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Author:
Tracy Nawara
Fans of cold brew coffee know that this drink is sweeter, smoother, and tastier than its warm counterpart. For a long time, folks thought that cold brew coffee was only attainable from the local coffee shop, but that is far from the truth.
Homemade cold brew is an easy way to save the $6 it costs at your coffee shop. In reality, cold brew is easy to make, it just takes a little patience. You need about 24 hours for the water to become infused with the coffee, so unfortunately you cannot make and drink your cold brew on the same day.
With just a little preparation and some patience, you can prep your brown sugar cold brew coffee earlier in the week and keep it in the fridge for making your iced coffee in the morning. Keep ice stocked in the freezer and your favorite milk in the fridge, and you’ll have a high-quality coffee drink for pennies on the dollar.
If you have a coffee grinder, it is worth your time and energy to grind your coffee beans yourself. This is for a few reasons. The more finely ground the coffee grounds are, the cloudier your cold brew will be. Grind your coffee very roughly to get the most out of the beans. Second, freshly ground coffee beans will be fresher and more flavorful than pre-ground varieties. If you are going through the trouble of making homemade brown sugar cold brew, you might as well grind your coffee.
What is special about this cold brew recipe is the addition of brown sugar to the brew. Adding the brown sugar into the cold brew as it infuses allows the sugar to dissolve in the cold brew, leaving a sweet, molasses flavor. This means you won’t need any added sugar or syrups when you assemble your iced coffee.
For homemade cold brew, the general rule of thumb is 4 to 1. That means, for every one cup of coffee added to the container, you will need 4 cups of water for brewing. If you are making a larger or smaller batch, you’ll have to scale up or down accordingly.
Once the cold brew is made, it is more highly concentrated than regular coffee. When making an iced coffee drink with a cold brew, you will want to add ½ cold brew coffee to ½ milk or water. This will create the perfect balance since cold brew is so strong in flavor.
If you are a fan of coffee smoothies, this cold brew recipe is the perfect coffee to add to a caffeinated morning smoothie. With just some ice, milk, banana, cold brew coffee, and cocoa powder, you can have a delicious and energizing coffee smoothie in minutes.
Once you make your cold brew, it’s unlikely you will ever need to visit a coffee shop in the morning ever again. Prep this brown sugar cold brew early in the week so it is ready to go in the morning. This smooth, robust, and sweet cold brew will change the way you look at iced coffee.
Cold Brew Coffee:
Iced Coffee:
Start by grinding your coffee beans. Place whole coffee beans of choice into a coffee grinder and grind until beans are broken, but not fine. The finer the grind, the cloudier the cold brew will be.
In a large jug or container, add the coffee grounds, water, and brown sugar. Stir to ensure all grounds are wet.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature on the counter for 18-24 hours. You can taste it occasionally and drain once the coffee is strong enough for your liking. Otherwise, wait the full 24 hours.
When the coffee is strong enough, drain the grounds from the coffee. Store the cold brew in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to drink.
To make an iced coffee, add ½ cup each of cold brew and the milk of your choice. Add ice and serve with a straw.
