You’ve seen it at Starbucks, you’ve seen it in cans, you’ve seen it in easy DIY kits. Perhaps the pandemic gave it new life, but cold brew has been around for a long time. What’s the difference you ask? Well, coffee that’s brewed with hot water uses temperature to extract flavour while the cold brew process relies on time to extract flavour. These methods lead to very different cups of coffee.
Cold Brew Vs. Hot Brew
Cold brew is more mellow, sweeter even, with none of the bitter notes of the coffee. This is due to the slow extraction of flavour that leaves behind compounds that make coffee taste bitter. Hot brewed coffee is sharper and more acidic. Is one better than the other? Definitely not! It completely depends on what you’re looking for.
The Regalia French Press
Be it cold or hot brew, The Regalia French Press has been my constant off late! As with all Wonderchef equipment, the first that catches your eye is how stylish it looks. I love the flat top of the plunger and the sleek handle – it’s the little things that make a difference! With a capacity of 600 ml, you can easily brew up to 3 cups of coffee. If you’re a coffee devotee, you could even travel with it. A little love and care, along with the tough borosilicate glass of the carafe should protect your beloved French press from even the most careless of baggage handlers at the airport!
KYC: In this case, Know You Coffee Grind Size!
How To Make Cold Brew In a French Press
First things first, it’s imperative you have the right size of coffee grounds. Cold brew calls for medium to coarsely ground coffee. If you have a burr grinder you can definitely do this at home but thanks to the popularity of cold brew, you can even buy coarsely ground coffee especially for cold brews online. What’s more, there are a ton of flavoured options available as well. Once you have your grounds ready, it’s a matter of figuring out the ratio. Cold brew is incredibly forgiving so there’s no need to be too strict but a 1:6 ratio (by weight) should be good to start with. You can increase the coffee if you want a stronger brew. Add the grounds to the carafe and pour in room temperature water. Do not push the plunger down. Allow this to steep either at room temperature or in the fridge for 16 to 24 hours. Once it’s infused to your preference, press the plunger all the way down. Your cold brew concentrate is ready to store or serve! Check the recipe below for measurements.
How Long Does Cold Brew Keep?
Cold brew concentrate stays good for about a week. While you can use it for an additional week, the flavour starts to deteriorate. Keep it in the fridge for best results.
Salted Caramel Cold Brew and Cold Brew Ginger Ale
How To Use Cold Brew?
Here comes the fun part! There are SO many fun ways to use cold brew. You can drink it straight over some ice, add it to a cocktail, turn it into coffee ice cubes and so much more. Check out these recipes for Salted Caramel Cold Brew and Cold Brew Ginger Ale to get yourself started. You can even heat your cold brew up for an incredibly unique cup of hot coffee!
RECIPE CARD
Makes: 2 Cups of Cold Brew Concentrate
Time: 16-24 hours
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Medium-coarse coffee grounds
- 2 cups water
Method:
- Add the coffee grounds to the French press along with the water. Stir.
- Cover with cling foil and refrigerate for 16-24 hours.
- Once infused, take the cling foil off and place the lid on and press the plunger all the way to the bottom.
- Pour the concentrate into a jar, cover and store in the fridge.
- Use in your favourite cold brew recipe!
Author: Sneha Sundar is the creator of You Dim Sum, You Lose Some; a philosophy she adopts both in and out of the kitchen.
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