Guides
How to make cold brew coffee at home
Cold brew isn’t made with hot water – it steeps cold for many hours. The result is a smooth, naturally sweet coffee with little acidity or bitterness, perfect for warm days. All you need is a large jar, a filter and a bit of planning.
What is cold brew?
For cold brew, coarsely ground coffee steeps in cold water for 12 to 18 hours. Cold water extracts more slowly, so fewer bitter and sour compounds end up in the cup. The coffee tastes rounder, more chocolatey and naturally sweeter.
Cold brew isn’t the same as iced coffee: iced coffee is brewed hot and then cooled, whereas cold brew never touches hot water. You can make it as a concentrate to dilute later, or ready to drink.
The right ratio
Two proven options – depending on whether you want to dilute or drink it straight.
| Concentrate | Ready to drink | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratio | 1 : 8 | 1 : 15 |
| Amount | 100 g coffee to 800 ml water | 65 g coffee to 1 litre water |
| Grind | coarse (like French press) | coarse (like French press) |
| Steep time | 12–18 hours in the fridge | 12–18 hours in the fridge |
| Serve | dilute 1 : 1 with water or milk | straight over ice |
Step by step
How to make a cold brew concentrate – best started in the evening so it’s ready the next day.
- 01Grind
Grind 100 g of coffee coarsely, as for a French press. Grounds that are too fine make the coffee cloudy and hard to filter.
- 02Combine
Put the coffee in a clean glass jar or French press and pour over 800 ml of cold, fresh water.
- 03Stir
Stir well so all the grounds are wet. Close or cover the container.
- 04Steep
Leave in the fridge for 12–18 hours. 12 hours gives a lighter, 18 hours a stronger coffee.
- 05Filter
Pour through a fine sieve and then a paper filter. With a French press, press slowly and filter again afterwards.
- 06Serve
Dilute the concentrate 1 : 1 with cold water or milk and serve over ice.
Which coffee works for cold brew?
Because cold brew extracts little acidity, sweetness and body come to the fore. Medium roasts work very well: chocolate and caramel notes without tasting flat. A medium-roast Ethiopian arabica keeps a hint of fruit as well.
Very dark roasts often taste smoky and one-dimensional as cold brew; very light roasts can seem thin.
For cold brew we recommend Ethera whole beans, ground coarse. Pre-ground Ethera is meant for filter and therefore finer – it works, but the brew is cloudier and harder to filter. Shorten the steep to about 12 hours if you use it.
Serving ideas: water, milk, tonic
The concentrate is the most flexible option: you brew once and decide when serving how strong it should be and how to drink it. Guide values per glass with ice:
If you want iced coffee now and can’t wait 12 hours, Japanese iced coffee is the quick alternative: filter coffee brewed hot straight onto ice, with about a third of the water replaced by ice. It tastes brighter and fruitier than cold brew, because hot water extracts more acidity.
| Drink | Mix | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Classic cold brew | 80 ml concentrate + 80 ml water | add more water if it’s too strong |
| Iced latte | 80 ml concentrate + 120 ml cold milk | works with oat or almond drink too |
| Cold brew tonic | 60 ml concentrate + 120 ml tonic water | tonic over ice first, then pour the coffee slowly |
| Hot | 80 ml concentrate + 80 ml hot water | mild with hardly any bitterness |
Shelf life and tips
Cold brew is easy to make ahead – a few points keep it fresh.
- Sealed in the fridge, cold brew keeps for about a week; it tastes best in the first few days.
- Always store it filtered: if the grounds stay in the water, the coffee turns bitter.
- Ice cubes made from cold brew stop your drink getting watery as they melt.
- You can drink it hot too: dilute the concentrate with hot water – it stays mild.
- Too strong: dilute more; too weak: steep longer next time.
Frequently asked questions
How long should cold brew steep?
12 to 18 hours in the fridge. Going beyond 24 hours isn’t worth it – the coffee turns woody and bitter.
How much coffee for cold brew?
For a concentrate, 100 g of coffee to 800 ml of water (1 : 8); for ready-to-drink cold brew, about 65 g per litre (1 : 15).
Can cold brew steep at room temperature?
Yes – 10–12 hours are enough then. The fridge is more hygienic and keeps the flavour cleaner.
Does cold brew have more caffeine?
The concentrate is strong; diluted, cold brew is roughly in line with a regular cup of coffee. It depends on how much you dilute it.
What’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?
Iced coffee is brewed hot and then chilled or poured over ice; cold brew steeps cold from the start. That makes cold brew milder, sweeter and less acidic.
How long does cold brew keep?
Filtered and sealed in the fridge, about a week.
More guides
How to make French press coffee
32 g, 500 ml, 4 minutes: the base recipe, the right grind and the most common mistakes.
How to make filter coffee
30 g per 500 ml, 94 °C, 3–4 minutes: the base recipe for pour over and machine, the right grind and the most common mistakes.
How to store coffee properly
Airtight, dark, cool: how long coffee stays fresh, why the fridge is a bad idea and when freezing helps.