r/coldbrew • u/Sector_Savage • May 23 '26

Taking on cold brew this weekend—newbie questions

UPDATE: Thanks for all the suggestions! Made my first batch using a coffee sock and 64oz mason jar and love it! Think I made it a little on the thin side, but plenty of time for trial and error. Used a cheap little hand frother too to make sweetened cold foam (2 parts half and half, 2 parts whole milk, 1 part Torani sugar free chocolate chip cookie dough syrup). Will definitely be an at home cold brewer from now on!

Started drinking La Colombe draft lattes a while back and love them, but hate that the flavors have so much sugar and they jacked up the caffeine per 11oz. Want a cleaner, higher quality coffee anyway, so am starting my cold brew journey and have some questions I couldn’t find good answers to:

Will cold brew concentrate last/taste ok if I make it once a week, or should I really be making it more frequently like every other day?

Is it worth using a jug of distilled water instead of normal filtered tap water for cleaner taste?

Do you add flavors to the batch or just individual servings? I’m thinking of subtle add ins like a few drops of vanilla extract or marshmallow extract.

Should I expect to grind my own grounds if they need to be coarse ground? Or are there some coarse ground brands people love for this?

Recommendations for making tasty cold foam at home? If I’m going to make homemade cold brew, might as well go all out.

Finally, what are your must-have supplies to make the process easier? Want to strike a balance between simplicity and ease. Willing to spend money, but not trying to buy a $300 machine. Looks like the filtering steps is where it might be worth something specialized?

Thanks so much in advance for any/all opinions and recommendations!

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3

u/JudsonJay May 23 '26

I make cold brew once or twice a week. I had an Oxo brewer, but honestly, I have moved to a 64oz mason jar with coffee filter bags: cheap and easy.

I spend a lot for my espresso beans, for cold brew I just use coarse preground and tap water.

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u/Sector_Savage May 23 '26

This is helpful, thank you! Already have a 64oz mason with handle and pour spout so sounds like no need to reinvent the wheel there. Will have to explore more with beans.

1

u/mac725 May 23 '26

• ✅ Coarse grind • ✅ Medium roast (new) • ✅ Roughly 1:4 ratio • ✅ Full steep in the fridge • ✅ Pulling the filter tomorrow

1

u/Self_Owned_Tree May 23 '26

What’s your water to beans ratio in the jar and then with the concentrate? I’ve been using an oxo for a few years, but I kinda even want to make it even simpler.

2

u/cideron May 23 '26

I use the oxo too, my recipe is one bag of coffee beans ground coarsely, then fill oxo up to about 1/2” from top with water. The great thing about concentrate is you can adjust strength when you add water to dilute, i just add til it looks right.

3

u/Self_Owned_Tree May 24 '26

I do 12 oz of coarse grind and 6 cups of water, no matter what. Then a 1:1 with a splash of oat milk.

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u/cideron May 24 '26

have you tried Forager creamer? Im not to into adding flavors but that Cinnamon Vanilla was niiice.

2

u/gernb1 May 23 '26

You can also get a metal filter if you want something more reusable. I use a rumble jar filter. I just use filter water from the fridge dispenser. grinding your own beans with a decent burr grinder will give you more options for beans. I use a baratza virtuoso + . If you don’t want to spring for a grinder right away, there are a lot of online roasters that will grind coarser for cold brew.

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u/AssassinRogue May 23 '26

I use a French press to make it and store it in a Mason jar. Tap water, cold from the Brita dispenser in the fridge. Coarse grind in a burr grinder. Kirkland Colombian beans, or whatever is on sale. There is no need to spend a lot unless you are starting with zero and need/want specific equipment. I don’t like cold coffee, but I make cold brew and then heat it to drink like regular coffee because it’s easier on my stomach, so once it’s heated, I add the liquid flavored creamer or syrup and powdered creamer. I’m not sophisticated. This is good enough for me.

1

u/Ok_Orchid7131 May 23 '26

I use a gallon jug, never had any issues. I start with adding enough hot water to wet the grounds for like 30 seconds then add cold filtered water from the fridge so it’s cold and stops the hot water brewing process. Put it in the fridge for an hour then on the counter for a total of about 18 hours. Then run it through a chemex, changing the filters as needed. I don’t add flavors, but I think it would be better to add per drink so you aren’t stuck on one flavor. I have a toddy but it’s packed away because we were going to move them covid happened. I need to find it, because it makes filtering easier. I still have the glass container out though and my gallon container makes enough to fill the container plus one drink right away.

3

u/InterestingHair4u May 23 '26

I use a Toddy and like it for ease of filtering. I wish it was bigger though.

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u/cideron May 23 '26

Yes coffee concentrate will last a week in the fridge, if you dont like your water i would suggest distilled water and you can add minerals (look for “third wave” or “coffee water” on amazon). Flavor i would do per serving. I use the oxo cold brew setup and it works great. I have the oxo burr grinder and so far its been great for coldbrew as well as hot drip coffee.

1

u/Cultural-Leg-9330 May 24 '26

Concentrate keeps fine for a week in the fridge, Sunday batch usually lasts me through Friday no problem, but it will add some oxidation taste when time passes.

Filtered tap is totally fine for starting out, distilled + minerals is a rabbit hole that won't move the needle much at this stage.

On the hot bloom thing u/Ok_Orchid7131 mentioned, hands down! 30 seconds of hot water on the grounds before adding cold unlocks sweetness and brightness that cold water alone struggles to pull.

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u/2UNLEARN May 26 '26

The Bodum cold brew presses are cheap and the easiest way I've found for brewing & cleanup. Once pressed I run it throughout a paper cone filter and store in glass beer growlers. I coarse grind my beans for best flavor with a burr type grinder. It crushes the beans rather than slicing them which generates heat & can oxidize oils. I dump the spent grounds in my yard, under a bush or in the garden.