Cold Brew Coffee Preparation

It's finally summer and therefore Cold Brew time! Cold Brew coffee is indispensable on hot summer days. Cold brew coffee is the trendy drink in cafés or at summer parties - and rightly so! Because it refreshes, makes you awake and is also very easy to make.

We present you a simple Cold Brew coffee preparation in the French Press and a quick Ice Brew method with the hand filter, with which you can enjoy your favorite coffee beans refreshingly ice cold at home.

Cold Brew coffee preparation in the French Press

For the Cold Brew coffee preparation in the French Press you need the following:

- Coffee - We recommend coffee beans, with a strong body and intense sweet flavors to get a full flavored Cold Brew coffee. For our Cold Brew coffee in the French Press, we used our Simbi Washed from Rwanda.
- French Press Coffee Maker - a French Press is great for making Cold Brew. The pot is large enough and a filter system is already built in.
- Coffee grinder - Freshly ground coffee beans: a must for aromatic coffee.
- Scale - To weigh the coffee beans.
- Time - since cold brew is a cold extraction, the coffee must steep for at least 12 hours

1. Coffee beans and amount of water

To get a full-bodied Cold Brew coffee that is not too weak, we recommend a brew ratio of 1:12, which means that there are 12 parts of water to one part of coffee. For 800 ml of water, we use about 70 g of coffee. Grind the weighed beans on a medium coarse grind and pour into the French Press pot.

2. Pour water

There are two different ways to proceed here: You can either first pour 200ml of hot water (about 95 C°) into the French Press pot and cover the ground coffee completely with water. Stir briefly and then add 600ml of cold water. The hot water causes even more aromas and flavors to dissolve, making your Cold Brew taste more intense and powerful. This preparation method is especially recommended if you want to drink your Cold Brew coffee on ice or with milk. However, you can also pour 800 ml of cold water directly into the pot to get a lighter Cold Brew. Stir the water-coffee mixture again with a spoon and put the French Press lid on the pot, but without pressing down the strainer. Alternatively, you can cover the jug with some cling film. Now place the pot in the refrigerator to cool.

3. Wait

After about 12 to 18 hours of extraction time, you can press down the strainer of the French Press and serve your Cold Brew with ice or neat!

The fast variant: Ice Brew preparation with the hand filter.

Strictly speaking, this preparation is not a Cold Brew, because there is no cold extraction. But we find this method of preparation for a refreshing iced coffee at least as tasty. Actually, an Ice Brew coffee is a simple filter coffee, with the difference that the coffee is brewed directly over ice cubes. You will need:

- Coffee - For the Ice Brew coffee version, we used the beans of our fruity Simbi Natural from Rwanda - its light roast makes an Ice Brew as light as a tea.
- Hand filter, filter paper and coffee pot - in our online store you will find suitable accessories
- Scale - for weighing the coffee beans
- Ice cubes

1. Coffee beans and water quantity

A brew ratio of 1:16 results in a balanced and light Ice Brew coffee. To brew 500 ml of Ice Brew coffee, you need 30-32 g of coffee beans. Grind them on a medium grind. Place your pot on a scale and fill it with 200g of ice cubes. Put on a hand filter with filter paper (rinse the filter paper as usual with hot water to remove any taste) and pour the coffee powder into the filter.

2. Pour water

Now brew your filter coffee as usual. However, make sure to keep a brewing time of 3 - 3:30 min. The coffee drips slowly over the ice cubes in the pot and cools immediately. Thus, no bitter substances arise and out comes a refreshingly fruity iced coffee! Have fun preparing and enjoying!