Cold Brew Coffee

Coffee connoisseurs have prepared the beverage by extracting flavor from the ground beans with hot water for thousands of years. The first experiments with keeping the process at room temperature to gain popularity were those attempted by Todd Simpson in 1964. He had so much success, his coffee brewing invention, the Toddy Coffee Maker, still enjoys widespread use today. Even die-hard hot coffee drinkers like the sweeter flavor of cold brewed coffee, and many love the lower acidity – a nearly 70% reduction.

If you aren’t prepared to invest in a Toddy Coffee Maker yet, you can still sample the drink in your favorite coffee shop or with an easy at-home method. Cafes have created a variety of treats by mixing cold-press coffee with milk, chocolate, and more, sometime heating it up, sometimes cooling it down with ice or as an add-in to shakes and smoothies.

For at-home enjoyment, get out your French Press, and buy some strong high-quality whole coffee beans. Set your coffee grinder to fine (or use your blender), and process about a cup of beans, then add to your French Press with room-temperature water – preferably purified for best results. Put the entire device into the refrigerator and allow it to chill for about 10 hours.

When you are ready to take a taste, take it out of the fridge, and prepare the French Press plunger by adding two disposable filters over the existing apparatus. Very slowly and gently push the plunger down – be aware that there will be some resistance due to the large amount of grounds in the container. You are now ready to pour and prepare a delectable coffee delight. Bear in mind that your beverage will have significantly higher caffeine content. Consider extra milk or cream – maybe twice as much as usual – and experiment with your favorite flavorings. Store chilled for up to a week in a glass container.

Some find cold brew coffee so delicious, they add it to baked goods and dessert sauces. Substitute for some of the water in pre-packaged brownie and cookie mixes, or boil it down into syrup and mix with maple for a creative pancake topping.