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Author:
Franco Salzillo
There are many ways to make a decent cup of coffee. An espresso machine will jet steam through your ground coffee beans; a French press will let the coffee steep in hot water before being squeezed out of its flavor. A drip coffee maker will let hot water leach the coffee out of its delicious oils, and pod machines work with technology and magic.
The most flavorful, aromatic and fruity coffee, though, can only be achieved with a very particular brewing method, the cold brew coffee.
How does this method work? Cold water, ground coffee, some sugar and lots of time. That’s all you need, as the coffee infuses the water without a heat source. This is a much gentler method that makes fruity coffee with no charred or burnt flavors. It’s just delicious!
To make a cold brew concentrate, you’ll need a high coffee to water ratio. We’re using twelve ounces of coarsely ground coffee for eight cups of water, which is insane but very much necessary.
You then must cold brew your coffee for 24 hours in the fridge, shaking your container every few hours. Once it’s ready to go, you must do the opposite; you don’t want to disturb the coffee, that if you’re going to avoid a murky and cloudy coffee (not that it’s a bad thing or anything).
Then it’s time to filter your coffee and, since this is a cold brew concentrate, you want to sweeten it. I use a little less than a cup of sugar, but please sweeten yours to your liking.
Pour this dark beauty over ice and top it with cream. Go for condensed milk instead, for a Vietnamese-inspired drink that will take you and your friends on a tropical holiday and back with every sip. You’ll fall in love with cold brews; this is coffee at its most primal. It’s just fun!
In a large mason jar or any other container with a lid, add the coffee and water. Stir until completely incorporated and store in the fridge for 24 hours, stirring or shaking every few hours.
Sieve the coffee without disturbing the sediments through a fine mesh or cheesecloth into a pitcher or another container.
Add the sugar and mix until fully dissolved. Taste and adjust the sweetness.
Store in the fridge until ready to use. Pour over ice, optionally and optionally add cream.
