Written by Marielle Michaela
A coffee post from a barista? That’s not odd, isn’t it?
Kidding aside, of course, I love coffee. I love the tingling feeling it gives me during my “off” days and the energy it provides that keeps me going throughout the day. I’m sure everybody, AND I MEAN EVERYBODY, can relate to this feeling.
To be honest, I’m not really a fan of hot (or even warm) coffees. I don’t know but a cup of hot coffee makes my underarms sweat profusely. It even makes my heart palpitate to a great extent, which usually leaves me more tired than I was before I drank my drink. That’s the reason why I usually go for a cup of iced, cold coffee. It puts me in a better mood almost instantly, and I get this refreshing feeling that boosts up my energy to continue with whatever I have going on that day.
Why am I sharing this, you may ask. Well, that is because I wanted to introduce my favorite beverage of all time: the sweet, energizing, thirst-quenching COLD BREW ICED COFFEE!!!
What is Cold Brew Iced Coffee?
Cold brew is coffee that is brewed in room temperature with filtered water, and is left to brew for 14 hours to 24 hours. It is brewed without the heat, as opposed to the usual process of brewing coffee using boiling water, or a coffee maker. The taste of the finished product is a bit more rounded and mellow, with little to no hint of acidity, along with a much fuller body. It is less bitter than your regular coffee, and has a very smooth finish.
You usually end up with a concentrated coffee after brewing. Some people add more water to the cold brew concentrate to dilute the strong flavors it has, but my coffee-lover heart likes it more in its concentrated form.
How do I make it?
Brewing your own cold brew coffee at home is fairly easy. You don’t have to shell out a lot of money to buy any fancy equipment to do it. Coffee beans, a strainer, and a plastic carafe is all you need to craft your own coffee and be your own barista!
1. Of course, the quality of your beans determines the end product of your beverage.
Although coffee beans doesn’t necessarily “expire”, the flavor is greatly impacted if you use it after its best before date. With that being said, getting the freshest bag of coffee beans will ensure that you get the full, rich taste of your coffee.
The beans’ grind setting should be set to coarse. If you will be purchasing your beans from your nearby coffee shop, they usually offer to grind it for free. You can ask you friendly barista and they’d be happy to help you out.
You may choose any beans you fancy, but if you are wondering what kind of coffee to get, my recommendation is to get a bag from the medium roast spectrum, specifically those that has fruity and citrusy flavor profiles. These coffee beans has a very winey flavor and a refreshing aftertaste, perfect for the hot summer mornings. Make sure to store your remaining bag of beans in a dark and secure place to prolong its shelf life and keep them away from extreme heat, oxygen, sunlight, and moisture.
2. The water that you need for your cold brew concentrate depends on the size of your carafe and your own liking.
I have a one liter carafe, so I mix eight tablespoons of coffee grounds with five cups of room temperature, filtered water. Then, I mix it with a wooden spoon to ensure that the water is fully incorporated in the grounds. Leave your carafe in a dry area, make sure that the it is tightly shut, and leave it untouched for 14 to 24 hours to steep.
3. Now for the exciting part, open your carafe after steeping and harvest your coffee.
There, you will notice that the grounds have ascended on top of the water and it’s time to strain it using the kitchen strainer. I usually strain it twice so I know that the there will be no more grounds left on my concentrate. After that you may transfer it on your container of choice and store it in the refrigerator. The shelf life is five to seven days upon harvest so I do recommend creating a big batch so you will have coffee for the rest of the week.
And there you have it, your very own cold brew iced coffee! As I said, you may choose to add more water to the concentrate or drink it on its own. Everything is totally up to you. You’re your own personal barista.
For my cup of coffee, I pour a splash of milk and a little bit of sweetener on it. It tastes great and it surely satisfied my cravings for iced coffee. You can experiment with other flavors like chocolate and brown sugar. It all really depends on your preference.
4. Don’t forget to enjoy your home made cold brew iced coffee with your favorite snack!
I know you want more coffee and don’t worry because we got you covered! Christian and I actually explored and Rated 7 Drinks from Starbucks’ Secret Menu! Click here to learn all about it! There’s a bunch on the list you’d have to try out for yourself!
Ciao,
Marielle Michaela <3
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Will try this one soon! Been on coffee hiatus since I had my youngest (breastfeeding kasi ) . Soon if magstop na ako ill def try this. Miss ko na mag coffee 😂
That sounds amazing. I’m not a fan of coffee but since after my new born, coffee becomes my new friend that keeps me on my toes at work. Thank you!
Wow! This deffo a must try and I will do when I went back to the Philippines, at the moment I’ll stick to hot coffee and tea here at Bonnie Scotland! 🥶🥶🥶🥶 freezing cold eh.
mas madali pag mom ka. malimutan mo lang, pak lamig na! funny! haha! pero yeah first time i heard about cold brew! theres such thing pala talaga. at ang easy gawin at home.
I have always heard how much people love cold brew but I never knew how it’s made or what all is in it. This is very insightful, I even want to try it.
I’ve tried cold brew many times already, but I didn’t know the whole process.. I thought it’s like iced coffee haha! Now I know it takes so much time pala to make a batch! Wow! So much patience is needed lol. Well, the end product is worth it naman.
Im not a fan of cold brew or coffee but I will try this soon, maybe doing it by myself would make a difference. Lets see 😉
I love all forms of coffee and have basically become an at-home barista. LOL I have never made cold brew before so I will be trying this out.
I think everything that I need is already available in my kitchen. Would definitely give it a try!
To be honest, I have been buying cold brew! It’s easy to make pala! Now I can try it myself with some of best Benguet’s coffee beans!
I love coffee! Mas gusto ko nga lang yung hot coffee, pero parang gusto kong try gawin itong cold brew iced coffee, para maiba lang baka sakaling magustuhan ko. 🙂
This year ko lang din nalaman yung pagkakaiba ng cold brew sa iced coffee. Kung di pa nagkaroon ng pandemic, di ko pa ata yun malalaman. HEHE love iced coffee so much 🙂
I love me some coffee. I’m not a fan of cold coffee but my boyfriend is. So I going to try this.
I love coffee, but not so much. I usually have at least a liter of coffee per day-one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Well, for me so much is to the point I would have palpitation. With one liter of coffee a day, my body never palpitates.
I know how to make cold brew coffee but never tried it. So this blog adds some practical knowledge on how to actually make it.
Lastly, does Starbucks sell coffee flavoring syrup? I don’t know that.