How to Make Cold Brew at Home
Cold brew asks almost nothing of you — coarse coffee, cold water, and patience. The recipe below makes a concentrate you can dilute to taste, and it keeps for a week.
Step by step
- Combine coffee and water.Add 100 g of coarse coffee to a clean jar and pour in 500 g of cold water. Stir until every ground is wet — dry pockets steep at 0% and quietly weaken the batch.
- Steep 14–18 hours.Cover and wait. Room temperature extracts faster (14–16 h); the fridge is slower (16–18 h) but some prefer the gentler result. Beyond ~20 hours you gain harshness, not strength.
- Strain twice.Strain through a fine sieve to catch the grounds, then a second pass through a paper filter (or cloth) removes silt. A cleaner concentrate tastes sweeter and keeps longer.
- Dilute and serve.Start at 1:1 — equal parts concentrate and water or milk over ice — and adjust. The concentrate is roughly double drinking strength.
- Store the rest.Sealed and refrigerated, the concentrate holds well for 7 days, fading noticeably after that. Dilute per glass rather than diluting the whole batch — watered-down cold brew stales faster.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Weak, watery | Grind too coarse, steep too short, or over-dilution | Steep to 18 h; tighten the grind slightly; check your dilution math |
| Harsh or woody | Steeped far too long | Cap it at ~18 hours; the extra hours add astringency, not body |
| Silty bottle | Single-pass straining | Add the paper-filter second pass |
| Sour notes | Very light roast under cold extraction | Cold brew favors medium and darker roasts; or steep warmer and longer |
Common questions
What is the best ratio for cold brew?
1:5 coffee to water makes a concentrate you dilute 1:1 to serve — effectively 1:10 in the glass. If you'd rather skip dilution, brew ready-to-drink at 1:8 and serve straight over ice.
How long should cold brew steep?
14–18 hours. Under 12 tastes thin; past 20 the extra contact adds harsh, woody flavors rather than strength. Room temperature runs faster than the fridge.
How long does cold brew last?
As a strained concentrate in a sealed container in the fridge: about a week at full quality, two at a stretch. Diluted cold brew fades in 2–3 days, so mix each glass fresh.
Is cold brew the same as iced coffee?
No — iced coffee is hot-brewed coffee cooled over ice, keeping bright acidity. Cold brew never sees hot water, which extracts fewer bitter compounds and less acidity, yielding the smooth, chocolatey profile it's known for.
Keep brewing
Brew it, then remember it
Sola Coffea has this recipe as a guided, timed brew — follow the steps, then save the result straight into your coffee journal with grind, ratio, and tasting notes.
Download Sola Coffea freeWritten by the Sola Coffea team. Last reviewed July 2026.