When I was a kid, my mom always had a pitcher of cold brewed iced tea in the refrigerator. Right next to a watered down pitcher of kool-aid and sometimes watered down pitcher of concentrated juice.
I say watered down because I grew up in what seemed like an always financially struggling family. There were four of us kids, two parents, a grandfather, a dog, 3 cats and any neighborhood children that adopted us as their family!
Lots of mouths to feed and thirsts to quench! Don't get me wrong, I had a great childhood. Both of my parents were awesome at keeping us occupied and being creative. Goes to show that money isn't a measure of success or good parenting either!
Anyhoo, you found this little article to learn how to cold brew some coffee. Well, if you grew up like I did, you already know that it's the same process as brewing some cold iced tea!
Contrary to popular belief... cold brewed coffee isn't coffee that you brew hot and stuff it in the fridge! It's literally COLD BREWED. Otherwise known as Toddy.
When I owned my brick and mortar coffee shop, this is the process I'd use to make my iced mochas! They were so popular that I started selling them by the gallon!
(PSSST... If you want my super secret iced mocha recipe, you can get it RIGHT HERE for the small price of your email!)
Here's the recipe to cold brew you some coffee:
Things You'll Need:
-cheese cloth or extra large filter (depending on the amount you want to brew)
-5 gallon bucket ( or smaller depending on the amount you're brewing. I'm using the recipe I used for my coffee shop, so obviously if it's just for personal use...common sense prevails. Use a smaller receptacle!)
If using the 5 gallon bucket method, I used one LB of coffee for 4.5 gallons of water.
Just like with any brewing method, adjust to strength and taste.
Ok, grind your beans to a standard or espresso grind. I found for Toddy that a standard grind works just as well as espresso if not better.
Take your 1LB of ground coffee, place it on your large cheese cloth, and tie it up like you're making a hobo's bag.
Fill your 5 gallon bucket almost full, and place the coffee filled cheese cloth inside. Think of this as a large tea bag! So, be sure to steep it a few times to get it completely soaked in the water.
Cover the bucket and let it sit for 24-48 hours! Voila...cold brewed coffee!
I like to check on it periodically and "dunk" it and steep it some while it's brewing.
Also, I know it seems like a long time to wait, but 48 hours is really the best Toddy making time. But, it's still good after 24 if you're impatient like me!
Now some cool things you can do with your toddy.
As I said earlier, use it to make a killer iced mocha recipe. (GET YOUR COPY RIGHT HERE!)
Or... I liked to make coffee iced cubes with the extra. In fact, that's what I did with my unflavored leftover coffee at the end of the day. Then when a patron would order an iced beverage I would use the coffee ice cubes so it wouldn't water down their drink as the ice slowly melted!
Well, there you have it, a super simple iced coffee recipe!
Questions? Comments? Always here to help!
Cheers,
Tara a.k.a. The ODD Witch