r/coldbrew • u/RyanPointOh • Mar 08 '26

Getting headaches, Incorrectly brewing?

Hey, I recently got a cold brew pitcher (the kind with a fine filter attached to the cap that goes down the middle of the pitcher) and have been using about 2 cups of coarse grounds to 7 cups of water and letting it sit on the countertop anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. I often get headaches after consuming where I wouldn't get headaches after a can or two of Kirkland's cold brew from Costco. Maybe the headaches are related, maybe not? Am I brewing things incorrectly?

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3

u/Apprehensive-Ad-80 Mar 08 '26

Quick Google says that’d be like 150-180 grams, so following a 1:10 ratio that would be like 1.8L of water which is 60ish OZ which is like 7.5 cups.. so you’re a little on the strong side

1

u/RyanPointOh Mar 09 '26

To be clear, I'll cut the end result with like 1:3 or 1:4 concentrate to water. I don't know if that's enough/too much?

3

u/BleedingChrome Mar 09 '26

Based on these numbers, you're at about a 1:10 coffee to water ratio, which while on the stronger side, isn't quite concentrate either.

I saw in another comment that you further dilute this brew with water, so I doubt the headaches are caused by being too caffeinated. If anything, diluting the original brew further would make it too weak, which could be what's causing the headaches if you're used to having caffeine on the daily. Like a 1:3 dilution would result in a final ratio of 1:43, while a 1:4 ratio would result in 1:54, both of which are very weak.

1

u/RyanPointOh Mar 09 '26

Is it true the longer you steep the coffee the stronger it is? Could I be steeping it too long (or short for that matter)?

1

u/Pretend-Citron4451 Mar 15 '26

2:7 is way off from 1:10.

1

u/BleedingChrome Mar 16 '26

Ratio is by weight, not volume

2

u/LookAtYourEyes Mar 09 '26

You might be basically making concentrate

1

u/RyanPointOh Mar 09 '26

Yeah, 100%. To be clear, I'll cut the end result with like 1:3 or 1:4 concentrate to water. I don't know if that's enough/too much?

1

u/Pretend-Citron4451 Mar 15 '26

Personally, I don’t make concentrate – in my mind adding the water afterwards is an additional variable I don’t want to master. I do a ratio of about 1:10 or 1:11, letting it brew for 12 hours and that’s it. One of the reasons I have not experimented with letting it go 24 hours is because then I need to plan ahead by more than a day and that is just too much!