Cold Brew, My New Favourite Coffee Thing

As most of the world is under lockdown right now to fight with the COVID-19 war, so do I; Malaysia have been in lockdown mode – MCO (Movement Control Order) for 7 weeks already and these time has give birth of a new interest in me – coffee drinking.

I have a Nespresso Pixie at home for quick and quality coffee drinks, love it; but then it does not replicate the aromatic espresso taste that I always got from the cafe, the capsules are just different, not bad but it’s a distinguish Nespresso taste. So, I went into a journey to explore different type of coffee brewing at home – one that is easy to brew, and attracted me a lot is Cold Brew Coffee.

In the cafe, cold brew coffee always comes in a beautiful bottle and the price often be more expensive then a typical espresso-based coffee. With those YouTube recipe, I find that I could brew the same thing and save some bucks, only realised that even I brew myself, the cost per cup of cold brew is still not cheap, I calculated about RM6 (1.4$) per 280ml, of course I am using some pretty good beans. Hehe.

However, the brewing process and outcome is very satisfying and it’s the closest thing I’ve made at home that is comparable to the one I had in cafe! There is no standard ratio, I have seen a range of 1:4 to 1:15. For now, I am experimenting with different brew ratio – the mighty Internet recommends a 1:4 (1 part coffee to 4 part water) for a solid cold brew concentrate, but I find 1:8 pretty good as I don’t want too strong. 1:12 be a little bit light but you can drink straight away. I find a cold brew concentrate be easier to store in fridge as I do not need to prepare a lot!

For coffee bean, I prefer medium – medium dark roast. One cafe recommended me Light Roast, but I prefer the the medium roast for a nutty flavour.

Let me break down the easy step and concept of cold brew making:

1. Measure coffee ground, medium dark roast (I grind mine at the coffee shop, coarse powder, like french press) – 75g
2. Put into a container, I used a French Press (now I used Ikea 365+ Carafe with Cork Stopper for easy cleaning)
3. Pour in 600ml of water (this is the brew amount that is going to create, later transfer to smaller bottle for storage)
4. Stir with chopstick or a stirrer
5. Store in fridge for 18-24 hours. (I recommend not too long or else will taste bitter)
6. Pour out the coffee into a smaller bottle with filter in between (I use a mesh filter with filter paper; it takes time but the cleaner coffee makes better taste for me)
7. Dilute with ice, or milk or water.
8. Enjoy!

Few free to experiment your own steps. I have bought filter bags and also dedicated cold brew jug from Lazada and will try it when it arrives so cleaning will be easier for me. Will share more here with you guys.