Cold Brew Coffee Brew Guide

Cold brew is the easiest, most forgiving way to make smooth, low-acid coffee at home. I always have some in the fridge.

This simple, ready-to-drink recipe needs no skill and delivers reliably.

What You Need

• Two half-gallon mason jars
• Stainless steel fine-mesh filter (sized for ½-gallon mason jars)
• Coffee: 100g coarse grind (sea salt consistency)
• Water: room temp or cold
• Burr grinder
• Digital scale
• Stirring utensil (I use a butter knife)

Step-by-Step Method

1. Grind the coffee. Grind 100 g of coffee to a coarse (sea salt) connsistency.
2. Set up the filter. Insert the stainless steel filter into one mason jar. Add coffee.
3. Add the water. Fill the second mason jar with water, then pour slowly into the coffee jar, leaving ½ inch at the top. 
4. Stir and submerge. Stir grounds to fully saturate. Press them down. After 10 minutes, stir and press again.
5. Steep. Secure the lid and refrigerate for 12–24 hours.
6. Finish and serve. After steeping, stir gently or lift the filter to drain. Serve—no dilution needed. 

I use two mason jars to avoid aeration from the faucet.

Why This Recipe Works

Cold brew extracts flavor slowly over many hours, pulling out sweetness and body while leaving behind most of the bitter acids found in hot brewing. The coarse grind with a long steep time results in a smooth, low acidic brew. It’s an extremely forgiving method—patience does most of the work.

Dialing In and Troubleshooting Your Brew

Change only one variable at a time to see its effects. Adjust grind, coffee amount, or steep time as needed. Use the table to guide adjustments.