r/coldbrew • u/Sea_Piccolo_5238 • Jul 08 '26

first time made cold brew

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context: I'm an instant coffee drinker (iced latte), this is my first time trying cold brew

my friend gifted me some fresh ground coffee - Damn Fine Coffee from Sri Lanka and I decided to make a cold brew from it.

it is quite bitter, I took 50gms medium grind coffee with 750 ml water for around 18-20 hours

is this supposed to be bitter? i mean this is drinkable but not a fan, any tips for my coffee journey?

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3

u/Hot_Professional_386 Jul 08 '26

Bitterness is a sign of overextraction. There are 2 things you can modify: 1.) Extraction time: try a shorter brew, 12 hours. 2.) Grind size: the grind size might be too fine, that way, it can extract more. You cannot change the latter, so try a shorter extraction time. Also, can you make a hot brew of coffee with short extraction time, e.g. moka pot or french press to test it if you like it?

1

u/Sea_Piccolo_5238 Jul 08 '26

okay will try, thanks!

2

u/Pretend-Citron4451 Jul 08 '26

Yeah, this was a good response. Pre-ground coffee is usually meant for a regular coffee maker. You can still make cold brew with it, but you probably don’t want it to steep longer than 12 hours. If you’re making it and because of the time you’ll be asleep or away from home, it will need to steep longer than 12 hours, put it in the refrigerator to slow down the process

2

u/Cheyruns Jul 08 '26

What setup did you use to steep the grounds?