Remember when I wished for this? Well, I think I might have found a way to do the same thing using the French Press sitting in my cupboards collecting dust. Yesterday I stumbled upon an article somewhere online that gave a recipe for cold brewed coffee. I believe the recipe came from a New York Times article but again, I'm terrible at keeping track of my sources.
Here's the deal:
1/3 cup coffee grounds
1 1/2 cups water
Mix the two together in a jar (or in my case, a French Press)
Let sit for 12 hours
I mixed everything together last night and then this morning, just pushed the plunger in the press and poured out the delightful concentrate and had been created over night.
When ready to drink, mix one part coffee concentrate with one part water. Add cream, sugar and ice to taste and enjoy.
The results were lovely! I used my favorite Gazebo blend from Starbucks (I do not normally buy my beans from them as they are way over priced but there are a few times I year that I indulge. I recommend Trader Joe's for good quality blends at reasonable prices.) I tend to like my coffee on the stronger side so next time I would probably use just a little less water. After the ice melted it was even more watery but that problem can be fixed by making some ice cubes using the coffee mixture thereby keeping it cold without diluting it. I was also a little heavy handed with the creamer this morning so I'll go easy on that tomorrow.
In the end I had a very tasty, cold drink that was far less bitter than traditional coffee/espresso is. I have also read that the acidity of cold brewed coffee is usually lower because the beans never come into contact with hot water, which I guess brings out the acid in them. This lower acidity is a happy thing if you have a sensitive tummy.
It needs a little more tweaking but I think that I might be able to cross the Toddy Cold Brew System off my wish list.
Yeah for using things I already own!!
Here's the deal:
1/3 cup coffee grounds
1 1/2 cups water
Mix the two together in a jar (or in my case, a French Press)
Let sit for 12 hours
I mixed everything together last night and then this morning, just pushed the plunger in the press and poured out the delightful concentrate and had been created over night.
When ready to drink, mix one part coffee concentrate with one part water. Add cream, sugar and ice to taste and enjoy.
The results were lovely! I used my favorite Gazebo blend from Starbucks (I do not normally buy my beans from them as they are way over priced but there are a few times I year that I indulge. I recommend Trader Joe's for good quality blends at reasonable prices.) I tend to like my coffee on the stronger side so next time I would probably use just a little less water. After the ice melted it was even more watery but that problem can be fixed by making some ice cubes using the coffee mixture thereby keeping it cold without diluting it. I was also a little heavy handed with the creamer this morning so I'll go easy on that tomorrow.
In the end I had a very tasty, cold drink that was far less bitter than traditional coffee/espresso is. I have also read that the acidity of cold brewed coffee is usually lower because the beans never come into contact with hot water, which I guess brings out the acid in them. This lower acidity is a happy thing if you have a sensitive tummy.
It needs a little more tweaking but I think that I might be able to cross the Toddy Cold Brew System off my wish list.
Yeah for using things I already own!!
4 comments:
This is great! How many servings do you think you'll get out of one batch of concentrate (using those measurements)?
Amy
The above recipe yielded just over 1 cup of concentrate. So, that made one very large iced coffee for me this morning. You can make more concentrate using the same ratio and not have to do it all the time.
You will certainly get fewer cups of coffee per pound of coffee in the end, but it's still cheaper than a stop at the coffee shop each morning.
I forgot to mention that you can also use this to make hot coffee. Use equal parts concentrate and water and stick it in the microwave. Or, add really hot water to the room temperature concentrate.
Well check you out. Smart!
Thanks for sharing your thrifty solution! I'm going to try this tonight.
PS--Take care of Kelly. :( I miss her already.
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