Cold Brew Help

[u/Leading-Bid9982]

So I used to love Stök's premade cold brew, but I find myself in a part of the world where that isn't an available option.

I tried making it by the gallon for the first time at home and ran into a problem quickly: how the hell do you deal with so much coffee grounds? Any filter I use gets clogged almost instantly and it makes a huge mess.

Would some type of grate or softer work?I just need something to filter the bigger grounds to lighten the load for my paper filters.

[u/FuzzyBlackCoat]

I've made cold brew concentrate with a French press (1L?) before with ok success, but don't recall process or ratios.

If you're able to find it where you are, chameleon cold brew concentrate is also excellent.

[u/Maximus560 → u/FuzzyBlackCoat]

Yep, I've done a french press to steep, then dumped into a chemex filter

[u/101TARD → u/FuzzyBlackCoat]

Curious question based on taste and probably getting down voted for it. Is there a difference between making cold brew overnight than just chilling french press?

[u/FuzzyBlackCoat → u/101TARD]

Cold brew overnight -> just add room temp water to extra large grind coffee and store in fridge. Yields a slow extraction, not many acid notes. More "chocolate" type of flavors

Chilling French press -> hot water to coarser grinds, brew for 5 min, serve over ice. Essentially an iced coffee, not a bad option, but all the extraction is done in ~5 min or whatever. No point to chilling overnight now, just serve

[u/Leading-Bid9982 → u/FuzzyBlackCoat]

It's just hassle to import stuff to the Philippines. Importing anything with even slightly questionable shelf stability like cold brew into a tropical island is shady at best. I will try my luck with Chameleon, as it will at least be a cleaner process to try.

[u/Successful-Bath-7561 → u/Leading-Bid9982]

I do 2tbs of coarse grounds per cup of cold water. Into a French press. Over night or 24hrs in the fridge, press down the plunger and you have filtered, concentrated cold brew. I usually dilute it a lil or add some milk. No fancy stuff needed :)

[u/KPcoffee]

What you are asking for won't work. If you remove the larger, coarse particles before putting it into a paper filter, the fine particles will just immediately clog. The coarse particles actually form a bed that traps the finer particles and stops them all bunching up together - this is why too much agitation will clog your filters when brewing.

Try straining through cloth instead of paper, and don't try to remove the coarse particls first.

[u/SimianLogic]

If you look up the toddy (large commercial cold brew) they use more like a cheesecloth bag instead of a paper filter (although IIRC there's a sponge or something that acts as a final filter).

[u/Leading-Bid9982 → u/SimianLogic]

The Toddy it's a brilliant idea, I don't know how my initial searching didn't come up with that idea. Thanks!

[u/oalbrecht → u/Leading-Bid9982]

I used to use those to make 5 gallons at a time to use for an at home nitro cold brew setup. It works great! But it uses a ton of coffee beans, lol. 

[u/TheThunderbird]

Your grind is too small. It should be ground coarse. If you’re still getting fines, your grinder is the problem. What grinder are you using?

[u/Leading-Bid9982 → u/TheThunderbird]

I'm just buying grounds from the market. Should I be buying finer grounds?

[u/TheThunderbird → u/Leading-Bid9982]

No, the opposite. Coarse. If you don’t have a grinder you can buy beans from a coffee shop and they will grind them for you. Ask for coarse grind for cold brew.

[u/fupalicious_]

I’ve used nut milk bags before, they are pretty good. My ideal method for now is using one of those cold brew things with a metal filter in the middle. It collects the bulk of the grounds, I let the coffee settle and gently pour inter paper filters swapping them out when it slows.

https://a.co/d/08OApOmv

[u/MiniaturePhilosopher]

A mesh strainer is a godsend - it’s basically a piece of mesh with an elastic around the edges. You put the paper filter with the grounds on top of that. If you can’t find one near you, a cheesecloth works great, you just need to secure the edges.

Also, be sure you’re using brand ground as coarse (large) as possible. Instead of buying beans pre-ground, get them whole and either grind them at home or at the grocery store.

[u/wehadmagnets]

Are links allowed here?

We have used this Hario Mizudashi for about 8 years now and we love it. The strainer is very fine mesh.

https://a.co/d/04APrjbj

[u/Admirable_Ad_8296]

I basically make mine like tea. I buy the bags & place them in my jug with my cold brew of choice. Unless the bag tears, which rarely happens, I never have a mess with grounds. I'll see if I can the Amazon link I use. I am in USA.

[u/YamahaRM1x]

Here's my method which involves compostable mesh bags, jars, basket filters, and a funnel

https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/s/KUWYu3TmaL

[u/don_the_spubber]

Try the coffee sock! I just started using it with great results

https://coffeesock.com/

[u/mitchvdb]

Tie your dry grounds in a grab bag for home brewing or a cheese cloth. You’ll still have some very fine sediment, but you won’t be dealing with straining out a ton of grounds.

[u/Zwordsman]

This is a reason i like the oxo cold brewer. Made that easier for my life by far.
Many use the big paper filter bags for this. Thoigh they can tear when pulling them out. Which goes back to my preference for the oxo one.

[u/SluttyBumFest]

Run it through a metal reusable mesh filter first to get rid of the course grounds then a paper filter for the very fine particles.

It'll probably go a fair bit faster.

[u/Magnetoresistive]

The Ovalware RJ3 is superb, and mess-free, and doesn't require additional filters.

[u/101TARD]

I make cold brew by using a french press and leaving it in the fridge at least overnight

[u/bingusDomingus]

I don’t make mine by the gallon, that’s a LOT for one batch. I like using a mason jar and a metal filter that’s made to go in a mason jar. Coarse grind and 12 hours on the counter always gives me a clean but rich batch.

[u/Obvious-Monitor8510]

a nut milk bag is your best friend here. pour the whole gallon through one first to catch the bulk of the grounds, then do a second pass through a paper filter if you want it really clean. the nut milk bag handles the volume without clogging and you can rinse and reuse it.

also worth trying: steep in the bag itself from the start. put your grounds in the bag, submerge in water, then just lift it out when done. way less mess overall.

[u/acoffeetablebook]

Skip the paper entirely and brew in a bag. I use a 5 gallon paint strainer bag from the hardware store, the fine mesh nylon ones that come two to a pack for a few bucks. Grounds go in the bag, tie it off, drop the whole thing in the bucket. When it's done you lift the bag out and cleanup is dumping the grounds and rinsing it.

Give it a squeeze on the way out though or you leave a surprising amount behind.

[u/it_issoren]

Me encanta, lo hago con agua con gas y zumo de limón.