OT: Cold brew machines?

[SoCalSteve]

I know it's winter and most of you probably aren't thinking about iced coffee...but, I tried ( and loved ) cold brewed iced coffee at a local coffee shop today on my ride and was thinking about buying a home machine.

Anyone own the Yama version?

Thoughts, experiences, opinions and flames welcomed.

Thanks in advance!

Steve

[stackie]

My wife fell in love with cold brew. I bought her a Hario set up like the Yama and we found it difficult to use. Specifically, it was hard to keep the drip rate adjusted to a consistent rate.

After my experience with that setup, I just make a pot of french press and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

And that's from a bona fide coffee geek.

Jon

[Kirk007]

Toddy Cold Brew. Simple, inexpensive, make concentrate once a week.

[geeter]

I use a simple pour over method. I try to use the same proportion of ice/water I would use for just water for a hot pour over. I fill a glass with the ice and hot pour over it. Not watery at all and delish. ..quick to boot

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[seric]

I do quick cold brew in a whipping syphon. 100g of coffee, 500ml water. Charge with 2 N2O cartridges and let sit for an hour or two. I then evacuate the air as quickly as possible in order to cause cavication and then filter out the grounds.

[nooneline]

I use a simple pour over method. I try to use the same proportion of ice/water I would use for just water for a hot pour over. I fill a glass with the ice and hot pour over it. Not watery at all and delish. ..quick to boot

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that may result in cold coffee, but not cold brew.

the defining feature of cold brew is... (drumroll) brewing it with cold water.

:p

[geeter]

https://counterculturecoffee.com/learn/quick-easy-iced-coffee

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[seric]

https://counterculturecoffee.com/learn/quick-easy-iced-coffee

The link you supplied was for iced coffee, which is different than cold brew. There are many differences in the compounds extracted from the coffee between methods. The difference that attracts most to Cold Brew over Iced Coffee is the much lower levels of acidity.

[geeter]

Understood

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[zzy]

Am I the only person who just puts 250g of coarse ground coffee in a 750mL wine carafe for 24h in the fridge, then separates it with a aeropress? Kinda amazed a machine exists and am kinda curious to try one.

[ORMojo]

We keep a basic Primula (https://www.amazon.com/Primula-Cold-Glass-Coffee-Maker/dp/B00YBQ4XZC) at the vacation house, and, honestly, like it very nearly as much as the Yama at the main house. So much depends on using the coffee you love, properly ground, and playing around until you master the process.

$30 for a Primula is worth trying.

[CDollarsign]

I am a big fan of The Breuer (http://www.bruer.co/products/coldbruer?_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=CP_547Ch_9ACFYa4wAodNGAOcg). It's super simple and made well. I do wish it brewed more but it forces you to make it fresh.

[giordana93]

another fan of Toddy. kinda silly really, since it is no more than a plastic brew bucket that fits on top of a carafe for the drip/dispensing (after sitting a day with cold water and coffee); but it works, you just wash the filter out and reuse. not sure why anything more complicated would be necessary. and yes, I've done something similar to the wine carafe followed by a drip filter, but the toddy is a little more convenient. fill bucket with water and coffee, let it sit overnight, pull the stopper from the bottom and drip into carafe.

[martinez]

I've used the Toddy cold brew bucket at my last job at a restaurant and it was pretty easy. We used a huge bucket, which was a pain to deal with because you're left with 5lbs of soaked coffee grounds that you end up trying to completely drain of concentrate. hah obviously wouldn't be that useful for home use unless you have the space in your fridge...but you'd have enough cold brew concentrate for about two months

I've been considering trying out my first cold brew with the Filtron Cold Brew concentrate brewer. I've heard good things from it in terms of taste and cleaning...maybe a christmas gift to myself! can be found for around $40

[grawk]

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JEQ5YAM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Iwaki is what I have, and I like it because it's easy to clean and makes good coffee. Before I had that, I used a big jar to steep the grounds, then poured it through a coffee filter to separate the grounds, and that also made good coffee, but it also made a big mess, every single time.

[vitaly66]

Put ground coffee in a glass mason jar and fill with water. Screw on lid and shake vigorously. Refrigerate overnight -- 24 hours is better. Pour through melitta filter. Done!

I know this sounds too simple to be true -- and bummer you don't have any excuse to buy some fancy tech gizmos. But coffee this way is delicious!

Cleanup is easy with the wide opening of a mason jar compared to a wine carafe.

[druptight]

I used to just put the grounds in a big pitcher for 12-24 hours, then just pour through a filter but it often took forever for it to filter out, and I got sick of waiting around or having to remember to pour some then come back....

So I got one of these coffee socks - essentially just a huge organic fabric teabag:

http://coffeesock.com/coldbrew/

Pour grounds in, let marinate overnight, pull huge teabag out - coffee is ready.

Invert bag to dump grounds into receptacle of your choice, rinse with water, let dry, repeat.

Simple, repeatable, minimal cleanup. In the summer, I make a pitcher every 2 or 3 days. The bags come in different sizes depending on how much you're trying to brew.

[RFC]

Put ground coffee in a glass mason jar and fill with water. Screw on lid and shake vigorously. Refrigerate overnight -- 24 hours is better. Pour through melitta filter. Done!

I know this sounds too simple to be true -- and bummer you don't have any excuse to buy some fancy tech gizmos. But coffee this way is delicious!

Cleanup is easy with the wide opening of a mason jar compared to a wine carafe.

This +1. Cold brew is a very simple process that does not require any equipment beyond a mason jar and a coffee filter or a French Press. But then, what can you expect from a bunch of gearheads! ;)

[adamhell]

yeah or if you have a french press you can pour the ground coffee into it, then pour the right amount of water over it, then cover it and put in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

push the plunger down and pour the coffee out just as you would with a hot french press. you can cut that concentrate 1:1 with fresh cold water and store in fridge for later consumption.

just don't push the plunger down before you stick it in the fridge! also, don't keep the coffee in the french press with the grounds after you're done brewing, because it will continue to extract and make it taste nasty.

experiment with grind, brew time, and added water ratio for desired strength and flavor.

[geeter]

For the mason jar method, what coffee/water ratio do you recommend?

[adamhell]

For the mason jar method, what coffee/water ratio do you recommend?

try 1:15 or 1:16

[vitaly66]

Not very scientific about the ratio, I use about 3 to 4 heaping spoons of *fine* ground coffee in 16oz (~500ml) of water. Adjust to suit your own experiences and preferences for grind and strength.

I don't consider the result of this as a "concentrate" as some seem to, but drink it full strength over ice with some milk and sugar.

To avoid the problem of slow filtering, decant from the jar carefully. The grounds will have mostly settled to the bottom of the jar, stop pouring before the sludgy stuff comes out.

Overnight cold brew (~12 hours) is ok, gets noticeably better with 18 - 24 hours.

[vitaly66]

I tried the sock method.

Problem then was the coffee tasted like my feet.

[559Rando]

For the mason jar method, what coffee/water ratio do you recommend?

I mix mine 1:4 in a pitcher and run it through a strainer as I pour it into my glass. Then I refill/replenish the pitcher. During the summer, this'll typically last me a week then I start over with fresh grounds. By week's end the flavor's still good, but there is less "kick" (caffeine).

Then again, I drink my cold brew with Kirkland plain soy milk, maybe a squirt of agave.

Daniel

[druptight]

I tried the sock method.

Problem then was the coffee tasted like my feet.

Pro Tip: Don't use socks off your feet.

[geeter]

Yuck

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[vitaly66]

Pro Tip: Don't use socks off your feet.

Ok, this is good information, thanks.

I used my cycling socks, quality merino.

The coffee was terrible but this upside: my feet and shoes smelled like a roaster's!

[giordana93]

Pro Tip: Don't use socks off your feet.

unless Rapha

[Drmojo]

yeah or if you have a french press you can pour the ground coffee into it, then pour the right amount of water over it, then cover it and put in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

push the plunger down and pour the coffee out just as you would with a hot french press. you can cut that concentrate 1:1 with fresh cold water and store in fridge for later consumption.

just don't push the plunger down before you stick it in the fridge! also, don't keep the coffee in the french press with the grounds after you're done brewing, because it will continue to extract and make it taste nasty.

experiment with grind, brew time, and added water ratio for desired strength and flavor.
I have using French press for 7 years now for
cold brew
Coarse ground
Experiment with ratio and type of coffee
No need to refrigerate overnight,if you want it cold,
add ice
Never had better than home brew cold brew

[RFC]

BTW, here is a way to benchmark the simple cold brew method.

When you buy a cold brew from a coffee purveyor, chat them up and ask them how they make it.

I've done this at 4 or 5 different locations and the answer has generally been the same.

"Wow, this is great! How do you guys make cold brew coffee?"

"Well, we put ground coffee and water in pitchers and let them set for about 18 hours."

"Do you put the pitchers in the refrigerator?"

"No, we just leave them out on the counter."

Try this, see what you find out and report back.

[vitaly66]

My experience from having tried these methods, is that cold brewing for many hours in the refrigerator results in a different character than hot brewed french press poured over ice.

That is not to say one is better than another, it is all about individual preference. For drinking iced coffee, I happen to prefer cold brewing using the mason jar + melitta filter method. I would describe the character as smoother and more fully developed, and possibly less bitter and acidic, than hot brewed coffee over ice.

Anyway, to paraphrase some comic, coffee is like sex: when it's good it's really good, when it's bad it's still good.

(Except not always.)

[giordana93]

BTW, here is a way to benchmark the simple cold brew method.

When you buy a cold brew from a coffee purveyor, chat them up and ask them how they make it.

I've done this at 4 or 5 different locations and the answer has generally been the same.

"Wow, this is great! How do you guys make cold brew coffee?"

"Well, we put ground coffee and water in pitchers and let them set for about 18 hours."

"Do you put the pitchers in the refrigerator?"

"No, we just leave them out on the counter."

Try this, see what you find out and report back.

yep, which is exactly what the toddy does, but instead of trying to pour a half gallon of frothy, inky, coffee soup into some filtering mechanism the next day, and waiting around for it to finish dripping, you pull a rubber stopper out and walk away. easy, clean up is a snap, and you put the carafe straight into the fridge.

[SoCalSteve]

I have using French press for 7 years now for
cold brew
Coarse ground
Experiment with ratio and type of coffee
No need to refrigerate overnight,if you want it cold,
add ice
Never had better than home brew cold brew

Follow up on this...

Followed this, works perfectly! Loving my cold brew coffee!!!

[geeter]

Finally bought a Toddy.. love it

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[jruhlen1980]

Ok, this is good information, thanks.

I used my cycling socks, quality merino.

The coffee was terrible but this upside: my feet and shoes smelled like a roaster's!

I've been doing #sockdoping all wrong.

[KWalker]

I've tried every single method. Every single way. The best is to grind coarse, put in a giant gallon container. Use luke warm to warm water. Let the gas escape, sea. Later use both a nut bag and some kind of conical filter to filter the cold brew. There are zero particles and it does the same thing as a Toddy. It's also easier to store while it's brewing IMO.

Cold brewing is probably the least particular and most forgiving way you can brew anything. It's really not that complicated beyond roast preference and even then you rarely get any subtleties you would with any other brew method.

[SoCalSteve]

I've tried every single method. Every single way. The best is to grind coarse, put in a giant gallon container. Use luke warm to warm water. Let the gas escape, sea. Later use both a nut bag and some kind of conical filter to filter the cold brew. There are zero particles and it does the same thing as a Toddy. It's also easier to store while it's brewing IMO.

Cold brewing is probably the least particular and most forgiving way you can brew anything. It's really not that complicated beyond roast preference and even then you rarely get any subtleties you would with any other brew method.

So true...ratios, times, amounts, grind quality don't really matter much. Just dump coffee into bucket of cold water, stir, wait 12-24 hours, pour over ice and enjoy.

[KWalker]

One thing I do when I travel now instead of an Aeropress is generally bring a plastic french press and maybe some filters and a plastic Hario v60. Buy the best grounds available, which in many countries means something akin to Bustelo/sitting on a store shelf, and then make it whenever we settle enough to put it in the French press. Ready to go or heat the next morning quickly, but then I don't have to bring beans, a grinder, or worry about hot water.

Doing this reallllllly opened up my eyes into how forgiving it is. And how a 24hr brew time creates jet fuel.

[SoCalSteve]

One thing I do when I travel now instead of an Aeropress is generally bring a plastic french press and maybe some filters and a plastic Hario v60. Buy the best grounds available, which in many countries means something akin to Bustelo/sitting on a store shelf, and then make it whenever we settle enough to put it in the French press. Ready to go or heat the next morning quickly, but then I don't have to bring beans, a grinder, or worry about hot water.

Doing this reallllllly opened up my eyes into how forgiving it is. And how a 24hr brew time creates jet fuel.

Wait, is there any other way to drink it???...:confused:...:D:D:D