Coffee.

You either love it or you hate it.

That slightly bitter taste that is an unwavering part of your morning routine, as part of yourself as your own arm or leg.

You just can’t go without it.

Hot or cold, strong or sweet, it’s a staple in most households across the world.

And as much as you regularly love downing a cup (or a pot) every day, that bitter liquid love affair can also be a drain on your wallet.

So I’m here to show you how you can make your own refreshing summer cold press and save some money in the process!

What is Cold Press?

Well, a lot of people think it’s just a different name for Iced Coffee, but contrary to popular belief, it’s not. Iced Coffee is simply coffee with ice in it. Which then after a while becomes a watery bleh cup of joe.

Cold press is a whole different beast.

Now there’s some debate over Cold Press vs Cold Brew, and technically I guess I’ll be showing you both methods today since I’ll be using both a French Press and a regular Mason Jar, but all in all they have the same attributes.

  • Coarse coffee grounds steeped in cold water
  • 12-24 hour brew period
  • Less acidic
  • MORE caffeine
  • Smoother taste
  • You don’t really need any special equipment – a glass Mason jar, sieve, and coffee filter totally works!

So basically – pour in some coffee grounds, pour in some water, forget about it overnight, and strain in the morning – that’s it! So worth it and you get way more than that $5/drink at that coffee place down the street that you have to wait in a line for 25min.

Gather It

  • Your favorite coffee
  • Quart Mason Jar or glass jar
  • French Press
  • Sieve/Fine mesh strainer
  • Cheesecloth or coffee filter
  • Large measuring cup
  • Funnel (optional)
  • Container to keep your delicious Cold Press in

Let’s Make It!

For this recipe, I’m going to show you how to make Cold Press in a French Press and in a plain Mason Jar!

Now, ignore the fact that I’m using pre-ground coffee – in the professional coffee world that’s a big no-no. Fresh ground coffee releases all the natural flavors and subtle overtones and undertones and accents and etc. But sometimes you just don’t want to drag out another appliance, so this is what’s happening.

Ratio

I’ve played around with the amount of coffee to water, and I’ve found that 3/4 cup of grounds to both a quart (4 cup) Mason jar and my 34oz (4.25 cup) French Press gives me the strength of coffee that we like. Feel free to play around with it for your tastes.

  • Add 3/4 cup of grounds
  • Fill your jar or French Press with cold water
  • Stir

Then just cap it up and let it do its thing overnight!

Now a lot of recipes say to put your Cold Press in the fridge overnight while it brews, but years ago my sis-in-law told me that she leaves hers out on the counter instead and that it ends up smoother, so I tried that, and she was right! So for the past couple years I switched to leaving mine to brew on the counter and it works better in my opinion.

The Morning After

Now comes the fun part, because you’re that much closer to drinking your cold press! And now we strain.

Tip: When straining your French Press or your Mason Jar, don’t be too hasty. If you push down on your French Press plunger too hard, the coffee with fly out the spout and all over your counter. Trust me. If you dump your Mason Jar into your strainer too quick, the coffee grounds at the top with come unplugged and dump coffee all over your counter. Trust me.

Strain your coffee and use a small funnel to pour into your final container. We like to use this growler from one of our favorite coffee shops cuz it’s huge.

And now you can enjoy your Cold Press from the comfort of your own fridge!

How To Use Your Cold Press

Lately I’m into maple syrup and a splash of half & half in my cold press. And then I got one of those nifty milk frother gadgets, and my life was never the same!

Here’s some ways to use your cold press:

  • Mix in your favorite syrup
  • Add your favorite milk/non-dairy milk
  • Blend with ice and syrup for a coffee slushy
  • Add a scoop of ice cream for a version of an Affogato
  • Mix with soda water and your favorite syrup for a Cold Press Soda

How do you like to enjoy your cold press? Let me know in the comments below!

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