If you're looking for a way to make cold brew at home, look no further! A cold brew coffee maker is easy to use and provides a concentrated brew perfect for waking you up on slow mornings. Our guide covers all you need to know about making cold brew coffee, including tips on choosing the best type of coffee beans and finding a coffee bean grinder. Keep reading below to learn how to use a cold brew coffee maker.

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Before You Begin
How to Use a Cold Brew Coffee Maker

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Before You Begin

Before you start making cold brew coffee at home, there are a few things to know.

What Is Cold Brew Coffee?

Cold brew is made differently than other types of iced coffee. Rather than using hot water, cold brew coffee is made from steeping ground coffee beans in cold or room temperature water for 12 to 24 hours. The steeping process gives cold brew a rich, rounded flavor with plenty of caffeine. Like traditionally brewed coffee, cold brew is delicious on its own or paired with cream, sugar, or milk.

Cold Brew vs. Iced Coffee: What's the Difference?

Despite both being cold coffee beverages, these two types of cold coffee are brewed using different methods. Cold brew is, as it sounds, brewed cold, while iced coffee is brewed hot, cooled, and then poured over ice. Because of the way it's made, cold brew tends to have a more concentrated coffee flavor and a higher caffeine content, resulting in a much stronger brew.

What You'll Need to Make Cold Brew

Making cold brew coffee at home doesn't require too many ingredients or tools. Here are the four cold brew essentials you'll need.

• Cold Brew Coffee Maker: These coffee makers are designed specifically for cold brew. The fine mesh filter or strainer inside the coffee maker allows the water to extract all of the wonderful flavors from the coffee while straining all of the coffee grounds from the final product.

• Coffee Beans: To make cold brew, you'll need coffee beans. Medium- or dark-roasted beans are best suited for cold brew because of the rich flavor profile and lower acidity.

• Coffee Grinder: When using a cold brew coffee maker, medium-coarse ground coffee beans are best. You can use an electric or a manual coffee grinder to get this consistency. Learn more about the different types of coffee grinders with our guide Choose the Best Coffee Grinder for You.

• Filtered Water: You'll need filtered water that is either cold or room temperature.

How to Use a Cold Brew Coffee Maker

After you've gathered your ingredients, it's time to start brewing. Follow these steps to learn how to use a cold brew coffee maker.

Step 1: Assemble Your Cold Brew Coffee Maker

If this is the first time you're using your cold brew coffee maker, you'll need to wash the components and assemble the coffee maker using the directions inside the owner's manual.

Step 2: Grind the Coffee Beans

Next, grind the coffee beans in a coffee grinder. You'll want to create a medium-coarse grind that is much coarser than you'd use for an automatic drip coffee maker or pour-over setup. This makes it easy to extract the flavor of the coffee while avoiding bitterness and keeping any stray coffee grounds ending up in your cup.

Step 3: Add the Coffee

Pour the ground coffee into the basket-like strainer and place the strainer in the cold brew coffee maker. While you can stick to a 1:5 coffee to water ratio for making cold brew, it's important to check the specific model of your cold brew coffee maker to be sure.

Step 4: Add the Water

Pour cold or room temperature water over the coffee grounds, moving in a circular direction to saturate the grounds and allow them to absorb the water.

Step 5: Stir & Let Steep

Use a spoon to stir the water and ensure that the grinds are fully submerged. Secure the lid on top of the cold brew maker and let it brew for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Step 6: Drain the Strainer

Once your cold brew is done brewing, remove the lid from the cold brew maker and pull out the strainer. Drain excess cold brew coffee from the strainer into the cold brew maker by resting the strainer at an angle on top of the cold brew maker. Let the excess coffee drain into the cold brew maker for a minute or two, and then switch sides and drain from the opposite side. This allows you to collect all of the delicious, concentrated cold brew. Discard the used coffee grounds and wash the strainer.

Step 7: Serve or Store

Add the lid back to the cold brew maker, and then your coffee is ready to be served. Some cold brew makers feature a built-in spout to make dispensing easy, while others are shaped like a pitcher for pouring. You can serve cold brew on its own or served with cream, sugar, or flavored syrups. You can store the cold brew in the refrigerator for up to two weeks before you'll need to make a new batch.

Tip!

Not sure which type of coffee maker is best suited for you? Check out our guide Different Types of Coffee Makers: How to Choose the Best Coffee Maker for You to learn more.

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