Making cold brew is incredibly easy. You can make large batches at a time, and it will keep for days. It’s the perfect, refreshing caffeine boost for life on the go.
This Toddy Cold Brew System is perfect for home use. However, if you have French Press lying around, you can use that too! Here's a quick guide for making a batch of cold brew in your French Press.
What You Need
- Scale that measures grams
- Amazing coffee (see our selection here!). We recommend 8-Track Blend for a rich, chocolatey brew.
- Burr Grinder (you can get your coffee pre-ground, but freshly ground is always better! We sell an amazing grinder right here!)
- French press coffee maker
- Cold, preferably filtered, water
Making Concentrate
1. Measure out your coffee. For cold brew in a French press, 1 gram of coffee to 6 mL of water is a good rule of thumb, but you can always adjust for taste. To fill a standard 8-cup French press, measure out 140 grams of coffee.
Bonus tip: 1 ml of water weighs out to exactly 1 gram. You can use the same scale to measure your coffee and your water.
2. Grind your coffee. For cold brew, your grounds should be as coarse as possible. The coffee will steep for a long time. If the grind is too fine, the coffee will be over extracted and bitter.
However, every grinder is different, and every coffee is different. Start out with a coarse grind, and make small adjustments to taste!
The most important thing is that your cup of coffee tastes amazing to you. Grind sizes and ratios should be taken as suggestions, not laws.
3. Measure your water. According to our 1:6 ratio, weigh out 840 grams of water. The water should be filtered for optimal taste.
4. Steep for 18-24 hours. Mix the water and coffee grounds in the French press and leave the plunger lifted. The grounds will rise and sit above the water. Leave it to steep.
For us, we’ve found that 18 hours is a perfect time to steep. Let it steep longer for a more robust, bitter flavor.
5. Filter. Once the coffee is steeped, plunge the filter on the French press all the way to the bottom. Pour your fresh concentrate in a jar and leave it in the fridge.
Ready to Drink
Your concentrate is ready to drink anytime you like it. Store it in the fridge, and it will keep for 3-4 days.
We suggest diluting it with a 1:1 ratio. That’s one part concentrate and one part water or milk.
Pour your cold brew in a glass with ice and enjoy the perfect cool drink on a hot summer day in the city.
