How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home (Easy Recipe and Tips)

When the weather warms up, nothing beats a smooth, refreshing glass of cold brew. But here's the thing: most people think making a good cold brew coffee recipe at home is complicated. It's not. It's actually one of the simplest brewing methods there is. All you need is good coffee, water, and a bit of patience.

If you've been buying bottled cold brew from the supermarket, you're about to save a lot of money and get a much better result. Let's walk through exactly how to do it.

What Makes Cold Brew Different From Iced Coffee?

Before we get into the recipe, let's clear something up. Cold brew and iced coffee are not the same thing.

Iced coffee is hot-brewed coffee poured over ice. It cools down fast, but it keeps the bright, sometimes sharp characteristics of a hot extraction. Cold brew is different. You steep coarsely ground coffee in cold or room-temperature water for 12 to 24 hours. No heat involved at all.

The result? A naturally sweeter, smoother concentrate with lower acidity. That long, slow extraction pulls out the rich, chocolatey, nutty flavours while leaving behind a lot of the bitterness. It's incredibly forgiving, too. Unlike pour over or espresso, you don't need to fuss over exact temperatures or timing down to the second.

The Simple Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

Here's everything you need to make great cold brew at home. No special equipment required.

What you'll need:

• 80-100g of whole bean coffee (coarsely ground, just before brewing)
• 1 litre of filtered water (cold or room temperature)
• A large jar, pitcher, or French press
• A fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth

Steps:

• Grind your coffee beans coarse. Think raw sugar or breadcrumb texture. Too fine and your cold brew will turn out bitter and muddy.
• Add the coffee grounds to your jar or pitcher.
• Pour in the cold water and give it a gentle stir to make sure all the grounds are saturated.
• Cover it and pop it in the fridge for 16 to 20 hours. You can go up to 24 if you like it really strong.
• Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth, or just use your French press plunger.
• What you've got now is a concentrate. Dilute it with water, milk, or ice to your taste. A good starting point is one part concentrate to one part water.

That's it. Seriously. The hardest part is waiting.

Which Coffee Beans Work Best for Cold Brew?

This is where a lot of people go wrong. They grab whatever's cheapest off the shelf and wonder why their cold brew tastes flat or stale.

Fresh beans make all the difference. Stale, pre-ground supermarket coffee will give you a dull, lifeless result no matter how long you steep it. You want beans that were roasted recently, ideally within the last few weeks.

For cold brew, medium to dark roasts tend to shine. They bring out those rich, smooth, chocolatey notes that cold brew is known for. A good option is The Stamp Blend, which has a deep, full-bodied profile that translates beautifully into cold brew. If you prefer something with a little more complexity, Origin Dois brings nutty, caramel sweetness that's perfect for sipping cold.

That said, lighter roasts can work too if you enjoy brighter, more fruit-forward cold brews. Saturday Light Roast makes a surprisingly refreshing cold brew with floral and citrus notes that really pop when served over ice.

Tips for Better Cold Brew Every Time

Once you've got the basics down, here are a few tips to level up your cold brew game:

Use the right grind size. Coarse is key. If your grind is too fine, the coffee over-extracts and turns bitter. It also makes straining a nightmare. A burr grinder set to the coarsest setting will get you there.

Use good water. Your cold brew is mostly water, so it matters. Filtered water removes chlorine and off-flavours that can dull the taste. Tap water works in a pinch, but filtered is noticeably better.

Don't rush the steep. Twelve hours is the minimum, but 16 to 20 hours is the sweet spot for most people. Going shorter gives you a weak, watery brew. Going past 24 hours can push it into bitter territory.

Store it properly. Your cold brew concentrate keeps well in the fridge for up to two weeks in a sealed container. Make a big batch on the weekend and you're set for the week.

Experiment with ratios. The recipe above gives you a solid starting point, but everyone's taste is different. Want it stronger? Use more coffee. Prefer it lighter? Add more water when you dilute. There's no wrong answer here.

Serving Ideas to Try

Plain cold brew over ice is hard to beat. But once you've got a good batch in the fridge, it's fun to play around with how you serve it.

Try it with a splash of oat milk or coconut milk for a creamy finish. Add a tiny pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness (trust us on this one). Make coffee ice cubes so your drink doesn't get watered down as the ice melts. Or mix it with tonic water for a surprisingly refreshing coffee tonic.

Cold brew is also great as a base for iced lattes. Just pour your concentrate over ice, top with your milk of choice, and you've got a cafe-quality drink at home.

The key to all of this is starting with great beans. Everything downstream gets better when your starting point is fresh, quality coffee. At The Folk Roaster, every bag arrives to you only days after roasting, so you're always working with beans at their peak. That makes a real difference in your cold brew, even if the method itself is dead simple.