Community Corner

How to Make Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee (and Why You'll Never Go Back)

Making this version at home only takes three things: coffee grounds, water and time.

This article was written by Amy Sara Clark. 

From April to October, I am an iced coffee junkie. I used to make it by brewing it hot and then cooling it in the freezer. But last week I learned from the folks at the newly opened Milk and Honey cafe in Ditmas Park that cold-brewed coffee tastes better, so I decided to give it a try.

Although Milk and Honey has an impressive-looking cold drip coffee tower, I discovered thanks to WNYC's Last Chance Foods that you can make cold-brewed coffee at home with just ground coffee, water, a jar or French press and lots of waiting time.

In looking at cold-brewed coffee recipes, there are two areas of disagreement: how much time to brew it for and how to strain out the grounds. How long to wait ranged from 10 to 24 hours and many recipes called for a double straining method, first to get out the course grounds, then a second to remove the silt. 

For my experiment I opted for a brewing time of "overnight," meaning setting it up before bed and letting it brew until I made myself a glass in the morning, which ended up being about 12 hours.

To strain I opted for the French press method due to its simplicity. I was not about to strain it twice as the NYT suggests, or in batches, as in the Chow.com recipe. 

So last night I loaded up the French press and this morning tasted the result. And even I, who has never pretended to have a particularly sensitive palate, could taste the difference.

It was less bitter than hot brewed, and had a richer flavor. New York Times writer Cindy Price described her first glass as having "hints of chocolate, even caramel." While my taste buds could never pick such subtleties out, I could tell that it's far better than what I had been drinking.

So, the verdict is in. The coffee maker is off duty until fall and my brand-new French press will be working overtime.


Cold Brewed Coffee Recipe

Adapted from The New York Times

Time: 5 minutes, plus 12 hours’ resting

Ingrediant:

1/3 cup coarsely ground ground coffee

1. In a 32-ounce French press, stir together coffee and 1 1/2 cups water. Put the press' cover on, but leave the press up. Leave it at room temperature overnight or for at least 10 hours.

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2. Plunge the press, dilute with an equal ratio of water or milk and drink (over ice, of course).

Yield: Two glasses.

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