Small Batch Cold Brew Coffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of coffee to water for cold brew? ›

A ratio of 1:8 of coffee to water will produce a nice coffee ready to drink after around 24 hours at a coarse grind. Another option is to create a much stronger cold brew (named cold brew concentrate), by using a ratio anywhere from 1 part coffee to 4 parts water, up to around 1 part coffee to 2 parts water.

Now let me show you the actual Golden Ratios: 1:15 to 1:18 (coffee to water).

The ratio of coffee grounds to water is subjective and depends on personal taste. A good place to start is to grind 3/4 cup beans for 4 cups of cold water—the size of a 32-ounce French press. You can double—with 1.5 cups beans for 8 cups water—or even triple the quantities depending on the size of your container.

Here's how it works: Grind the coffee coarsely, which you can do yourself at home or wherever you buy the beans. Combine the grounds with water, then let it steep overnight, or for around 12 hours. During this time, the coffee slowly infuses into the water, creating a strong, concentrated brew.

Use 4 Tbsp (22 g) of grounds for every cup (6 fl oz) of water.

Most hot coffee is brewed using 14-18 grams of water per gram of coffee. Cold brew is made using a tighter ratio—Wolczynski recommends starting with 12 ounces (340g) of coffee to 64 ounces (1814g) of water, which is a much higher ratio of coffee to water.

The recommended coffee-to-water ratio for cold brew is usually 1:8. Therefore, for 1 gallon (128 fluid ounces) of cold brew, you would need approximately 16 ounces (1 pound) of coffee grounds. However, you can adjust the amount based on your personal preference for the strength of the cold brew.

A coarse grind size is ideal for cold brew — similar what you'd use for a French press. The coarseness will allow water to evenly saturate the grounds for a nice even extraction. If the grounds are too fine, they tend to float together in a dense mass and won't be evenly saturated with water.

Use a ratio of 1:8 coffee to water, for ready to drink cold brew. A 1:8 ratio would be 1 part coffee to 8 parts water, which equates to a half-cup of ground coffee to 6 cups of water or 4oz coffee to 48oz water (113g coffee / 1.4 liters water). A full bag of coffee (12oz) would need 144oz water (4.2 liters).

I prefer a slightly less intense cold brew concentrate, so I usually use ¾ cup coffee grounds for every 4 cups of water.

What is the best grind for cold brew coffee? ›

The beauty of Cold Brew is you really don't need anything fancy, just time. Stick with a coarse grind. Using a coarser grind will make the filtration process easier and your coffee taste far less bitter. Grinding too fine can heat up the grounds, which can negatively affect your cup.

Reusing coffee grounds will significantly decrease the concentration of your cold brew, meaning you end up with a weaker cup of coffee. The cold brew will also probably be more bitter, and it could take longer to brew. So, while you can technically reuse coffee grounds for cold brew, I wouldn't recommend it.

Generally, we suggest aiming for a coffee ratio of 1 gram of coffee to 15-18 milliliters of water. To make it easier to read, we write this out as 1:15 to 1:18. Pro tip: 1 milliliter of water = 1 gram of water, so we'll just use 'grams' for simplicity's sake.

If you have a 2-quart jar, simply double the amounts offered above. If you have an extra-large French press like I do, you can use 5 ounces of coffee (about 1 1/4 cups whole coffee beans turned into about 2 1/2 cups coarsely-ground coffee) and 5 cups water.

Get to know the golden ratio

For drip coffee brewing — which encompasses most home coffeemakers, bulk brewers and pour-overs — Helfen says that the ratio of 60 grams of coffee to one liter of water, or roughly 1:17, is the one most commonly used by coffee pros (and is often referred to as “the golden ratio”).

For this guide, we went with a 4:1 ratio of water to coffee. That means for a 16 ounce Mason Jar, use 3 ounces of coffee (by weight). If you don't have a scale, use approximately 1 cup of whole bean coffee.

The standard ratio for brewing coffee is 1-2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water – 1 tablespoon for lighter coffee and 2 for stronger coffee. That 6-ounce measure is equivalent to one “cup” in a standard coffeemaker, but keep in mind that the standard mug size is closer to 12 ounces or larger.