How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Rich, sweet, and mellow, cold brew is popular for good reason! But you don’t have to pay a fortune at your local coffee shop to enjoy this cold treat. Making cold brew coffee is easy to make — as long as you can wait 16 hours — provided you follow a few key steps.

Here’s how to make cold brew coffee, including expert brewing, equipment, and serving tips. You’ll be a cold brew pro before you know it! Say goodbye to those $5 coffee shop cold brews.

1.Grind your coffee beans.

When you’re ready to start brewing your cold brew coffee, the first step is to grind your beans. We’re using Lifeboost’s delicious medium roast coffee. The best cold brew coffee-to-water ratio is 1:5, so if you’re making 20 ounces of cold brew, you’ll need 4 ounces of coffee beans. Using a burr grinder (if possible), grind your beans to a coarse grind size. Your cold brew will be steeping for many hours, so you don’t want a finer grind.

2.Add your grounds to the cold brew maker.

For this guide, we’re using an Ovalware RJ3 cold brew maker — but you can also use a French press, pitcher, Mason jar, or even AeroPress. See our equipment tips below!

Add the grounds to the coffee compartment of your cold brew maker. The RJ3 has a tall metal tube covered in small holes for this.

3.Add cold water.

Pour cold, filtered water into the cold brew maker, up to the fill line. Then place the lid on top, making sure it seals.

4.Refrigerate for about 16 hours.

Leave your cold brew in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours, depending on how strong you like your coffee. Don’t leave it steeping for more than 24 hours — your brew will end up over-extracted and bitter!

5.Remove the grounds and enjoy!

Take the grounds out once your cold brew coffee is fully brewed. If your cold brew maker doesn’t have a great filter, you may want to pour the coffee through a filter (paper or metal) to catch the remaining coffee grounds.

Keep in mind that this process produces a cold brew concentrate, so you’ll want to water it down in your glass. The remaining cold brew concentrate should last up to two weeks in your refrigerator.

Top 3 Cold Brew Tips:

Cold brewing coffee takes a long time, but most of it is completely hands-off. Here are our expert cold brew tips, from what equipment you’ll need to how long to brew.

Do you need a cold brew maker?

Don’t have a cold brew maker? Take a look at our favorites, or read our guides to making cold brew in a French press or a Mason jar.

Technically, you can make cold brew in any container with a lid. A cold brew maker will make this process much simpler, but it’s not required. If you end up making cold brew without a built-in filter, we recommend setting up a pour-over with a paper filter (like a Chemex, Melitta, Hario V60, Bodum, or Kalita Wave). Pour the brewed coffee through the filter to remove all of the grounds.

And for an option that’s unbelievably easy, try Driftaway’s cold brew subscription — which doesn’t require any equipment or cleanup!