What you need
Cold brew is the most forgiving coffee there is — no machine, no thermometer, no technique. You need just four things:
• Coarse-ground coffee (like coarse sea salt — a French press grind). Coarse grounds filter out cleanly and prevent bitterness.
• A jar or pitcher — a mason jar or any large container with a lid.
• Cold or room-temperature water — filtered tastes best.
• A filter — a fine mesh sieve plus a paper filter or a nut-milk bag.
That is it. The only "skill" is weighing your coffee and water so it comes out the same every time.
The ratio: 1:8 to drink, 1:5 for concentrate
Cold brew uses far more coffee than hot brewing because cold water extracts slowly. Two common approaches:
• Ready-to-drink (1:8): For a batch you sip straight, use 1 part coffee to 8 parts water — e.g. 100 g coffee to 800 ml water.
• Concentrate (1:5): For a strong base you dilute later, use 1 part coffee to 5 parts water — e.g. 150 g coffee to 750 ml water, then cut 1:1 with water or milk when serving.
Concentrate is more practical: it stores compactly and lets you make it hot or iced, strong or mild. Get any batch size right with the Cold Brew Calculator, or read the full coffee-to-water ratio guide.
Step by step
1. Grind coarse. Weigh your coffee and grind it coarse. Fine grounds make cold brew muddy and bitter.
2. Combine. Add the grounds to your jar, pour in the water, and stir gently to make sure all the coffee is wet.
3. Steep 12–24 hours. Cover and leave it on the counter or in the fridge. 16 hours is a great starting point — shorter is weaker and more sour, longer is stronger and can turn bitter past 24 hours.
4. Filter. Pour through a mesh sieve to catch the grounds, then again through a paper filter or nut-milk bag for a clean cup. Do not squeeze the grounds — it adds bitterness.
5. Serve. Pour over ice. If you made concentrate, dilute 1:1 with water or milk to taste.
Storage and troubleshooting
Storage: Cold brew keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks as concentrate, or about a week once diluted. Store it filtered — leaving the grounds in past your steep time will over-extract and turn it bitter.
Too weak or sour? Steep longer (up to 24 hours), grind slightly finer, or use more coffee (move toward 1:6).
Too bitter or harsh? Steep less, grind coarser, or dilute more. Bitterness usually means the grind was too fine or the steep too long.
Once you find your numbers, cold brew becomes a set-and-forget ritual: fill the jar tonight, filter tomorrow, and you have smooth coffee all week. Explore more in our iced & cold brew guides.