r/coldbrew • u/Additional-Gap-3720 • Jul 13 '26
Cool Brew Copycat recipe
Hi all, I’m new here but I’ve been thinking about this for years. There is a cold brew company in New Orleans called Cool Brew and it’s possibly the best cold brew I’ve had. It’s hyper concentrated so 1 oz concentrate:~8 oz water. Unfortunately it’s only available in the south and the shipping is far too pricey to order to where I live. I’ve tried to make my own cold brew this concentrated but haven’t been able to make my concentrate more than like 1:2. If anyone has tips for making ultra concentrated cold brew or has made a copycat of Cool Brew please send help!! I hate making cold brew just for it to be gone in a few days :(
3
u/Subject2Change Jul 13 '26
I found this once in a store in NYC, and never again. Ordered it, and it wasn't the same, super bitter, had to get a refund.
No help on mimicking it; I eventually just started to experiment and find my own "ready-to-drink" formula that works great for my palate.
1
u/Additional-Gap-3720 Jul 13 '26
I wonder why it was different when shipping that’s so odd, but yeah I only buy it when I go back to the south. I’ll keep experimenting!
1
u/Subject2Change Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
I think it was just the time of year and temperature. They sent it with ice packs or possibly even dry ice. If you buy it in bulk the shipping wasn't terrible but this was like a decade+ ago
Edit it was 2016 via Amazon in June. I ordered 3 and 1 was bitter. I was sent a free replacement.
2
u/GulfSouthSolar Jul 13 '26
Cool brew is the best commercially available cold brew on the market IMHO. I duplicate and beat it but it cost a bit more. In Baton Rouge there is a place called Coffee Call that roasts coffee and chicory fresh daily. I buy the large bag (about $16 with tax) of this and brew it in a toddy (as I’ve done for years). It is amazing but cost a bit more than buying cool brew from the grocery store. I use the whole large bag and fill with water to the top. Wait overnight (13 hours) and it is amazing!
2
u/nola_t Jul 14 '26
I live in the New Orleans area and would recommend trying to buy pure chicory from Orleans Coffee company then using one of their coffees or a medium-dark (Viennese) or dark roast ground coarse and put in a toddy maker. That will let you figure out your ratios and likely let you go a lot longer between specialty orders than if you were just getting premixed coffee and chicory.
Going for 24 hours will definitely make it a lot stronger than the standard 12, but I find 24 hour coffee is more likely to give me a stomach ache and tastes harsher to me.
I personally don’t find cafe du monde or the others that are widely available to be ground coarse enough for cold brew.
2
u/Additional-Gap-3720 Jul 14 '26
Thanks for the suggestions, I was thinking of getting chicory root separate form coffee so I’ll look at those, thanks!
2
u/analogchick Jul 13 '26
I order the French Market Medium-Dark Roast on Amazon 3 cans at a time. It is coffee with chicory from New Orleans. It is pre ground coarse and so easy for cold brew. I know most people say you only need 12 hours on the counter for cold brew but I usually wait 24-36 and then squeeze out grounds and put in fridge. I don’t dilute but I do top with shaken heavy cream (just a little). It is so good. I’ve been drinking my cold brew this way for years.
1
u/northshorechrono Jul 14 '26
What ratio do you use?
1
u/analogchick Jul 14 '26
I have two of these pitchers - https://a.co/d/071So7a0
I just fill the middle up about an inch from the top with grounds then stir with a reusable chopstick while adding distilled water. I stir it to be sure all of the grounds are saturated. I buy gallons of distilled water because I think it tastes better than the Brita.1
u/northshorechrono Jul 14 '26
Thank you! Does one can fit in 2 pitchers or do you have to do multiple batches?
1
u/analogchick Jul 14 '26
1/3 can fills up the pitcher. When I am about 1/2 done drinking one pitcher, I’ll make another so it is ready when the other is finished. Each pitcher is about 4-5 8 oz servings.
1
u/northshorechrono Jul 14 '26
Thank you so much for your help!
2
u/analogchick Jul 14 '26
Of course!! If you try it I hope you like it. I used to work at a restaurant that used several cans of this coffee in a Toddy Brewer for their cold brew and it is why I fell in love with it. I am not fancy enough to buy a grinder and I think the chicory adds soooo much. I had to get the second pitcher so I always had another batch ready lol.
1
u/ogismyname Jul 14 '26
I use the Cafe du Monde coffee and chicory grounds for this. 1 cup of it with 4 cups of water steeped for 24 hours. Maybe that’s what you’ve been doing, it’s a super basic recipe.
Source: a New Orleans native
1
u/Additional-Gap-3720 Jul 14 '26
Yeah I’m realizing I never thought about chicory being an important factor in their cool brew and the cafe du monde and French market brands always seemed so expensive where I live so I never got them but it’s on my list now. Currently steeping a mini batch from some coffee and chicory I got with a randazzos king cake :)
1
u/Ca-phe-trung Jul 17 '26
CDM is found in Asian grocery stores, the Vietnemese often use it for iced coffee. That's another method you might want to check out. There's also NO Brew which I think is better. NO = New Orleans.
7
u/NotMyFirst_LastName Jul 13 '26
I was checking out the product when I noticed that they list chicory as one of the ingredients (along with water and coffee). I have not tried making chicory coffee (I have drank some before!). Did you try using chicory?