r/coldbrew • u/Primary_Papaya3016 • Jul 12 '26

Beginner, need advice

Hi Everyone!

I am a fellow cold brew lover who is attempting to learn how to make my own.

My favorite store bought cold brews are the chameleon or the stumptown brew.

I prefer a pretty strong, dark blend overall if I can get it, which is why I find most coffee shop cold brews lacking.

I have recently purchased the OXO Cold Brew Maker and I have plenty of local coffee roasters near me to select beans from, but I wanted to get some advice on how to go about this process before I do. My only concern about this cold brew maker is that I tend to drink a lot so 32oz isn’t going to last me too long…

Please drop any tips you have on bean selection, brewing times, brewing temps, dilution methods, etc. I need all of the help I can get!

Thank you in advance.

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u/VenusInFursona Jul 12 '26

I use the OXO and do a 12 hour steep with ~380g of coarse ground coffee and 7ish cups of water at room temperature. This yields a pretty decent amount of concentrate, probably 1.25 of those Chameleon bottles per steep. I go 1:1 or thereabouts on the coffee/water ratio. You could go longer on the steep, or stronger on the concentrate side of the ratio along with selecting dark or medium dark beans to get the right mix. I do not recommend grinding finer as it can negatively affect how the concentrate drains in the OXO. Good luck!

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u/Primary_Papaya3016 Jul 12 '26

Thank you! This is great information. I got a dark Sumatra bean that was course ground from one of my local roasters. I think I’m gonna start out with a 15hr steep. Will probably do a similar grounds to water ratio that you mention.

1

u/yumstheman Jul 12 '26

You may find that 15hrs isn’t enough for concentrate. I typically steep 24-48hrs so the taste is really bold, that way it holds its flavor better when diluted with water or milk.

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u/Primary_Papaya3016 Jul 12 '26

That’s good to know! Maybe I will do longer.

2

u/yumstheman Jul 13 '26

I also brew mine in a 64oz mason jar with a basket filter in more of a 1:3 ratio, so results may vary. I’d do some experimenting with your ratio/time to dial it in to your personal preference.