Cold Brew With a French Press

My absolute favourite summer drink has got to be iced coffee. For the past five-ish years, I usually got it at Starbucks when I was in a big city and it was even the slightest bit sunny outside. Those days were definitely my favourites in the summer. Unfortunately, it’s a bit different this year and I won’t be near a Starbucks any time soon. Hence why I decided to try and make some Iced Coffee/Cold Brew at home! It took some tries figuring out what worked best for, but I’ve done it and I’m going to share my recipe today! All you need are coffee beans or course ground coffee and a French Press! And some patience, but – trust me – it’s worth it!

I’ll add a recipe section at the bottom of this post, so if that’s what you’re looking for; scroll straight ahead! If you’d like to read more about the process, we’ll get into that in a second. First, I want to talk about the differences between an actual Iced Coffee and a Cold Brew. Let’s say you’re ordering an Iced Coffee at Starbucks. They will get a cup of ice, brew a (hot!) Espresso and pour the Espresso over the ice. That’s it! When you order a Cold Brew, they’ll actually serve you a coffee that’s been brewing in cold/room temperature water for 20 hours. They also pour it over ice so it might look like an Iced Coffee, but it’s actually not! There’s a bit of different in taste as well, but I’m no expert on that. I’d say Google or your local coffee place is your best friend in this case! 😉

The Things You’ll Need…

There’s only three things you need to make a Cold Brew at home: a French Press, a coffee grinder and coffee beans! And you don’t even need to break the bank to get these things. Funny story, I thought electric coffee grinders were super expensive, so I tried grinding my beans with a mortar and pestle the first time. 100% would not recommend! I got myself an electric grinder for €20 and I’m never going back to manual, hehe! They sell French Presses in all kinds of price ranges and if you’re unsure about your purchase, just get a cheap one! Beans can be quite pricey, but there’s a whole lof of affordable brands out there as well.

How to Make a Cold Brew

Once you’ve got your bean of choice, a grinder and a French Press, you’re good to go! Grind 85 grams (3 cups) of beans to a coarse grind (this means there’s still chunks of bean in your grounds. This page has a great coffee grind chart for reference)! Then put them in your French Press. Add 710 milliliters (3 cups) of cold (!!!) water. Put the lid on your French Press, but keep the filter up. Then just leave it on your kitchen counter. Now the waiting begins..! I usually let my coffee brew for about 12 hours. If you look up different recipes, you’ll find some of them let the coffee brew for up to 24 hours. I guess it depends on your preference and maybe your bean? I’ve only tried it with one brand, so I can’t really tell yet. I usually fill my French Press at night, so I’ll have a nice cup of Cold Brew in the morning! 

12 Hours Later

After about 12 hours, I’ll finally filter the coffee by slowly(!) pushing down the filter of my French Press until I’m at the bottom. Side note: I don’t set a timer for the brewing. If I make my coffee at 8PM, I know I’ll have to filter my coffee anytime after 8AM the next morning. I can’t always filter it at the exact 12 hour mark, but I try not to let it brew for more than 14 hours. When I’ve filtered it, I put it in a glass bottle and store it in the fridge. You should be able to store it for a week or two, but honestly; mine never lasts that long! 

Cup of Cold Brew

I usually make myself a cup of cold brew straight away. The possibilities are now endless! If you’re into plain, strong coffee; drink it like that! Want to add regular milk? Soy? Oat milk? Almond milk? Go ahead! Like caramel? Get yourself some caramel syrup! Did you know you can actually get a whole lot of different syrups for coffee and cocktails? I was Googling recently and I found syrup flavours like butterscotch, vanilla, cinnamon, tiramisu and so many more I think I literally went to coffee heaven. Oh. My. Goodness! Do keep in mind you can’t add regular sugar or creamer to your Cold Brew, as it won’t dissolve like it does in hot coffee!

That’s it! The brewing takes a lot of time, but other that that it’s a super quick and easy recipe. Grinding the coffee and filling up the French Press is something you can do within minutes. Filtering the brew and transferring it into a bottle for storage is just as easy. It makes a couple of servings as well! I haven’t counted, but I’m sure you’ll be able to make about 3 – 4 cups of Cold Brew coffee.

Have you ever made Cold Brew at home? Will you be making this recipe? Let me know how it turns out in the comments!

Cold Brew Coffee

Here's how to make a Cold Brew at home!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Brewing Time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 12 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 3 cups Coffee Beans
• 3 cups Water

Equipment

• Coffee Grinder
• French Press
• Measuring Cup

Method

 

1. Measure your beans and water.
2. Grind your beans to a coarse grind.
3. Put beans in your French Press. Add water slightly push the top beans beneath the water so they’re all wet. Put on the lid, but keep the filter up.
4. Wait 12 - 14 hours.
5. Filter your Cold Brew.
6. Pour your filtered Cold Brew in a (glass) bottle. Store in the fridge for up to a week!
7. Fill a glass with ice and add your Cold Brew. You can drink it like this, or add milk and coffee syrup to your liking.
8. Carefully stir with a straw en enjoy your home made Cold Brew!