cold-brewed coffee revisited

i have been diligently making cold-brewed coffee all summer and have learned a few more things that i thought might be of interest.

first, several times i have left coffee brewing in its little jar on the counter and forgotten about it until the next day. turns out, if you let it cold-brew at room temperature for 24 hours and then put it in the fridge and then filter it later (a few hours or days - it doesn't seem to matter much - the coffee just gets a little stronger the longer it brews), it is perhaps even better - i think the flavors get more nuanced - maybe even more kind of caramel and vanilla and chocolate-y.

second, light coconut milk is delicious in iced coffee. i've been using some coconut milk and some regular milk, but if you super-like coconut and like somewhat viscous drinks (pleasantly so, but still), maybe you should try it with just coconut milk. since coconut milk comes in cans and it's sort of gross to leave stuff in cans in the fridge (isn't it? am i just too squeamish here?) i open a can and pour it into an old jar to store - one can lasts a week or so in daily coffees.

finally, and this will certainly have occurred to the more astute coffee connoisseurs out there already, sweetened condensed milk. yesssssss. vietnamesify that coffee, son! this is to taste, because i usually don't sweeten my coffee at all, but a little condensed milk stirred into cold coffee on a hot summer afternoon never hurt anyone. even if it did, it was probably worth it.

one final note* - if you want to bring cold-brewed coffee to work with you and you don't have a fancy cup with a lid that keeps liquids in, you can put it in a jar and drop the jar into an enormous wool sock - the sock will insulate the jar and keep your coffee cold. it will also help to ensure that coffee doesn't flood your bag.

*final note may only be applicable to my own situation and collection of capacious wool socks.

cold-brewed coffee

cold-brewed coffee is far superior to regular coffee that you put on ice or refrigerate so it gets cold. that is just the truth. it is caramelly and nutty and creamy in a way that hot-brewed coffee made cold will never be. it isn't at all bitter and even people who normally like sugar in their coffee would probably like this just with some milk.

according to wikipedia, cold-brewing results in a less acidic drink, which may account for the extra-tastiness. there are a number of things about cold-brewing online - there are also many gadgets that promise to make it easier.

the thing is, it is ridiculously easy already, so don't buy any dumb gadgets.

all i do is fill old jars about 1/4 of the way with coarsely ground coffee* (you can use espresso or any dark roast you like. or probably whatever - that's just what i like) and fill the rest with cold water. lid it, shake it up, let it sit for overnight on the counter or 24 hours or so in the fridge (although it can sit for much longer than that - i have left it for days in the fridge and it gets stronger, but is still fantastic).

then when it is ready, shake it up again and put it the whole mess in your french press.

you have a french press, right?

if you do, this is super easy - just press it like a normal thing of coffee. then pour and add milk to taste. voila! so delicious and easy.

if you are one of those poor souls without a french press, you can still make this coffee, but it will be a little more of a hassle. you would probably do best making it in a mason jar with one of those lids where you can remove the lid part but still have the screw top part. then put some cheesecloth in several layers over the top, put the screw top part on, and strain it. or you could use a sieve and cheesecloth or a regular coffee filter set over something. but that sounds like kind of a pain, frankly, so while i said you don't need gadgets, i really think a french press is the way to go. but i don't consider that a gadget so much as a household necessity. so.

you can also pour some of the coffee into ice cube trays so that you can have coffee ice cubes so regular ice cubes don't water down your perfect cold-brewed coffee. i am not quite that devoted, though, and since i usually use the longer-time-in-the-fridge method, the coffee and milk are already cold and i don't need ice.**

seriously, this is a wonderful addition to your summer drink rotation and it takes practically no time and is FAR better than just chilling regular coffee. f'reals. i make it every day - just filtering the jars i have in the fridge and then reusing the jars to get more ready for tomorrow. it takes about 5 minutes a day and is 100% worth it.

*this makes it quite strong - you can add less coffee if you like - maybe an inch or inch and a half

**more about options here.