
  6. Pour coffee to another container or jar. 
  7. Now, your cold brew concentrate is ready to serve over ice or chill it first in the fridge
  8. Add milk if preferred. Enjoy your coffee!

 

Why You Should Try Cold Brew

Other than getting that strong kick and flavor, there are a lot of benefits cold brew offers:

 

  • Cold brew is known for less acidity

 Despite being avid coffee drinkers, many of us have pre-existing medical conditions like acid reflux, and GERD, so we can’t fully enjoy a cup without being too careful. Well, cold brew is low in acid and definitely less likely to upset your stomach!

 

  • More antioxidants in cold brew than hot coffee

As we all know, coffee is a rich source of antioxidants. However, once exposed to very high temperatures, the nutrient content also decreases (just like in food preparation or cooking). Thus, there are more antioxidants to absorb in cold brew!

 

  • It’s quick to prepare!

Save a lot of time as cold brew is fast to prepare and can be done in big batches. You can also enjoy cold brew as hot coffee when reheated – the flavor is still the same!

 

5 Easy and Exciting Cold Brew Recipes

While you can definitely go for black coffee, there are several fun ways to spice up your cup. Prepare your cold brew pitcher – and check out easy and fun DIY iced coffee recipes below:

 

1.Iced Vietnamese coffee (using cold brew!)

Vietnamese Cold Brew

Photo by Nguyen from Pexels

 

What you need:

Cold Brew 

Condensed Milk

 

Directions:  

  1. Pour condensed milk on the bottom of your glass (start with 2 tablespoons). 
  2. Next, pour your cold brew coffee. 
  3. Stir thoroughly  and throw in some ice. 
  4. Add tablespoons of condensed milk to suit your preferred sweetness. And it’s ready to serve!

 

2. Iced Spanish Latte (using cold brew!)

Photo from Canva

Spanish Latte

What you need:

Cold Brew

Condensed Milk

Fresh Milk

 

Directions: 

  1. First, put some ice on an empty glass. 
  2. Next, pour your cold brew in the glass 
  3. Add the sweetened condensed milk. 
  4. Lastly, add the fresh milk. 
  5. Your iced Spanish latte is now ready to serve!

 

3. Cold Brew Lemonade (Iced lemon coffee using cold brew)

Cold Brew Lemonade

Photo from Canva

 

What you need:

Cold brew

1 piece of lemon

Any sweetener (sugar, honey or vanilla extract)

 

Directions: 

  1. Pour ice into an empty glass.
  2. Fill the glass with your cold brew. 
  3. Then, mix in your choice of sweetener: sugar, honey, or vanilla extract.
  4. Next, squeeze lemon juice into the drink. (at least half a lemon or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice)
  5. Stir thoroughly and it’s ready to serve!

 

4. Cold Brew Affogato

Cold Brew Affogatto

Photo from Canva

 

What you need:

3 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup cold brew concentrate

 

Directions:

  1. Add the 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a dessert glass. 
  2. Gently pour the cold brew on top.
  3. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings – whipped cream is our top choice! 

 

5. Cheese Foam Cold Brew

Cheese Foam Cold Brew

Photo from Canva

 

What you need:

Cold brew

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 oz cream cheese

1 tbsp condensed milk

1/2 tsp sea salt

 

Directions:

DIY Cheese foam recipe

  1. Mix 1/4 cup of evaporated milk and 1 tablespoon of condensed milk and put in the freezer. 
  2. After 20 – 25 minutes, remove it from the freezer. 
  3. If you can see the sides of the mixture crystallized, you can already add the cream cheese.
  4. Next, whisk the mixture using a hand mix, electric whisk, or a milk frother. 
  5. Once the texture looks foamy, add the sea salt to suit your taste – and your cheese foam is ready!

 

Cheese foam Cold Brew Recipe:

  1. Next, fill a new glass with ice. 
  2. Then, pour your cold brew into the glass. 
  3. Lastly, using a spoon, top it off with your own crafted cheese foam! (Extra tip: Don’t stir, sip with the cheese foam on top for the full experience!)

 

Coffee is already good to drink on its own, but sometimes it’s also fun to recreate new drinks to enjoy with friends and family! Who would have thought you could drink coffee cold in a lot of fun ways? Which one is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!

Are you a beginner and not yet ready to try cold brew? Check out our guide to making coffee at home for total beginners.

Want to check out our coffee brands? Visit our Lazada Store or our Shopee Mall Store.