Cold Brew Coffee

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Why haven't I done this before? So good... So easy...

I bought one of these, and use Tonx' Fuss Proof Cold Brew Method for my ratios and brew time. Fantastic!

I asked my wife for a cold brewer for Father's Day, and she bought me something that would make even Walter White proud. And it was almost $300!

I'm sure the coffee would be great, but I'm not that picky with coffee.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

Big fan, though I just have some setup from World Market.

jgriffith · Posted: Jun 27, 2014 10:47 am Post subject:

I do mine in a big pot and use a strainer and coffee filters

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

jgriffith, that's basically what that Tonx link recommends. Mason jars and a strainer or coffee filter. I've also heard of people using "nut milk" bags.

I liked the idea of the Takeya setup because it was about as easy to deal with as it gets. It holds 2qts so a jug goes a long way.

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

This is what I do since I have a collection of 5,623 ball jars.

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2014/06/27/morning-video-buzz-how-make-cold-brew-iced-coffee

jgriffith · Posted: Jun 27, 2014 2:46 pm Post subject:

jryoung, why?!

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

Because I love coffee, and cold brewed is one of my favorites for the precise reasons the article states. More chocolate and caramel flavors, AND more caffeine.

jgriffith · Posted: Jun 27, 2014 3:34 pm Post subject:

Thats why you need over 5,000 canning jars?

jgriffith · Posted: Jun 27, 2014 3:36 pm Post subject:

I thought cold brew had less caffeine?

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

I was exaggerating for illustrative purposes, but I have a lot of canning jars for canning.

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

I'm intrigued.... TO THE INTERNET! To learn more about this cold brewed coffee of which you speak...

jgriffith · Posted: Jun 27, 2014 4:36 pm Post subject:

Ive got to make a batch now, havnt done it in a few months

chavez, so whats the deal with that fancy cold brewer?

jryoung, do you peel the tomatoes before canning? I always have but its pretty annoying and turns me off from doing it very often

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

jgriffith, the Walter White special? It controls the drip rate to give a slower more thorough brew. You end up with more concentrated, richer coffee.

The Takeya jug that I use does basically the same thing as a mason jar with grounds in it (then strained), its just easier to deal with.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

So, I've looked at this since you started this thread. A couple questions...

1. Do you make a concentrated brew and then dilute it?
2. Do you drink it black or lightened/sweetened?
3. Do you drink it over ice or straight?

I found this Pioneer Woman recipe for iced coffee when I was looking around. The Vietnamese coffee at the end of her recipe sounds interesting.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Okie Boarder,

1) The directions from Tonx will yield a concentrated brew, which is what you want.
2) Lightened/sweetened for me thanks. It is not bad straight, but it is AWESOME with some cream/sugar (I don't need much).
3) Over ice, always. The ice will melt a bit and dilute it a bit. This is why you use a concentrated brew.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Sounds good. So, you do the concentrated brew lightened and sweetened...OK. What if I want to stick with black, should I dilute a bit or just let that happen over time with the ice melting?

Whoops...I forgot the PW woman recipe link.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Dilution will happen when it melts the ice a bit. Don't dilute it beforehand.

The PW link is basically the same as Tonx, just a much, much, much larger quantity of it.

The pitcher I use (in my first post) does the cheesecloth/strainer/steep/storage work in one step. Grounds go in the filter, water in the pitcher. The lid, pitcher, filter, and even the handle are all detachable. So what I do is put the grounds in the filter, attach the filter to the lid, add water to the pitcher (2qts), then put the lid/filter assy in the pitcher and seal tightly. I put it on it's side in my fridge for 12-18 hours. Then I remove it, open the lid and detach the filter and set it in my sink, reattach the lid and put it back in the fridge.

I then take the filter with the spent grounds, walk outside to my prized limon tree, and pour the grounds around the base (natural ant deterrent).

This might sound complicated, but I assure you that it is more complicated to have 2 pots, cheesecloth, a strainer, and then have to clean all of it up. All I typically have to do is rinse the filter out and set it aside to air dry.

PS: If you use a grinder, you want a COARSE grind. Like more than french press coarse if you can do it. My burr grinder has a few french press settings, so I use the coarsest possible setting.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Sounds good. Like jryoung, I have lots of mason jars, so I'm going to try it that way at first. If I like it, I'll buy one of those pitchers. I'll have to look at my grinder and see the settings I have. We got a Keurig a while back and have been just using the K cups, so the grinder got put away.

Yeah, grounds work great for ants. We also use them in our compost.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Okie Boarder, have you used a My K-Cup or an Ekobrew to use your own grounds in the Keurig?

It's way, way cheaper and it usually brews better coffee (especially if you mod the My K-Cup using a simple hack).

EDIT: link to hack http://www.instructables.com/id/Get-a-STRONGER-Brew-from-your-My-Kcup/

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

We've used it some, but have enjoyed the convenience of the K cup. What's the simple hack?

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Okie Boarder, I added a link to my previous post.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Thanks. Interesting...I didn't pay too close of attention the few times we used the My K-Cup, but it seemed like the brew came out just fine. I might have to try it both ways and taste the difference.

jgriffith · Posted: Jul 03, 2014 4:13 pm Post subject:

I just at unsweetened almond or coconut milk to mine over ice, that is plenty sweet for me.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

So, that Tonx method looks like a little over 1/4 cup of grounds per cup of water? So for your 2 quart jug you're doing about 2 1/2 cups of coffee grounds?

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Gave it a shot last night using the mason jars. This was 1 1/4 cups of coffee grounds in the full quart mason jar. I seems a little strong, but good. I filtered it through some cheesecloth and wire colander, then ran it through a coffee filter to reduce the sediment a bit. Added some half & half and a little vanilla syrup. Tastes great! I actually tasted it straight and it's good...a bit strong, but good. I'm going to have to experiment a bit with how I want to drink it, but I think I like this.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

It's addictive as heck. I'm definitely going to keep doing this throughout the warm months.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

I'm liking it so far. I may buy one of those pitchers like you have, chavez. With the pitcher, it seems like it would be an easier process.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Okie Boarder, it makes the process very easy. No strainers or cheese cloth, just pull the top, unscrew the filter (and dump the grounds), then put the top back on.

I always made a mess trying to pour it into a filter/strainer. Probably because I am impatient with that kind of stuff. Laughing

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

It that Takeya you have that is 2 qt actually the tea jug? It looks like the cold brew coffee pitcher of theirs is 1 qt.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

Okie Boarder, it's a 2qt. They call it an iced tea maker. Same thing different name bigger size.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

That's what I was thinking, but wanted to make sure.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Got a pitcher on order today.

Meanwhile, I've been using the mason jar method. I've found that laying a coffee filter in a small metal colander and setting it over an empty jar to filter the coffee works perfectly. Towards the end, you have to pour some in and go something else for a bit while it flows through, but it works well. I've been playing with my mixture of coffee to ice and creamer/sweetener. I'm definitely a black coffee fan, but do like this cold blend with a little something extra. I've been reducing the extra items a little at a time to figure out how low I can go. I'd rather stay away from the calories, fat and sugar if I can. I am definitely enjoying the cold brew over hot coffee.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

I got my pitcher yesterday and brewed a batch overnight. Way easier!

chavez, with the ratio of grounds you use, does it pretty much fill the filter unit on your pitcher when you first pour it in dry?