Hey there friends, sorry I’ve been away from this space for the past weeks. I’ve been off recovering from surgery and practicing self-care (fudge that’s hard). But, I’m slowly coming back and getting stronger, and wanted to kick things off with a recipe I love. Cold Brew Coffee. Cold brew is my summer drink of choice. And as the temperatures here in Montreal start to reach into the 30s and beyond (Celsius of course) I always have a pitcher of cold brew in the fridge. And while you can certainly buy cold brew already made, or pick up a glass of it at local coffee shops, it ridiculously easy to make. And loads cheaper might I add. You don’t need any fancy equipment, in fact you probably already have everything you need sitting right in your pantry.
All you need is ground coffee, whichever you like, and a french press. Of course you can always purchase a pitcher designed for cold brew, like this one. I won’t lie, I have one that I bought on liquidation during a close out sale. But for years I made it in my french press, exactly as I detail below. The infusion process is the same, no matter what vessel you use. You infuse coffee grounds in cold water, in the fridge for 8 hours or longer.
There are many benefits to making cold brew. For one, it keeps in the fridge, you can make a large batch and have it on hand all week. But besides the convenience of having chilled coffee on hand ready to go, there are some health benefits as well. Because the coffee is infused cold, there is less oil from the coffee beans released, and the resulting coffee is much less acidic than percolator coffee or drip coffee. Making it easier on the stomach, so if you find you have trouble with coffee, this might be a great alternative for you. It also has more caffeine than hot coffee due to the longer infusion, so if you find you generally need more than one cup in the morning, you might find you need less here.
The flavor is also milder, with more of a subtle sweetness to it, as opposed to the usual sharpness of percolator and drip coffee. Of course if cold coffee is not your thing, you can always heat it before serving it, but with these temperature I want mine chilled. Over ice, with a splash of non-dairy milk. A nice tall glass of cold brew, a good book, a sunny patio, and I’m ready. Bring on the heat.
- 8 tablespoons ground coffee
- Cold water
- Non-dairy milk of choice
- Sweetener of choice
- Measure out the coffee grains according to the capacity and instructions of your french press. For a traditional 8 cup french press, use 8 tablespoons of coffee (or 4 of the included scoop). The coffee to water ratio will be the same as if you were making hot coffee.
- Fill to the top with cold water and gently stir.
- Place the lid and plunger over the coffee, but keep the plunger pulled up. Place the french press in the fridge to infuse for 8 hours or overnight.
- Once the coffee has infused, remove from the fridge and push down the plunger to strain the coffee. Serve over ice with your choice of non-dairy milk and sweetener.
- Cold brew can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to one week.
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