How to Make Coffee Shop Cold Brew

Cold Brew is a coffee concentrate made by steeping grounds in water, without the application of heat. Since the temperature of a solvent affects the rate of extraction (the hotter the faster!), cold brew requires long brew times to achieve the desired strength.

Despite the long wait, it’s actually quite easy to prepare and the prep can all be done in about five minutes! Here’s the recipe we use in our cafe and serve everyday, scaled down from 5 gallons for the home.

You’ll need a few pieces of simple hardware, and of course some coffee!

Large container. 16 cup / 3L. This will be the brewing vessel, size and shape don’t matter as long as you can fit the water + coffee
12oz / 340g of coarsely ground coffee. A standard grind will work as well, but the final product will be a bit stronger
Water - 12 cups / 2.8L. Filtered is nice, but tap works fine.
Stirring spoon
Filter or strainer. Shown above is the Toddy cold brew system, which uses large filter bags to hold the coffee, and separate it. Any type of strainer will do though, cheesecloth, pouring through a coffee filter, a fine metal sieve, a white cotton T-shirt or sock, etc

Step 1.

Grind coffee & add to container

If your coffee is already ground, simply add it to your container. If you are using a filter bag, line the vessel first (shown above)

Measure out 12 cups / 2.8L of water and pour over the coffee grounds

Stir it real good! Make sure all the coffee has been fully saturated.

Cover the container and let sit on your counter, at room temperature. Do not put it in the fridge yet, it will come out weak. Leave for 12-18 hours, we like 16.

Strain the mixture through your filter into a serving vessel and refrigerate. It will keep for 1 week in the fridge.

To serve:

Dilute the concentrate to your desired strength with water, milk, even seltzer! Enjoy over ice on a hot day!

Need some coffee? Or want to grab a Toddy cold brew maker?

We’ve got you. Coffee roasted fresh and shipped right to your door.

SHOP COFFEE