Are you drinking cold brew?
No?
You really gotta get on that.
I was you once. My order was a "grande Americano with almond milk and light ice, thank you."
But I've grown since then. I'm better now.
Here's the deal with cold brew coffee. Because the grounds are never heated, the acidity of the bean never escapes into the brewing medium. This means that there is no hint of bitterness or sourness, just the smoothest, richest brew you've ever had. In addition, there is never a risk of compromising the flavor of your coffee by burning your grounds.
Making my own cold brew is not only a money-saving venture, it also saves time. One batch of my recipe lasts me a week, within which I never have to take the time to brew coffee.
But you're not into iced coffee, right? I wasn't either. No problem though, this brew heats up perfectly when diluted with a little water (think strong Americano) or a large dash of almond or coconut milk.
Let's get into the recipe, shall we?
Below I have all the details listed out, but head on over to my YouTube channel for the quickest, cutest video outlining the process.
{everything I use for this process is linked so click those blue wordies and head over to Amazon to snag your setup}
What you'll need:
1.5 cups of your favorite grounds - If you don't have a local shop that you love, I still swear by a classic Starbucks Verona dark blend. Have them grind the beans for you and then throw the grounds in the freezer until you're ready to use them.
3 cups water - room temperature to cold
Nut Milk Bag - All this is is a fine mesh bag, generally used to strain homemade almond or oat milk. The mesh size is perfect for cold brew because it doesn't let a single ground through but drains quickly.
Now, to brew the brew.
Combine your grounds and water in your large Mason jar and give it a good shake to get all of the grounds nice and separated. Place your jar in the fridge and let her rest for at least 24 hours. Make sure to shake the jar 2 or 3 times during this time.
Line a large bowl with your nut milk bag and empty the contents of your jar into the bag. Make sure you squeeze alllllll the goodness out of the grounds, which can then be used as great compost or body scrub.
Carefully pour the coffee back into your large jar (after you've rinsed the stray grounds out) and store in the fridge for up to a week!
This 1:2 ratio of coffee:water creates the richest, darkest cold brew concentrate, but you can dilute your brew in several ways.
After your cold brew is drained and back in the jar, you can fill the 32oz jar the rest of the way with cold water to create a more mild coffee that closely resembles what you might get at a coffee shop.
The way that I achieve the chocolatey, creamy look and taste of the drink shown here is by combining 1/4-1/3 cup cold brew concentrate with a tall glass of ice and 1.5 cups of unsweetened coconut milk (this is shown in my video, check it out here). I kid you not, this is the best coffee drink I have ever had.
Again, if you prefer a hot coffee, top 1/4 cup of cold brew with boiling water and/or a splash of plant-based milk. I guarantee this will be the smoothest, most mellow cup of hot coffee you've ever had.
I hope this changes the way you drink coffee because, remember, you were made for more than crappy cups of coffee.
em