Cold Brew Coffee (Home Prep)

UpToAnyCool

I love cold brew coffee now that the weather is warmer. ( You know, that stuff that is not iced coffee, but the kind that has lower acidity because it has not been brewed w/ boiling water. It takes a lot longer to make, but has a natural sweetness.)

I was wondering if anyone out there uses the felt filter and if so, are you convinced that you get better results?
I have been dumping the grinds into a very large thermos and letting it brew overnight. In the morning I put a paper filter in a mesh strainer and separate the grinds that way.

Besides cutting down on paper product use, I was wondering if I should consider getting a felt filter to achieve better flavor?

:drinker:

UpToAnyCool

EDITED: mulitple postings.

NHGirl23

Hey Loopy,

I don't know anything about cold brew coffee (never heard of it before, so I just learned something), but I thought I would save you from the thread kill.

What is the advantage? Does it taste better than than hot brewed coffee? I don't see me taking the time to make it, but it sounds interesting. Can you buy it brewed already? :laugh: That is about my speed!!

UpToAnyCool

Since hot water never touches the beans, the coffee is less acidic.

Yes you can get it at all sorts of cafes but I am a cheapskate, am looking for full-time salared work right now and am sort of a DIY freak, so I would rather MacGyver it a home than pay $3!!! :laugh:

zave

I've never heard of it either, but I want to try it.

I need some get-up-an-go in the hot afternoon.

rundgrenfan

I had heard of it but your post just made me do a little research online. I too will use stuff from around the house before I buy anything, probably beginning with a kitchen strainer and cheesecloth. Thanks for the idea!

Shannon023

They set my office A/C to "Anchorage in January" so cold coffee my shivering fanny!

taso42_DELETED

I have heard of lots of people doing it with a press pot aka French press.

NHGirl23

Since hot water never touches the beans, the coffee is less acidic.

Yes you can get it at all sorts of cafes but I am a cheapskate, am looking for full-time salared work right now and am sort of a DIY freak, so I would rather MacGyver it a home than pay $3!!! :laugh:

Less acidic, huh? That would be good for my GERD symptoms, although I am proud to say I am off the my prilosec since losing the poundage!!! Okay, gotta get back to work. Focus, focus, focus.....

pyroxian

I got one of those factory-built fancy-schmancy cold brew "systems" (a carafe and a big-*kitten* funnel with the thick felt filter and a cork) and have to say that I did get better results than my homebrew attempts. The times I tried it with paper filters worked okay & the result was decent at first but got bitter the longer the concentrate was stored, I suspect because the paper allowed a small amount of sediment through which then sat in the brew for days on end. The felt filter is very thick, well over 1/4", and fits very tightly into the pocket at the bottom of the funnel, so the end result is very very clear and free of solids using that product. If I'd been interested in making small batches regularly, v. making big batches to store & use over a week or more, I would probably be okay using paper, but in my case part of the attraction of cold brew was the ability to make enough for a week at a time & dilute it as needed.

(On a side note, I've since come to my senses and the cold brew rig sits collecting dust while I drink coffee the "correct" way - hot and black, brewed a cup at a time either in my french press or manual pour-through filter cone.... ;-) )

rundgrenfan

Finally tried this and I love the taste! I think it tastes totally different from hot coffee and it's good at room temperature. I just let the mixture sit overnight in a mason jar, and then strained it with my mesh filter from my coffeepot into another mason jar. This may help me kick my creamer habit!