Today’s “Home Brew”- Secret to great iced coffee without great expense
I love my coffee, especially when its strong and rich with a bold flavor minus the acidity which, in my mind, detracts from the flavor.
Now for those of you not from ’round here, the South is said to have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Christmas. Based on this, you can imagine that there are times of the year when a iced coffee is relished far more than hot.
If you’ve ever tried to make iced coffee at home, you know that its not as easy as pouring coffee over ice. You end up with a watered down version of coffee which becomes even more watered down and weak when you add milk or sugar. Still, there has to be a better option than heading out and paying someone $5 for a few minutes of divine caffeinated pleasure – and there is. ~smiles~ Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate.
I’ve been making this “home brew” for over two years now, much to the delight of myself and Mama. She recently started making her own but until then I’d brew up extra and share my “special recipe” with her as well. I can only imagine what the neighbors thought when Mama’s car pulled up to my driveway and I’d run her out a mason jar and send her on her way. Come by either of our houses at any given time and you’ll find pint sized mason jars of “the recipe” in our refrigerators ~giggle~. I feel just like one of the Baldwin sisters….
Cold brew coffee is brewed in cold water on your counter top for a period of about twelve to fifteen hours, depending on the strength you prefer. Coffee brewed using this method has significantly less acidity and far more full bodied flavor than coffee brewed with the traditional hot method.
One of the pitys of coffee for me has always been that it never tastes as decadent as it smells. Cold brew brings you closer to this flavor than any other method I have come across. Whats more, cold brew coffee made at home rivals anything bought in a coffee house at a tiny fraction of the price – I actually like my cold brew better!
This concentrate is not just for iced coffees though, you can easily use it to make hot coffee in the morning without the fuss of brewing. This is perfect for those who have problems with traditional coffee being too harsh on their stomachs. Simply mix equal parts concentrate and water (or vary proportions to taste), heat and go!
This concentrate will easily keep a month or more in your fridge with no change in flavor and you know if I’m showing you how to do it, you aren’t going to need any fancy schmancy equipment either.
You likely have all you need at home already. I prefer to grind my beans fresh but you can certainly use pre-ground coffee. However, if you’re looking to amp up your coffee experience, I strongly suggest buying beans and grinding it fresh before each brewing, be it cold brewing or hot. You’ll find the difference is extraordinary! A grinder such as this one can be picked up for around thirty dollars or so. This is my Hamilton Beach one, of course!
I use a quart sized (32 ounces) canning jar to brew my coffee in and then store it in pint sized jars. You can use a plastic pitcher or container for this as well if you prefer. I like to brew mine in glass as there isn’t the risk of tainting my coffee with another flavor this way.
- Container to brew coffee grounds in
- Strainer
- Coffee filters (largest size you can find)
- Coffee beans and grinder or pre-ground beans
- Bowl to strain coffee into
You’ll need 1 cup of ground coffee.
Place grounds in jar
Fill jar with water.
I leave about an inch of head space at the top.
Place lid on jar and give it a little shake to make sure all grounds are wet.
Now just sit the jar on your counter for at least twelve hours.
Once the time has passed (I usually brew mine at night and strain it in the morning), place your strainer over a large bowl. You can also use a collander for this if you prefer.
Line strainer with a coffee filter. These are the type for twelve cup coffee makers, the largest I could find.
Pour coffee in the filter and let it strain through a little at a time.
This is after I’ve strained about half of my concentrate. I usually go through two filters when I do this. Throw your first filter away and replace with a clean one before pouring the remainder of your concentrate. It will take some time for all of your concentrate to strain out. I usually let it sit for about half an hour before pouring the remainder so it takes me about an hour to have my concentrate all strained and ready.
Using this method, a quart sized jar yields about a pint and a half of concentrate. Now mixing it up is purely a matter of taste but I am going to show you how I make mine purely as a point of reference.
Four ounces of concentrate…
Four ounces of milk…
Skim, Whole, 2%, whatever cranks your tractor.
Fill with ice and add three packets of Splenda and I’m a happy gal!
Honestly, this beats any iced coffee I’ve ever had away from home. Its rich, flavorful, and completely decadent.
Cold Brew Coffee
- 1 Cup ground coffee
- 32 ounce container (1 quart)
- Strainer
- Large basket type coffee filters
Place ground coffee in container, fill with cold water. Cover and let sit for twelve to fifteen hours. Place strainer over large bowl and put coffee filter inside. Slowly pour over about half of the coffee and let sit until strained. Replace filter and repeat.
To make regular coffee: place equal parts coffee concentrate and water in cup and heat.
To make iced coffee: Place equal parts concentrate and milk in glass. Add ice, sweetened as desired. You may find my preference for iced coffee a bit strong for you so leave room to add some water to weaken it if need be!
Print This Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup ground coffee
- 32 ounce container (1 quart)
- Strainer
- Large basket type coffee filters
Instructions
- Place ground coffee in container, fill with cold water. Cover and let sit for twelve to fifteen hours. Place strainer over large bowl and put coffee filter inside. Slowly pour over about half of the coffee and let sit until strained. Replace filter and repeat.
- To make regular coffee: place equal parts coffee concentrate and water in cup and heat.
- To make iced coffee: Place equal parts concentrate and milk in glass. Add ice, sweetened as desired. You may find my preference for iced coffee a bit strong for you so leave room to add some water to weaken it if need be!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This has been a very busy week at home with the kids and their activities. I hope to get caught up on emails and comments this weekend! Thank you all and have a fabulous Friday!
Gratefully,
Christy 
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Mar 27 2009. Filed under Beverages, headline.
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I am drinking my first iced coffee and it is delicious! This is a great way to make it. I used my favorite orange flavored coffee from Fresh Market, and it is really good. Thanks for the recipe!!
So glad to hear you like it Mrs. Bill!!
OMG! So good smooth and delicious. I’m throwing out my coffee pot. Thanks for the recipie.
I’ve had this made up in the fridge waiting for some nice weather & it’s a scorcher today. Drinking it like a fish, it’s GREAT!
I have been drinking the watered down version for months now. THANK YOU…, Thank You…, thank you!
You have made my Day!!!!!!
I am so glad to hear that you like it!! That makes my day!!
I can’t wait to make this, but I don’t have any mason jars. I know you can get them at Walmart, but I don’t need a dozen mason jars, lol! I think the glass jars of spaghetti sauce are about the same size, so the next time I have spaghetti I’ll just wash out the jar and use one of them! : )
Almost forgot, I love that bowl you have there Christy! : )
I love iced coffee with milk but don’t like the bitter taste. I tried this last night with some ground caramel flavored coffee I had sitting around and it turned out wonderful! Can’t wait to try it with the Green Mountain Vermont Country Blend beans we picked up on our vacation in Vermont. this is my new favorite coffee anyway because of its smoothness – I know it wil be great made as a cold brew! I just shared this page on Facebook too!
I love iced coffee, but have never been able to make it at home. This recipe is wonderful, infact I will never buy iced coffee again. The only problem is it didn’t make enough.
Oh THANK YOU for this and I am running to the kitchen as soon as I finish typing! Not only does this look perfect and easy, but have you seen the “nutrition” info for the Starbucks drinks? Expensive and so bad for you (though wonderfully good!), so this is a perfect alternative.
THANK YOU again!!!!!
[...] I love this stuff. A few folks have posted on facebook and in comments that they use it in my iced coffee concentrate to make the perfect cup of coffee and that is at the top of my to do list to try one of these [...]
You’ve done it again, Christy! I am so very addicted to iced coffee, but nowhere near being a wealthy person. This will save me TONS of money!
I mix 4 oz of cold brew with 1 Tbls chocolate syrup and 1 Tbls Caramel syrup, then add 4 oz Light Vanilla Soy Milk.
Shake, and pour over ice.
OH. MY.!!
Love, love, love!
Thank you, Christy! You’re my “Go-To” recipe blog for so many of my family’s favorites. I pretty much think you’re a genius!
~giggles~ I am FAR from being a genius but you made my day by saying that!! I am so glad to hear that you like the ice coffee!!
[...] (Easy recipe here.) [...]
This is fantastic and has been shared repeatedly in my circles. I highly recommend mixing with equal parts Dark Chocolate Almond milk. It’s heavenly.
This is such a budget saver and so awesomely delicious. I always wondered how to do this a home, now I know and will forever be grateful.
OMG … I finally made this after spending 2-5 a day on iced coffee at work … never again. My stomach hasn’t been setting well with the coffee, and your way reduces the acidity so much and it tastes so yummy. THANK YOU so much for this yummy and easy way to make my own and save $$$$!
I am so glad you like it Connie!!
I have had this recipe since you posted it last on Facebook, but I’m just now trying it and OMW!!! It is awesome!!! I use my snowcone maker for some shaved ice and it’s a wonderful treat! And it can be as low cal as I want to make it! I’ll never buy another DQ Moolatte or McD iced coffee again! Thanks you!
PS …hubby is a BIG coffee drinker … he saw me making it and said, “That CAN’T be good” …. I took a sip and nearly fell out and I said, “Nah, not really” ….. now I don’t have to share it …HA!!
[...] cup strong coffee (I used this iced coffee [...]
Hello again Christy! I’ve got this “brewing” right now. I have a recipe for a pumpkin syrup to make a latte or frappuccino but no espresso maker so I am finally going to try this coffee concentrate! And, I am “pinning” it on Pinterest (my newest obsession) for others to see!
Thank you, again, for what I’m sure will be yet another fantastic recipe!
Chris likes Iced coffee, I’m going to have to make this for him….oh and I can do decaf for me…nice.
Thank you Christy…
I’ve been living on this since the weather got hot this summer. It is even better than I expected it to be and I always know whatever recipe I use of yours is going to be good- I can count on that!! I add a little chocolate syrup to get my mocha fix. I’ve shared the recipe far and wide.
Love you, Christy!
God Bless you!!! I luv, luv, luv iced coffee…but can no longer afford to pay big $$ for it!!! Enjoy everything about your site!
Being retired yet still loving my iced coffee, you have made my day. I don’t have to waste money and gas driving to the nearest Starbucks now. Besides, all those pint and half pint jars of all your good recipes sitting in my refrigerator look so homey and comfortable!
Hey! We cold brew our coffee too, have been for years. It is great for a fast latte in the morning! I just wanted to tell you that filtering your coffee through the paper filter is removing a lot of your flavor. The oils in coffee are part of why it is so good, and the paper filter soaks that up. You might want to look into a metal filter for that purpose. The oil thing is part of why french pressed coffee is so much better than drip coffeemaker coffee.
Also- the coffee concentrate is fabulous to replace the water in chocolate baked goods- especially brownies and cakes. If the recipe calls for 1/4 cup water, I use 1/4 cup coffee concentrate. Really brings out the chocolate flavor in whatever you are cooking!
For an extra treat on Saturday mornings, add a splash of Kahlua to your iced coffee
I have been using this recipe since the last time you posted it, and I love it. Had to experiment a little to get it just to my taste, but when I did I loved it. I thought McDonald’s had good iced coffee, but this is better. Thanks so much for your great recipes.
You have made my day. I truly love iced coffee, especially from Starbucks. Like you stated, the pleasure only last for a few minutes. I am so excited to try this tonight. I do like caramel so I will have to look for something when I go back to the store. Once again, thank you for the wonderful recipes. I truly love you Christy.
I’ve been making a version of this for quite some time now and I love it!! It also works really well if you have, say a chocolate cake recipe, that calls for brewed coffee. Since I’ve been keeping this in my fridge I just measure out some of the concentrate and use it in the recipe! Works great every time and no need to brew a pot of coffee just to use a 1 cup in a recipe.
This is similar to what I remember my grandmother making when I was young. Only she used cream and cane sugar. I still do. The cream came off the top of the pasteurized milk that had paper tops.This was during the war (1944 bout as far back as I can remember) She made bread every week and I was recruited to help. She told me that all men needed to know how to cook. Something she made that I have never found a recipe for is salt rising bread. This was a special treat and the texture was great. Oh well enough remembering so thanks for bring back the memory.
Can’t wait for 12 hours to get here! Should wish my life away but am so excited to try this new recipe. Oh and yes, Happy Coffee Day. Stop by 7-11 and pick up a FREE cup today.
*shouldn’t
Hi Christy try spooning a little of this over vanilla ice cream yummmmmmmy Thanks for this recipe I love it!
LOVE this recipe! I have shared it with friends… now we have a group of iced coffee devotees, LOL!
Sounds like a perfect application for a French press!
I just made a huge pitcher full last night. I use a ‘Toddy’ cold brewer, but friends have asked me how to do it without the expense of purchasing one, and I will definitely pass this method along.
Just a note, the Toddy uses a full pound of coffee, so I don’t know if this will work with smaller batches, but worth a try, especially with the price of coffee. I grind my own locally roasted beans right before I cold brew. I can get a 2nd (and sometimes a 3rd) “brewing” out of the grounds. With the freshly ground beans, the 2nd brew is almost as strong as the first and the 3rd is more like the strength of regular coffee. I have a friend that uses Yuban and her 2nd brew is like my 3rd…no need to dilute it if you just want a cup of coffee. I only drink lattes, so I save the weaker batch for my husband’s coffee and save the stronger concentrate for lattes and breves.
Also, I have found that when I store the concentrate in the fridge in Tupperware, I’ve had to throw out the liquid cuz it takes on a “plasticy” taste after a few days. I would recommend storing it in glass jars with a lid, like you do. And extra concentrate makes great ice cubes.
Now that the weather has cooled off here, I’ve kept making the coffee concentrate but make it as a hot drink. I put 1/2 cup of the concentrate in a mug, fill the mug with milk, heat it up in the microwave (1 cycle on ‘beverage’, then one minute on 50% power…I like it hot), then stir in 2 packets of Splenda. Making the concentrate has been a huge money saver for me! Thanks for the ‘recipe’!
Can I drive by for a mason jar too? Just kidding! I can’t wait to try it.
Yea Christy! You have hit the nail on the head again. No more watery iced coffee and I know I am definitely going to enjoy this, plus just think, when the electricity goes off. Ooh-la-la coffee. If you have a chance could you tell me how to make a mocha cappicuino. Thanks so much again. Hooray for the South, we have Christy Jordan in it.
Ooohh, this sound so wonderful! Your emails just make my day! I have to try this–I love iced coffee with lots of milk, but most of the ones you get have sugar in them, which doesn’t work for me.
I just can’t wait to try it!!!!! I have been trying to figure out the recipe and never could get it just right! Thanks for your site I really enjoy you!
Sounds fabulous – will have to try it tonight when I get home. I think I will add a tablespoon of Nestle’s quick in mine to give me a nice Mocha flavor
I can’t wait to try this! Thank you for the recipe!!
In the New Orleans area, they sell this in the stores made with their coffee with chickory. It’s aptly named “Cool Brew”. This will be MUCH less expensive to make. And, I just happen to have some CMD (Cafe Du Monde) coffee on hand.
Oh I am so going to make this!! Its genius!
Since reading your earlier post on making coffee, I make all my coffee this way.
For my hot coffee in the AM, I just heat water in the microwave, add it to the coffee
with my Chocolate/caramel creamer and I am set. My husband loves it. We
let it drain through our electric coffee maker sitting on the cabinet w/o being plugged in. No more bitter taste to our coffee. Thanks for the great recipe.
Ok, I almost hate to ask just because I dont want to sound silly, but is this just fine for decaf as well? I cant have caffine. Would the directions be the same?
Yup exactly the same! That was a great question!
Thanks Christy for your quick answer!! So looking forward to trying this. My family just loves the meals from your book and website. Every Monday, slow cooker meatloaf lol always checking my email for the next super recipe
Apple dumplings are going to be my new try for this weekend. Wishing you and your family a great weekend!
Christy, you got me started on this wonderful stuff over a year ago. We love it so much I make it by the gallon! It keeps so well in the fridge and is really nice to offer to company. I think of you as a great friend I just haven’t met yet.
)
I think of you as a friend as well Elaine!!
I make coffee ice cubes. Pour leftover coffee into ice cube trays and put in freezer until frozen. Pop out of trays and into zip lock bags and keep in freezer. When you make your iced coffee, instead of plain ice, use your coffee ice cubes! Yum!!
Great idea Jan!!! Thank you for sharing!
I made some of this last night to have this morning- Delicious!! Instead of using the coffee filters to strain the grounds (which for some reason with room temp coffee takes forever), I used my re-usable coffee filter (mine is some sort of gold-looking metal). The first half of the coffee (with regular filters), took about 30 minutes and with using my reusable filter with the second half, it took a couple minutes. I then mixed up my coffee, milk and ice i a blender and I have my frozen coffee drink that I love. Now I won’t have to run to Barnes & Noble all the time to get my coffee fixes. : – )
OH I can WAIT to do this tonight! (Today!) My Dad and I are big coffee drinkers, and while he always has his hot, sometimes I like it cold. I have a bean grinder, and we are often hunting down the BEST flavors of beans. GRIN!
So now I just can’t wait to whip this up, and tweak it.
I am sooooooooooo glad to have this priceless recipe! (Happy Dance!)
Carol
I tried this one this past summer,,, LOVE it!! lol Then I had to tell my daughter, then my neighbor, then my sisters, then….. Well. you get the jist!! lol My daughter was having trouble with coffee upsetting her stomach and now she can enjoy it again. She is very happy to have her coffee back in her life again! That’s what us ‘mommiekins’ are for, to help our yung’uns! Now I am going into the kitchen to use up the last of my last batch and starting a new batch again! Thanks again, Christy!