Cold-Brewed Coffee

There are so many variations on a cup of joe…hot, over ice, with milk, black, and many more that I find way too complicated to try and remember. I’m lucky if I can order at Starbucks without completely falling all over my words. Well, enter cold-brewed coffee…now one of my favorites. I like it so much that I can actually drink it without any sugar or milk, which as of a few months ago, was completely unheard of for me.

I’ve always loved the taste of coffee…but I could never drink it without amending it with some sugar and milk to help soften the bitterness. Not add sugar?-Are you crazy? Straight black?-Absolutely not! I didn’t love Haagen Daaz coffee ice cream for nothing…it was the cream and sugar that made the coffee flavor awesome! Who would want coffee without the sugar and dairy??

Then I learned about cold-brewed coffee…a form of coffee void of that bitterness. It piqued my interest, and as I read more about it, I learned that brewing coffee is a bit of a science. More often than not, coffee is brewed using water that is too hot. Too hot water = bitter coffee. Coffee shops brew the coffee using hot water and then add ice. So you end up with iced bitter coffee. Who wants that?

Making cold-brewed coffee takes patience, but the results are worth it. The lead time is about a day, so not many coffee shops carry it. if they do, they have a limited supply and once they run out for the day, there is no more until the next day. They cannot create it on demand.

But now you can create cold-brewed coffee yourself at home, and save some money at the same time without paying expensive coffee shop prices.

I use a French Press carafe to make my cold-brewed coffee. It is an affordable tool and you can find them pretty much anywhere. I brew the coffee right in the French Press, then pour it into a glass carafe to store. Keep it in the fridge for up to a week, if it lasts that long.

You can simple drink it as-is at room temperature, serve it over ice for iced black coffee, or pour in some milk or cream to create an iced latte.

If you want to add sweetener, go for it! But make sure to use simple syrup instead of adding granulated sugar which won’t dissolve properly in the cold brew. No one wants grainy iced coffee. But try a sip without any sweetener or milk and see how you like it. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and this may end up being your go-to coffee beverage.

Iced Cold Brewed Coffee

Smooth coffee absent of bitterness, perfect for that refreshing sip of iced coffee. It takes a bit of time to make, but the results make it totally worth it.

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Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: coffee, cold-brew

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Makes: 4

Author: Lisa from A Day in the Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 cups room temperature water
• 1/2 cup coarse-ground coffee (can also be referred to as French-press ground)

Instructions

• Add the ground coffee to your French press carafe.  Pour in the water.
•  Stir gently to incorporate the coffee grounds.
• Place the carafe lid on, making sure that the plunger is in the up position.  Set aside on your countertop or in the fridge for 18-24 hours.
• Gently push carafe plunger down to separate the grounds from the coffee.  Pour into glass carafe and store in the refrigerator until ready to drink.  Coffee will be good for 1 week in the fridge (if it lasts that long).
• Drink as is, over ice, or add milk to make an iced latte.

Have you tried this recipe?Mention @dayinthekitchen or tag #adayinthekitchen!

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