Cold Brew Coffee: The Complete Practical Guide
Cold Brew Coffee: The Complete Practical Guide
What ratio and grind do you need?
Coarse grind, like raw sugar, at one part coffee to eight parts water for concentrate. For ready-to-drink, use one to twelve. Weigh it, because over sixteen hours a small error compounds.
Fine grounds over a long steep turn muddy and make filtering miserable.
If you want a bag built for this, 15W40 is our dark Italian roast and it is the one most people reach for here.
Concentrate gets cut roughly one to one with water or milk when you serve.
| Style | Ratio | Steep | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concentrate | 1:8 | 16 to 18 hrs | Dilute 1:1 to serve |
| Ready to drink | 1:12 | 12 to 14 hrs | Pour straight over ice |
| Strong concentrate | 1:6 | 18 to 24 hrs | For milk drinks |
| Fridge slow steep | 1:8 | 24 hrs | Smoother, less bitter |
The method is only half of it. The bean decides the rest.
You can dial in every variable on a cold brew batch and still get a cup you do not want, because the bag was never going to work.
Roast level does more here than any other single choice.
See the roasts →How long should it steep and where?
Twelve to sixteen hours at room temperature, or up to twenty-four in the fridge. The fridge is slower and slightly smoother with less risk of over-extraction.
Past sixteen hours at room temperature you gain bitterness faster than strength.
Filter twice, once through mesh and once through paper, for a clean result.
Most people change technique when they should change coffee.
It is easier to blame the equipment than the bag on the counter. Usually it is the bag.
Start with a roast built for how you brew and most of the fiddling disappears.
Browse the lineup →What roast should you use?
Medium to dark. Cold water extracts very little acid, which is most of what makes a light roast interesting. Darker roasts bring chocolate and body that survive the process.
This is the opposite of pour over advice and it catches people out.
A dark Italian style roast is the traditional cold brew choice.
The morning you want is boring and repeatable.
The method works. The grind works. The only variable left is whether there is coffee in the house on a Tuesday.
- Pick the roast that suits how you actually brew.
- Set it to resupply on a schedule that matches what you drink.
- Stop thinking about it. You do not hit zero again.
How do you store and serve it?
Sealed in the fridge. Concentrate keeps about two weeks, diluted cold brew three to five days. Serve over ice, cut with water or milk to taste.
Label the jar with the ratio and the date. Guessing at dilution is how people drink triple what they planned.
Sour rather than flat means over-extraction, not age.
Brew it. Get after it.
Whatever you are up against tomorrow, it starts better with a cup that was worth making.
Subscriptions take 30% off the first order automatically. No code, nothing to remember. One time orders take 15% with WELCOME15.
Shop the roasts →Questions people actually ask
How long does cold brew take?
Twelve to sixteen hours at room temperature or up to twenty-four in the fridge. There is no way to meaningfully shorten it.
What is the best cold brew ratio?
One part coffee to eight parts water by weight for concentrate, or one to twelve if you want to drink it without diluting.
Does cold brew have more caffeine?
A served cup usually does, 100 to 200mg against about 95mg for drip. That comes from the higher ratio rather than from the cold water.
How long does cold brew last in the fridge?
Concentrate keeps about two weeks sealed. Once diluted, three to five days before it starts tasting flat.
Why is my cold brew bitter?
Usually a grind that is too fine or a steep that ran too long. Go coarser first, then shorten the steep by a few hours.
