How to Make Cold Brew with a French Press

Yama 6 Cup French Press next to a glass of cold brew coffee

Watch our video on Youtube!Watch our How to Make Cold Brew with a French Press Youtube Video

Take the Plunge: French Press Cold Brew

Do you really need a specialized brewer like the Hario Mizudashi to make great cold brew coffee?

Probably not. Your trusty French Press is more than capable of making a great cup.

In this recipe, you'll learn how you can make delicious, easy-to-brew, and refreshing cold brew using just your French Press coffee maker. 

Click here to skip to the brewing directions





BEFORE WE BEGIN: DOSING AND DILUTION 

We covered terms like "ratio", "concentrate", and "dilution" in our blog, “Cold Brew: 5 Things You Should Know”. Long story short, most cold brew is not made ready to drink - or if you do drink it, you will be drinking a very caffeinated, very strong cup of coffee. Instead, you’re using a smaller portion of water to do the brewing, and then “cutting” the concentrate when you’re ready to drink it. In our recipe, we use a 1:8 coffee to water ratio.

THE SIZE OF YOUR FRENCH PRESS

French Presses also come in a wide variety of volume options. We’ve seen some as small as 400ml, and then others that are gargantuan whoppers, weighing in at 1.5 to 2 liters! Our current pick for a French Press, the Yama 6 Cup, is a little over 800ml. With that kind of diversity, it can be hard to know where to start.

5 Tips for Making Better Cold Brew at Home


Our baseline for Cold Brew in a French Press

This recipe covers how to get the most cups out of a smaller (1 liter and under) French Press by using a tight ratio, which can also be used to produce a week’s worth of concentrate in a larger press. You can also see how to brew a smooth, easy extraction in a larger French Press in our sidebar below.

Overall, however, cold brew is a forgiving process and you should feel confident that you’ll get something great. We used our Haya Cold Brew Blend because we know it’s been roasted and blended to create a classic cold brew, but experimenting with single origins is always recommended! 

A 12oz bag of Haya sits in front of a fresh brew

Note: Cold brewing takes a while. Our recipe requires 16-20 hours of ambient temperature brewing. Be sure to start your brew with a plan, so you don’t miss the window for finishing up the next day!

 

Sidebar: More help with ratios and dilution

  • Helpfully, one milliliter is equal in mass to one gram, when weighing your water.
  • To vary the size of your brew:
    • Using our ratio (1:8): you’ll need 12.5 grams of coffee for every 100 mills (grams) of water.
      • Just remember, this ratio produces a concentrate, which should be refrigerated after brewing, and cut with water or ice before serving. This will let you maximize your time and effort, whether you’re brewing with a small, single serving French press, or brewing a week’s worth of concentrate in a 1,700 mill beast.
  • To brew a mellow, ready-to-serve cold brew: For a larger press (because you’re not worried about maximizing servings through a concentrated brew), we recommend a ratio of 1:12, or 8.4 grams of coffee for every 100 mills (grams) of water you’re adding.
    • Repeat the outlined directions with this ratio, ignoring our advice to dilute the brew afterwards, and you’re ready to sip!

 

 

 


MAKE IT EASY: BOTTLED COLD BREW CONCENTRATE

Cold Brew Concentrate being poured into a glass


Want to skip the 15+ hour wait for delicious cold brew? New cold brew concentrates, like ours, have made the process incredibly easy. You can make huge batches at once (up to 1 gallon at a time), or make delicious iced coffee cup by cup.



SHOP CLASSIC BLACK COLD BREW CONCENTRATE

______

 


      French Press Cold Brew

      The French Press is a remarkable cold coffee brewer. The extra body it yields pairs wonderfully with the rich chocolates and caramels that cold brew coffee is known for.


      This recipe covers how to get the most cups out of a smaller (1 liter and under) French Press by using a tight ratio, which can also be used to produce a week’s worth of concentrate in a larger press.


      WHY BREW IT THIS WAY:

      • You’ll be able to get more cups out of this method, eliminating the need to brew daily.
      • Allows you to pour equal amounts water or ice to “cut” the concentrate before drinking. Example: You pour 100ml of concentrate with 100ml water & ice to get to the strength of a regular cup of coffee.

      Author
      Kaldi's Coffee
      Prep Time
      5 minutes
      Cook Time
      16-20 hours
      Servings
      3 to 5
      Category

      Coffee brewing

      Cuisine

      Coffee

      Ingredients

      • 75g coffee, ground coarse. If selecting a grind from our web store, choose "French Press"
      • 600mL fresh, filtered water. Room temperature.
      • 1 6-10 cup French Press Coffee Maker
      • 1 spoon
      • Gram scale

      Directions

      1. Put coarsely ground coffee grounds into French Press
      2. Tare your scale
      3. Using ambient (room) temperature water, pour in enough water to cover the grounds and stop
      4. Stir the grounds with a spoon, or simply swirl, to get everything evenly wet
      5. Pour in remaining water up to 600ml
      6. Cover brewer and put in a place away from sunlight
      7. After 16-20 hours, remove cover and break any remaining “crust” from the brewer
      8. Slowly, very slowly, plunge the filter down until it sits just above the rested coffee bed
      9. Enjoy! We recommend diluting with an equal amount of water to get something close to the strength of normal drip coffee, but you can experiment and dilute to suit your tastes!

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