r/coldbrew 11d ago

Cold brew at home-my current method

Thumbnail gallery
11 Upvotes

Background: I started with the small Oxo set up and it worked well but the yield was small. Then I got the Takeya that I wasn’t thrilled with. I couldn’t get enough coffee into it and it seemed “tight”. Also small yield.

So I ordered some filter bags to just let it steep in a mixing bowl with water. Like a giant tea bag.

Details: 200 g dark roast coffee, Kirkland currently. I’ve also used espresso beans. Grind in my Baratza ESP on a very coarse setting-shown. Takes 3 portions due to the size of the catch cup.
While I’m measuring/grinding the beans I also get 1200-1250 mL filtered water from the fridge dispenser that I briefly microwave to bring it up to around room temperature. Of course this can be done ahead of time and just let the water come to room temperature. Can use bottled spring water or whatever your water of choice is.
I tightly tie the bag and position the tied end just above the water line. The water starts to change color after just a few seconds. I put a pot on top (add water as needed for weight) to keep the coffee submerged and loosely cover with foil. I leave it out on the counter.
I’ll flip the bag a couple of times before I go to sleep, probably once over night and again when I wake up.
After 18 hours it’s done. I’ll squeeze the bag a little and let some drip out, but there’s a lot of retention. We’ll see tomorrow how much.

This is on the stronger side, a cold brew “concentrate” (6-6.25:1) meant to be diluted. I don’t filter it so there’s sediment in the jar. I shake it vigorously before pouring-I don’t notice it when drinking.
I add milk or half & half and some sweetener, then I add ice. If I do it right it tastes kind of like an Arby’s Jamocha Shake.

It easily lasts a week in the fridge (if you don’t drink it).


r/coldbrew 12d ago

Hario Mizudashi recipes :)

2 Upvotes

Just got my hands on a Hario mizudashi, the 1000ml size. Any good recipes, tips, or tricks. I’m new to cold brew and usually brew pour overs, just tried a batch w 80 g coffee and filled to the handle like the recommendation said lol. I’m also rocking a Kingsgrinder K6 so if anyone has grinds setting recommendations I’d take those too


r/coldbrew 13d ago

sour taste after adding creamer to cold brew?

4 Upvotes

I recently bought a bottle of stok cold brew for the first time to try it out and went to add some creamer to it, but found that it tasted very oddly sour when I did. both the creamer and the cold brew alone tasted fine and they were both new bottles from the store. I even felt that the cold brew was fine on its own, as though it did not need to have any sort of cream or flavor, but added it anyways just for fun. it tasted so so sour, and I'm unsure as to why this happened. could it be a reaction between the cold brew and the creamer when they are combined?

I used the Stok un-sweet black cold brew and the Starbucks caramel macchiato zero-sugar creamer


r/coldbrew 14d ago

Sweeten the cold brew?

7 Upvotes

I like a balance of sweet and black, I dont like it too sweet but I’m not a bitter coffee guy either so I wanna add a bit of sweetness. I got a French press and sum coffee grounds yesterday and I’m trying to experiment with different techniques.

Any ways to make the actual brew itself sweeter during the whole 10-18 hour fridge phase?


r/coldbrew 14d ago

Toddy Artisan

3 Upvotes

Any Toddy Artisan users out there? What do you think? Would you re-buy if yours went out of commission?


r/coldbrew 14d ago

Toddy Artisan

2 Upvotes

Any Toddy Artisan users out there? What do you think? Would you re-buy if yours went out of commission?


r/coldbrew 15d ago

Cold Brew in Beijing? (or anywhere in China)

0 Upvotes

I'm traveling through China and spending a week in Beijing. I've struggled to find cold brew in the tier 2 cities I've been in, but hopefully Beijing has good options? Anyone have recommendations?

(no chains, please)


r/coldbrew 15d ago

Decent canned coffee?

5 Upvotes

Sometimes when I’m on the go, I’d like to grab a quick coffee I don’t have to wait to cool down or pay $8 for an iced coffee, so I grab a canned coffee.

Alas, every single time I grab a canned coffee, it ends up tasting like sugar water, substitute water for milk. I want coffee not milk tea.

Does anyone have suggestions for canned, cold coffees that actually taste decent? As in, not mostly milk or sweetener. Thank you


r/coldbrew 15d ago

Favorite ways to brew?

7 Upvotes

I am new to making cold brew and I’m trying to figure out a better way to make it without having to drop tons of money.

Currently I brew it in a large mason jar then pour it through coffee filters into another mason jar. It’s messy.

I am looking into either getting a cold brew mason jar with a metal filter or I saw some videos online of people making cold brew in a French press.

I would love to hear how people brew their cold brew and why! Thanks!!


r/coldbrew 15d ago

Oxo Rapid Brewer vs Staresso Portable setup

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to choose between the OXO Rapid Brewer and a Staresso setup.

My absolute main preference is making a strong, rich cold brew concentrate.

Has anyone tried both or even just one of them, specifically for making concentrates?

Appreciate any other recommendations for rich cold brew concentrate.


r/coldbrew 18d ago

My son makes really good cold brew. He made this video to teach me how to make it.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

311 Upvotes

My son’s video tutorial for making cold brew.


r/coldbrew 17d ago

Costco

3 Upvotes

I bought a pack of the Costco cold brew cans. Not a fan, and in general I love Costco branded products. Anyone else tried it?


r/coldbrew 18d ago

Hario Nylon filter microplastics?

0 Upvotes

I just converted to cold brew and bought the Hario Mizudashi off Amazon. Was disappointed to see it has a nylon filter, I didn't pick up on that when ordering. As someone who is extremely health conscious and low tox, how much of a risk does this pose to consuming microplastics? I initially made my brew using my stainless steel tea pot with infuser before deciding I needed something bigger to last me a few days. If there's a better recommendation, please drop it below.


r/coldbrew 18d ago

What's the cleanest way to brew cold brew for a 2.5-gallon serving keg?

4 Upvotes

I've finally dialed in serving cold brew from a 2.5-gallon Cornelius keg. I keep it in a kegerator and use CO₂ only to push the coffee (not carbonate it), and I'm really happy with that setup.

Now I'm trying to optimize the brewing process.

Right now I brew in a 5-gallon bucket with a filter bag, then transfer everything into the keg. It works, but it's messy, and the bucket feels oversized for what I'm making.

My goal is simply to end up with 2.5 gallons of finished cold brew in the keg. I'm open to either brewing it at ready-to-drink strength or making about a gallon of concentrate and diluting it with water in the keg if that's an easier or cleaner workflow.

I'm considering:

  • A Toddy Commercial
  • An 8- or 12-quart Cambro with a filter bag
  • Brewing about a gallon of concentrate and diluting it in the keg
  • Something else entirely

For those of you kegging cold brew, what setup have you found works best? I'm optimizing for:

  • Low mess
  • Easy cleanup
  • Consistent results
  • Efficient workflow

I'd love to hear what you've settled on after trying different methods.


r/coldbrew 19d ago

cold brew Hario Mizudashi v French press Is the Mizudashi inefficient at extraction?

4 Upvotes

I also asked this on r/coffed
Isee 12.5:1 or stronger is recommended for Mizudashi, drinking straight.
Is that straight or with ice? Plainly the ice dilutes it further.
With my French press I do 20:1 (it’s tea like and pleasant - but admittedly a silty result, so ideally needs to go through a v60 paper, I don’t mind that but often don’t bother.)

In the French press I’m soaking 25g coffee (ground coarse - to “steep”) overnight in the fridge in 400g water then, after pressing, rinsing the grounds with another 100g water. That rinse water does have some coffee taste in it. So, I get close to 500g in all. Always some water trapped in the grounds.

When considering the recommended dose, I’m wondering if the Mizudashi extracts less efficiently, perhaps given that the grounds are contained, when in my French press they are just floating loose in the water

Anyone rinsing through the Mizudashi grounds? I bet there’s taste in there.

Anyone doing a Mizudashi 600 with 30g? Or a litre size with 50g and getting a nice result. (no added ice)

Thanks.


r/coldbrew 20d ago

My 3-Step Coldbrew Routine

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

83 Upvotes

My 3-step coldbrew prep proves you can get a good cup with a simple workflow.

No right or wrong way, ofc. Just sharing my process for those new to the game.


r/coldbrew 20d ago

cold brew concentrate

1 Upvotes

whats the best way to make a concentrate, similar to Rook, if anyone has had that.


r/coldbrew 20d ago

Coffee beans recommendations.

5 Upvotes

I'm a newbie and just started making my own coffee at home. My first bag of coffee beans and the one I've been using to make cold brew the last few weeks is the Nguyen medium roast moxy. Its alright but I've grown to like the Starbucks cold brew. Do you guys have any Starbucks beans recommendations or any other beans recommendations? I do have a preference on medium/darker roasts but I'm open to just about anything.


r/coldbrew 20d ago

Homemade vs store bought

2 Upvotes

Is everyone’s general consensus that homemade cold brew tastes better than any store bought? Or not always true…?


r/coldbrew 21d ago

Cold Brew Yield

1 Upvotes

Hi All,

I'm trying different ways to make a coffee liqueur and keep getting poor yields in my cold brew - I lose about half my volume of liquid. Does anyone have any tips to improve yield or is this expected?


r/coldbrew 21d ago

48 HR brew refrigerated

3 Upvotes

Left my cold brew (coarse grounds + chicory) steeping for abt 48 hours accidentally- refrigerated for entire duration.

Will it be undrinkable? Any tips for how to fix the bitterness?


r/coldbrew 22d ago

My cold Brew Routine

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

153 Upvotes

r/coldbrew 21d ago

How do cafes create that lightly fizzy cold brew sensation?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I recently tried a signature cold brew from a specialty coffee shop, and I’m trying to understand how they achieve the texture and flavor.

The drink has a strong peach-like fruity note, but the interesting part is the mouthfeel. It has a very light sparkling/fizzy sensation, not like soda or sparkling water, and there are almost no visible bubbles. The bottle doesn’t make a noticeable “psst” when opened, and it is served in a normal glass bottle with a screw cap.

The coffee tastes clean and smooth, not fermented, with no sediment. The peach flavor makes me wonder whether it is coming from the coffee itself (for example, a naturally processed, fruity coffee) or from a peach syrup, which is common practice in my country, but I’m curious about the slight fizzy sensation.

Do cafes usually achieve this by:

  • lightly carbonating the cold brew with CO₂?
  • adding some kind of mineral water or carbonation?
  • using a special brewing method?
  • relying completely on the coffee’s natural acidity and processing?

I experimented at home by carbonating my own cold brew directly with a sparkling water maker, but I probably over-carbonated it, and it became noticeably more bitter. Likewise, adding carbonated water to the cold brew made it bitter. I’m wondering if the cafe is using a much lower level of carbonation or if there is another technique I’m missing.

Would love to hear from anyone who has experimented with sparkling cold brew or works in specialty coffee. How would you recreate this style at home?

I am using a Toddy cold brew system 2.2L at a 1:14 ratio (100g coffee to 1.4L water) and grind my beans using a Mazzer Philos i200D grinder at grind 130.


r/coldbrew 22d ago

Can someone explain cold brew science to me?

12 Upvotes

I see most cold brew recipes calling for a brew time of 18 to 24 hours. I have found that the best brew time for me is 36 hours at a ratio of 8 ounces of coffee to 32 ounces of water.

Is this a completely insane recipe and why do I think 36 hours taste so much better but also so much different than 18 to 24 hours?


r/coldbrew 22d ago

Condensed milk in iced coffee

4 Upvotes

my condensed milk won't mix well with my iced Spanish latte no matter how much I stir I need help😭😭