Cold Brew at Home: How to Make It and How to Flavor It

Cold brew isn't strong coffee served cold. It's a different extraction entirely, made with time and cold water instead of heat, which is why it tastes smoother and less acidic than hot coffee cooled down.

How to make it

Coarse-ground coffee, room-temperature or filtered water, a ratio of about 1 part coffee to 4 parts water for a concentrate you'll dilute later, or 1 to 8 if you want it ready to drink straight. Combine, stir once, and let it sit at room temperature or in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours. Strain through a fine mesh bag or coffee filter. That's the whole process. No heat, no equipment beyond a jar and a strainer.

A shortcut worth knowing

A nylon mesh filter bag, the kind sold for cold brew or nut milk, skips the straining step entirely. Steep the grounds inside the bag, then lift it out when you're done. No pouring through a strainer, no gritty last inch in the jar.

If you make cold brew often enough to want it always on hand, a one-gallon jug with a built-in spigot turns this into a standing setup instead of a one-off batch. Load it, let it steep, then draw off the concentrate a glass at a time straight from the spigot. No jar-to-jar pouring, no dishes until you're out.

How to flavor it

All four of our flavors work in cold brew: Chocolate Hazelnut, Maple Vanilla Almond, Vanilla Cinnamon, Vanilla Hazelnut. Same dosing as anything else we make. Two to three droppers for eight ounces, three to five for twelve or more. Add it to the finished cold brew, stir, then taste before adding more.

Cold liquid doesn't disperse flavor as fast as hot, so give it a real stir. Skip that step and you'll get all of it in the first sip and none in the last.

Which one to start with

We're not going to tell you one flavor is the cold brew flavor. They all work, and what you reach for depends on what you're already drinking. If you want something dessert-leaning, Maple Vanilla Almond and Chocolate Hazelnut lean that way. If you want something that reads more like a cafe order than a treat, Vanilla Hazelnut is the most versatile of the four. Vanilla Cinnamon sits in between.

Worth knowing if you avoid nuts. Our Hazelnut flavor contains no actual hazelnuts. It's a nut-free extract derived from stone fruit pits.

Shop the Starter Bundle if you want to try all four before picking a favorite.