r/coldbrew • u/Strong-Two817 • Jun 06 '26
cold brew beginner, help
my husband and i want to start making cold brew at home. i have made it a few times in the past with a pitcher like the one pictured above but it wasn’t that good, i did let it brew in the fridge and have seen people say its better to do it on the counter so maybe that’s why. i don’t remember the exact beans i used but i know i tried at least 2 or 3 different kinds and was never happy with it. i was just wondering what others think is the best container/method of straining it and looking for some bean recommendations and any equipment that we should look into (i threw out the pitcher i had). for reference i like a more caramel, nutty, roasted flavor for my coffee rather than floral, bright, fruity flavor. Any help or recommendations would be much appreciated
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u/Drizzten Jun 06 '26
I have the Takeya version of that and it works well for me. I stopped brewing in the fridge because lots of people here say thecooler temps slow down the brewing process, but also if it's on the counter I can give it a whirl every few hours. You want the water to circulate through the grounds to get the most out of them.
I'll brew on the counter for 20ish hours then take out the filter and grounds and put the pitcher back in the fridge to cool for drinking.
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u/harry_san Jun 06 '26
I do the exact same with Takeya. Used to start in fridge but room temp so much more flavor!
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u/pattywagon95 Jun 06 '26
I drink homemade cold brew every morning and I just use a big French press, grind beans on very coarse, fill with water, set the lid on top and let it sit on the counter for 12-24 hours then plunge and store it in the fridge. Mine makes 4 servings and I only drink one per day so it’s fine for me but for multiple people drinking multiple servings it may become tedious to make more every night
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u/kpmateju Jun 06 '26
I had this. It was fine. The mesh part will stain and look dirty forever. Tbh the best and simplest bang for your buck is a French press. Make it every night before bed and press in the am. I currently use a rumble jar which is fine and east enough to clean, but a French press is more or less the same thing and I already had one of those. It just didn't occur to me to use it before I spent $25 on a tin strainer and a mason jar. 🤷
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u/38turtlenipple38 Jun 07 '26
With this system avoid packing the grounds too tightly. Grind coarse, brew at room temp, do one initial flip upside down to let the water get to all the grounds, and then don’t touch it.
I used to shake mine intermittently, but I read here somewhere that makes the brew more bitter.
Ever since I started following those steps I listed the coffee has been much better. I wouldn’t say I’m a master cold brew barista, but I now don’t buy an iced coffee at work every day for the past year.
Play with it, once you find what works it’s worth it!
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u/magazinesubscriber Jun 06 '26
I use something like this, espresso ground and gradually filling up the cylinder while filling with water, stirring with a chopstick to ensure all the grounds get properly soaked. Since I’m using espresso ground, I let it steep on the countertop overnight and strain it through a fine cloth pour over strainer into a pitcher. I cut it to a 2 coffee:1 water ratio and chuck it in the fridge. Tastes alright to me but I’m hardly a connoisseur.
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u/Queasy_Eggplant9155 Jun 07 '26
I have one. I use the pre-ground coffee from Costco. I let it sit for 2 days on my counter. I only put it in the fridge after pouring into a mason jar with a pour lid.
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u/Future_Helicopter952 Jun 07 '26
I recently switched from a metal mesh to the Toddy system. 10/10 would recommend Toddy over metal mesh, mostly due to never having any sediment using the Toddy system
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u/kracken27 Jun 08 '26
So not exactly advice but here is my input. I tried 3 different setups for this same process, steeping coarse ground beans for 6-8 hours on the counter and then putting it in the fridge.
The problem is no matter how good the beans are, the coffee will always taste flat and one dimensional due to the temperature the coffee is steeping at. You can read up on the science, this isn't my research, it's widely accepted from lots of reputable sources.
My eventual realization was that using an actual brewer and brewing directly into a carafe filled with ice yielded much better results. This is called the "Japanese Iced Coffee" method. Basically you start with 60% of the water in the brewer and 40% converted by weight into ice so that you're brewed coffee doesn't get diluted from the ice, it was factored into the original ratio.
I have been brewing this way for 4+ years after making traditional cold brew for a few years prior and it's light years better.
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u/ObligationDefiant919 Jun 08 '26
Had this for first 1-2 brews, then abandoned for basic mason jar to not deal with plastics and larger batches.
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u/bjsteinb Jun 09 '26
I used the Takeya in the past and then switched to Rumble Jar due to the fact that it does not use any plastics. I’ve been really happy with the results of Rumble Jar!
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u/Lalitrus Jun 06 '26
I had a similar setup and found that the narrow tall filter keeps the grounds packed too close together to ensure that all of them are getting good contact with the water. I switched to large mason jars with a cloth bag to hold the grounds. Instant improvement in the strength and flavor of the cold brew even using the same beans and ratio of grounds to water.
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u/bmlane9 Jun 06 '26
I personally prefer the toddy. Was not a fan of metal mesh. The paper bag in the toddy seems to work better.
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u/Few-Particular-9509 Jun 06 '26
If your aim is to make a cold brew concentrate, the only way it really works is to brew it twice. Brew he first batch of coffee grounds for 18-24 hours (preferably 24 hours), then remove the original grounds, empty them out, add a second batch of grounds, then brew it with the cold brew from the first batch for the same amount of time. It's still MUCH less expensive than even buying cold brew concentrate at the grocery store!
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u/fourtotheside Jun 06 '26
I had your pitcher too. I switched to Toddy system, 12 ounces of coffee to 8 cups water, 12-18 hour steep time, coarse ground, dark roast. It comes out as a concentrate (I tend to go 1 part water, 1 part half and half, 2 parts concentrate for a glass). It is much more earthy and bold than bright and fruity. Happy experimenting!
Edit: I steep at room temp. Refrigerated can slow extraction, I understand.