How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home

How to make cold brew coffee is one of the easiest wins in home brewing. There's no machine to master and no temperature to watch. You just need time, patience, and the right beans.

I'm James Bellis, founder of Balance Coffee. I've trained baristas for over 14 years, including 7 years with espresso machine specialist Sanremo UK. I hold an SCA Coffee Skills Diploma and have brewed for over 199,000 customers across the UK.

I wrote a guide to the best coffee beans to buy in the UK. Start there if you haven't picked your beans yet.

Cold brew rewards patience more than skill. Once you've got the ratio right, this recipe for cold brew coffee scales up or down easily.

Making it at home also saves real money. A coffee shop cold brew typically costs £3 to £4 a cup. You're often paying for convenience there, not quality.

A batch made at home costs a fraction of that per cup. You also control the strength, the bean, and the dilution yourself.

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What Is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew coffee is coarsely ground coffee steeped in cold or room-temperature water for hours, not minutes. There's no heat involved anywhere in the process.

That single difference changes everything about the flavour. Heat pulls out oils and acids quickly.

That's part of why hot coffee can taste sharp or bitter sometimes. Cold water works far more slowly, so the result is smoother and naturally sweeter.

Cold brewing isn't a new invention, even though it feels like a modern café trend. Dutch traders reportedly introduced cold-brewed coffee to Japan in the 1600s.

Kyoto's famous slow-drip towers grew from that same tradition. Today's jar-and-fridge method works differently.

It uses full immersion rather than a slow drip. Both swap heat for time, just in different ways.

Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee: What's The Difference?

This is the single most common mix-up in cold coffee. Cold brew and iced coffee are not the same drink, even though people use the terms interchangeably.

Equipment You'll Need

• A coarse burr grinder, or pre-ground coarse coffee
• A large jar, jug, or a dedicated cold brew maker
• A fine mesh sieve or a paper coffee filter for straining
• A pitcher or bottle for storing the finished concentrate
• Fridge space, since cold brew steeps best chilled or at cool room temperature

You don't need an espresso machine or a kettle for this one. That's part of what makes cold brew such an easy speciality coffee beans project to start with at home.

A dedicated cold brew maker is worth it if you make batches often. Most include a built-in filter, which saves a step.

A simple jar works just as well for occasional brewing, provided you strain it properly afterwards.

Curious about other brewing gear?

Our Chemex vs V60 vs Moka vs Aeropress guide covers the main non-espresso options.

Cold Brew Coffee Recipe: Ingredients & Ratio

Once you know how to make cold brew coffee, the ratio is what decides how strong it tastes.

Ingredients: 100g coarsely ground coffee, 800ml cold or room-temperature water.

That's a 1:8 ratio, which produces a concentrate you dilute before drinking.

Ratio at a glance:

• Concentrate ratio: 1:8 (coffee to water)
• Ready-to-drink ratio (no dilution needed): 1:12
• Steep time: 12 to 24 hours
• Grind size: coarse, similar to sea salt

Want to skip the maths entirely? Our best coffee beans for cold brew guide has ready-made bean and ratio recommendations.

The Science of Cold Brew

Cold brew has no espresso pressure and no heat step. Its science comes down to two variables: grind size and steep time.

A coarse grind matters because cold water extracts slowly. Fine grounds sit in water for 12 to 24 hours and turn bitter and muddy.

Coarse grounds extract gently over that same stretch, which is exactly what you want.

Steep time controls strength, not just speed. Six hours gives a lighter, more delicate cup. Twenty-four hours gives a bolder, fuller concentrate.

Heat speeds up extraction by breaking down coffee's structure quickly. It pulls out oils, acids, and sugars all at once.

Cold water can't do that, so it relies purely on time to slowly draw out flavour. This slower process is exactly why cold brew avoids much of hot coffee's bitterness and sharp acidity.

Temperature plays a smaller role than most people expect.

Room-temperature water extracts a little faster than fridge-cold water.

Adjust your steep time down slightly if you're not refrigerating.

For our full grind breakdown across brew methods, see our best grind for coffee beans guide.

It also covers the best grind for cold brew specifically.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee: Step-by-Step

Here's how to prepare cold brew coffee from start to finish.

1. Add 100g of coarsely ground coffee to your jar or cold brew maker.
2. Pour in 800ml of cold or room-temperature water.
3. Stir gently so every ground gets wet.
4. Cover and leave to steep in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.
5. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then again through a paper filter for a cleaner cup.
6. Transfer the strained concentrate into a clean pitcher or bottle.
7. Dilute with water or milk to taste, then serve over ice.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making Cold Brew Coffee

• Grinding too fine. This is the single biggest cause of bitter, muddy cold brew. A fine grind over-extracts across a long steep. Stick to coarse, every time.
• Steeping too short. Under six hours often tastes weak and sour. The coffee hasn't had time to extract properly yet.
• Skipping the second strain. A sieve alone leaves fine sediment behind. A paper filter afterwards gives a noticeably cleaner cup.
• Drinking the concentrate undiluted. Cold brew concentrate is strong by design. Cut it with water or milk before serving it to anyone.
• Using stale beans. Cold brew has nowhere to hide a flat, tired bean. Fresh roast dates matter here as much as anywhere else.
• Storing it warm. Cold brew concentrate keeps for one to two weeks in the fridge. Left at room temperature, it turns flat and sour far sooner.

Other Cold Brew Coffee

• Cold brew concentrate vs ready-to-drink: use 1:8 for a concentrate you dilute. Use 1:12 if you'd rather pour and drink straight away.
• Cold brew latte: dilute your concentrate with cold milk instead of water. This gives a creamier, milkier version of the same drink.
• Cold foam topping: whip milk, cream, and a little sugar until foamy. Float it on top for a café-style finish.
• Nitro cold brew: infusing cold brew with nitrogen gas gives it a smooth, creamy texture without any added dairy. This needs a nitro tap or a specialist canister. It's more of a café treat than a simple home project.

How to Serve Cold Brew Coffee

Once your concentrate is strained, there are a few ways to serve it. Black over ice is the simplest, letting the coffee's natural sweetness speak for itself.

Adding milk turns it into a cold brew latte. Oat or almond milk both work well for a plant-based version.

A splash of simple syrup suits anyone who takes sugar in their coffee normally.

However you serve it, always dilute the concentrate first.

Drinking it neat is far too strong for most people.

Cold Brew Coffee Questions People Also Asked

Here are the most common questions people ask once they know how to make cold brew coffee.

What is the best ratio for cold brew coffee?

A 1:8 ratio (coffee to water) makes a concentrate you dilute before drinking. A 1:12 ratio is ready to drink straight away, with no dilution needed. Start with 1:8 if it's your first attempt, since it's easier to adjust strength afterwards.

How long should you steep cold brew coffee?

Between 12 and 24 hours in the fridge works best. Six hours can work in a pinch, but the flavour will taste lighter and less developed. Longer than 24 hours risks a flatter, over-extracted taste.

Is cold brew coffee stronger in caffeine than hot coffee?

It depends entirely on dilution. An undiluted concentrate has more caffeine per ounce than hot coffee. Once diluted to normal drinking strength, the caffeine content is often fairly similar. The exact figure varies by bean, roast, and how strong you brew it.

Is cold brew coffee less acidic than hot coffee?

It's often perceived as smoother and less acidic than hot coffee. Our own best low acid coffee guide lists it among the gentlest brewing methods. Cold extraction pulls out fewer of the compounds that read as sharp or sour. True acidity levels can sometimes be closer than the taste suggests. This is more about perceived smoothness than a guaranteed chemical difference.

Can you make cold brew coffee without a cold brew maker?

Yes, easily. A large jar or jug works just as well as any dedicated device. Stir the grounds into the water, cover, steep, then strain through a sieve and a paper filter. The only real downside is a slightly messier straining step.

How long does cold brew coffee last in the fridge?

A strained concentrate typically keeps for one to two weeks in a sealed container in the fridge. Flavour is at its best within the first week.

What's the best type of bean for cold brew coffee?

Arabica beans suit cold brew better than Robusta. They carry less natural bitterness and more sugar, which comes through as sweetness rather than harshness. Medium to dark roasts also tend to work best. Their chocolatey, nutty, and caramel notes hold up well against a long steep and dilution. Light roasts can taste thin or overly sharp once cold-steeped. Their brighter notes don't always survive 12 to 24 hours of extraction.

Conclusion

Now you know how to make cold brew coffee at home. It comes down to two things: a coarse grind and enough time.

Get those right, and the rest looks after itself.

If you want a bean that's already proven for cold brew, try our clean coffee beans collection.

Every bag is toxin-free and lab-tested, so you're steeping something worth the twelve-hour wait.

For this recipe specifically, I'd recommend our Level Up Blend. It's a medium roast with strawberry, cream, and chocolate notes.

Those notes hold up beautifully over a long cold steep. The result comes through smooth and naturally sweet, never flat.