How to make cold brew coffee at home

Cold brew is the easiest way to make impressive coffee at home. Because it's brewed slowly with cold water, it extracts differently from hot coffee — producing a smooth, naturally sweet, low-acid concentrate that's perfect over ice or with milk, especially in Indian summers.

What you need

Coarse-ground coffee, cold filtered water, and a jar or French press. That's it. No special equipment required. Any medium or dark roast works well; bold, chocolatey Indian coffees make especially good cold brew.

The basic recipe

• Use a ratio of about 1:8 coffee to water for a concentrate (e.g. 100g coffee to 800ml water).
• Stir the coarse grounds into the cold water until fully wet.
• Cover and steep at room temperature or in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours.
• Strain through a fine sieve, then a paper filter or cloth for clarity.

Grind and beans

Grind coarse — like sea salt. A fine grind makes cold brew muddy and over-extracted. Freshly ground beans give the cleanest result. Since cold brew mutes acidity, it suits medium-to-dark roasts and robusta-forward blends that would taste sharp when brewed hot.

Serving and storing

You've made a concentrate, so dilute it 1:1 with water or milk to taste, and serve over ice. Sealed in the fridge, cold brew concentrate keeps well for up to two weeks — making it ideal to batch on a weekend.

Tip: Short on time? Many Indian roasters sell cold brew bags — like giant tea bags of coarse coffee — that you just drop in water overnight.