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

 Don't forget to get our best cold brew coffee tips in:
"Cold Brew: 5 Tips for Better Brewing 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

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