Name: Cold Brew Concentrate
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 8 ounces medium-roast coffee beans , ground coarse (3 cups); 4 cups filtered water , room temperature; kosher salt (optional)

Why This Recipe Works

With regular coffee brewed hot, the heat works to extract bitterness and astringency from the beans. Here, we used common household equipment for our steep (a 2-quart Mason jar, strainer, and coffee filter) so that the recipe is accessible to any coffee drinker. Using a high ratio of ground beans to water produced a concentrate that was easy to store and could be diluted as desired. Double straining the concentrate ensured our drink was free of sediment. Our finishing touch was a pinch of kosher salt, which rounded out the cold brew's flavors.

Before You Begin

This concentrate needs to be diluted before drinking. We recommend a 1:1 ratio of concentrate to water, but you can dilute it more if you like.

Instructions

Stir coffee and water together in 2-quart jar or narrow pitcher. Allow raft of ground coffee to form, about 10 minutes, then stir again to recombine. Cover with plastic wrap and let steep at room temperature for 24 hours.

Set fine-mesh strainer over large bowl. Pour concentrate into strainer and using back of ladle or rubber spatula, gently stir concentrate to help filter through strainer, extracting as much liquid as possible. Discard grounds.

Set now-empty strainer over second large bowl and line with large coffee filter. Strain concentrate for a second time through prepared strainer, gently stirring concentrate to help filter through strainer. (This may take up to 10 minutes). Transfer to airtight container. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or up to 1 week.

to make iced coffee

Add ½ cup coffee concentrate, ½ cup cold water, and pinch kosher salt, if using, to ice-filled glass. Gently stir to combine.