In the UK we're currently experiencing the hell that is summer (I can't cope in temperatures above 20C, mock if you wish) so wanting to get more into cold brew.
Anyone got any recommendations on the best piece of kit to do it?
A cold brew "maker" is not a complex thing. All you need is coffee grounds sitting in cold water for a day or so. This can be accomplished in multitudinous ways.
We have a gallon jar with a tap at the bottom and a tall 3" diameter mesh filter with a flange to sit under the lid. I had to (food-safe) solder the filter back together after a few years, but it makes a huge stack of strong brew with which we are most pleased.
Yeah. Literally any glass jar will do the job. Add water. Add grounds. Shake. Refrigerate. Run it through a coffee filter or fine seive into another jar. Done.
You do not need a single purpose contraption for this task. This feels like consumerism.
TBF, we have a dedicated setup for this because we like having cold brew available at all times. It's worth a little investment in something permanent if it's going to be in constant use. A metal filter does the job for 90% of the gallon jar, and we pour the bitter dregs through a paper filter at the end of the week.
I think cold brew makers might be a bit of a profiteering scam. (I could be wrong.. I've never tried one.) I use a jar, or a french press, and get delicious results.
Right on.. report back if you find something good--I'd be happy to be proven wrong on this, as I'm always happy to try out new coffee gear (if it's good). and yeah, summer is upon us 💦
we got the oxo compact cold brew system, works well, makes cold brew which filters through a metal filter and a springloaded valve, fairly easy to clean, etc. things i dont like about it are the fragility and slipperiness of the glass carafe and the cork stopper. i stuck a rubber band around the carafe for extra grip.
Yeah, I've got one of these myself. I can second the glass carafe being flimsy... Think I might 3D print an adapter to mate to to an aeropress funnel, then I can stick that on anything.
A large container capable of holding the desired quantity of liquid and grounds, a very large strainer, a very large coffee filter, and another large container to pour the cold brew into. A kitchen scale if you want to be anal about the recipe.
Will keep for a few days in the fridge no problem. Maybe longer, I never made enough to find out.
I mostly think that any large container that can hold water is a cold brew maker. I used to use one of those large pitchers from the supermarket used for serving lemonade (really any sweet drink), but really any large container you have will work that you don’t mind having coffee leech in to.
Because all you really need is water and coffee grounds mixed together inside of something sitting anywhere for a long enough time. Nowadays I use a half gallon mason jar left sitting on my counter for 12-18 hours and then I filter
When I go filter, I filter out the bulk of the grounds using just a strainer. Then I use 2-3 coffee filter lined strainers over whatever bowls I have and let it drain
Or get a Toddy, they were recommended as well when I looked into cold brew
I just use a French press. My current ratio is 30 grams of coffee grounds to 500ml of water. Mix together, place in the fridge overnight or about 8 hours. Transfer to teapot the following morning so as not to oversteep. Still experimenting though so I'm also curious about other techniques.