Hi, Adriana here!
When Calgary finally gives us a stretch of warm weather, I want to be outside enjoying it. I am a tropical bird at heart. Giving up coffee for the heat, however, has never crossed my mind.
Instead, I make cold brew.
I like having a batch waiting in the fridge. In the afternoon, I can pour some over ice, taste it, and decide whether it wants a splash of milk. That little bit of preparation feels particularly clever when the day gets busy—even though all I did was put coffee and water in a jar.
Here is my recipe, plus the adjustments I would make if your first batch is not quite your cup.
How do you make cold brew coffee at home?
Combine ground coffee and cool water, make sure all the grounds are wet, cover and steep in the refrigerator, then filter out the coffee.
My starting recipe is 85 grams of coffee to 950 grams of water, steeped in the fridge for about 16 hours. Serve it over ice and taste it before deciding whether to add water or milk.
You need a jar or French press, a way to strain the coffee and a little patience. No special cold brew machine required.
My easy cold brew recipe
What you will need
- 85 g whole-bean coffee, ground medium-coarse to coarse
- 950 g cool drinking water
- A clean jar or French press large enough to hold the water and grounds
- A spoon
- A fine mesh strainer or paper coffee filter
- A clean, covered container for the finished coffee
Weighing the coffee is worthwhile. “One cup of beans” can mean different amounts depending on the coffee and how you fill the cup.
1. Grind the coffee
Start at a medium-coarse to coarse setting. It makes the coffee easier to filter and helps keep fine sediment out of the finished drink.
There is no universal grinder number—or perfect “sea salt” size—for cold brew. If your next batch tastes too light, you could steep longer or grind a little finer. Change one thing at a time so you know what helped.
If we are grinding your Crickle Creek coffee for you, select the coarse option and tell us you are making cold brew if you would like guidance.
2. Combine coffee and water
Put the grounds in the jar or French press. Add the water and stir gently, checking that there are no dry patches floating on top or stuck near the bottom.
Cover it and put it in the refrigerator.
3. Steep and taste
Start with 16 hours in the fridge. A window of roughly 12 to 20 hours gives you room to adjust for the coffee, grind and strength you enjoy. Refrigerated brewing is slow, so if a batch tastes thin at 12 hours, give the next one more time before deciding that cold brew is not for you.
Longer is not automatically better. Once you find a result you like, write down the time so you can make it again.
4. Filter the grounds
Strain the brew into a clean container. A French press plunger or fine mesh strainer will catch the larger grounds. For a clearer cup with less sediment, pass it through a paper coffee filter as well. This second pass may take a little time.
Do not worry if the finished amount is less than 950 grams. Some water stays in the grounds.
5. Pour over ice
Taste the cold brew black first. I like this recipe over ice, but you can add cold water if it tastes too concentrated, or milk if you want something creamy. The ice will dilute it gradually as you drink.
Is this cold brew concentrate?
I would call it a bold cold brew, not promise that it is a concentrate. The recipe starts at approximately 1 part coffee to 11 parts water by weight, but the strength of the finished drink also depends on how much extracts, how you filter it and how you serve it.
If you want a drink you can dilute heavily, you can experiment with a higher coffee dose. If you prefer to pour it straight from the fridge and drink it black, try a little less coffee next time. Start with the recipe, taste the finished batch, then decide.
That is also why two cold brew recipes with different ratios are not necessarily contradictory. They may be designed to make different drinks.
Which Crickle Creek coffee should you use?
You can cold brew almost any coffee. I tend to begin with a medium or medium-dark coffee because I enjoy how chocolate, caramel and deeper fruit notes come through when it is chilled.
For a balanced cold brew that I would happily drink black, try our Colombia single origin. It is a medium roast from Santander with cocoa, caramel and berry notes.
If you want a richer drink that stands up to milk or a scoop of ice cream, try MacLeod. Its medium-roasted Costa Rica and Colombia bring sweetness, while dark-roasted Sumatra adds body and deeper character.
Those are my starting suggestions, not rules. If you already have a coffee you love, try that one first. It is fun to discover how familiar beans taste when you brew them cold.
What is the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?
Cold brew is extracted with cool or cold water over many hours. Iced coffee is generally brewed hot, then chilled or brewed directly over ice.
They can taste different even when you start with the same beans. In a controlled study discussed by the Specialty Coffee Association, tasters perceived the cold-brewed samples as less bitter and less sour than the hot-brewed samples served cold. That does not mean every cold brew is sweet, or that it contains no acids. Coffee, roast and recipe still make a difference.
Choose cold brew when you want a batch ready in the fridge. Choose hot-brewed iced coffee when you want to make a chilled cup now and enjoy more of the character you normally notice in a hot brew.
How long does homemade cold brew keep?
Filter out the grounds, transfer the coffee to a clean, covered container, and keep it refrigerated. For the flavour I want from a homemade batch, I plan to drink it within about five days. That is my practical quality recommendation, not a guarantee that every batch is safe until a particular date.
Use clean equipment and drinking water. If the coffee develops an unusual smell, visible mould or unexpected fizzing, discard it. Add milk to each glass when you serve it, rather than storing the whole batch with milk already mixed in.
Can you make cold brew in a French press?
Absolutely. Add the grounds and water to the press, cover and refrigerate. When it is ready, press slowly and pour it into a clean container. You can filter it again through paper if you prefer a clearer drink.
Does cold brew have more caffeine?
Not automatically. A strong cold brew concentrate can contain a lot of caffeine, but a drink diluted with water or milk is a different comparison. The amount of coffee used, the recipe and the serving size all matter. You cannot determine the caffeine in your glass from the words cold brew alone.
One summer variation I love
For an easy cold brew float, put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a glass and pour a little cold brew around it. I would use MacLeod for this one. It becomes dessert as the ice cream melts, and I am entirely fine with that.
Most days, though, it is simply cold brew over ice. I made tomorrow’s coffee yesterday, and now I can get back outside.
Ready to try your own batch? Choose a coffee to cold brew, and start with the flavours you already enjoy.
Have a lovely, happily caffeinated summer,
Adriana