Nothing beats a refreshing cold beverage on a hot summer’s day, especially if it’s coffee! Cold-brew is a perfect choice for those extremely hot afternoons that leave you drenched in sweat. It delivers a mildly smooth taste that brings out the coffee bean’s subtlest characteristics that quench your thirst. In this article, I will be going over the steps on how to make cold brew in a French press.
Now, If you ever made coffee with a French press, then you know that it brews very strong and flavourful coffee. Since Cold Brew relies on steeping for long periods, the French press is a perfect brewer for this. When brewing cold brew, there are a few important factors to consider like the coffee to water ratio, grind size and the steeping time.
What you will need
Here is a list of things you need to make cold brew in a French press:
1: You will need a French Press of course! If you don’t have one check out The Best French Press Coffee Makers
2: Coffee Beans
3: A Coffee Grinder, preferably a Burr Grinder if you want an even grind. – This is optional if you’re dealing with pre-ground coffee. We highly recommend grinding your beans before you brew for optimal taste and freshness.
4: A Scale – This is also optional, but it can help you get your water to coffee ratio bang on, resulting in an accurate brew.
5: Filter – This is optional, you can use a Coffee Filter/Cheesecloth.
6: Spoon
7: Water – We highly recommend filtered water for the best taste.
Steps On How to Make Cold Brew in a French Press
1: Grind Your Coffee and Measure
So the first step is to prepare your coffee. If you’re using pre-ground coffee, then make sure it’s a coarse grind.
Using your burr grinder, set your grind to coarse and grind your beans. This grind is best for French press brewing, especially cold brew. Now, depending on how much you want to brew you want to follow one of these coffee to water ratios for best results: 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5.
We will be using 4 oz. of coarse grind.
Once you measure out your coffee, empty it into your French press.
2: Add your Water
Pouring slowly fill your french press with 3 cups of filtered water. Do not stir. With the back of the spoon, submerge any grinds that haven’t been submerged. Put the lid and plunger back onto the press, do not lower the plunger.
3: The Waiting Period
The waiting game starts, though it can be frustrating waiting 12+ hours for your brew, I can assure you that it will be all worth it! Whatever you do, do not cut it short or you will end up with extremely water-downed coffee. The longer you can hold out for the better, some brewers even stretch it out for 20 hours. Do not go shorter than 12 hours.
Cold-brew’s delicious sweetness is a result of the cold water’s low extraction rate. A regular brew would use hot water to extract coffee in a short time, while cold brew uses time for extraction. The longer you steep for the more flavours and oils you will extract.
4: Decant
You survived! So now that the time is up, it’s time to decant your brew into your container. Make sure your lid is on properly, lower your plunger down an inch, but do not push it down all the way for this will agitate your coffee grounds.
Slowly pour your coffee into your container. You can use a secondary filter at this point like a coffee filter or cheesecloth to help strain any unwanted grit. This is entirely optional. Place the filter over the opening of the container and pour through it.
5: Enjoy!
Give your brew a taste, keep in mind that cold brew is extremely concentrated, you can add some ice cubes or water to dilute it. So there you have it! Transfer the brew into a portable bottle and go for a nice walk in the park!