Create the Best (and Cheapest) Iced Coffee in Your French Press

Is coffee one of you favorite food groups? Me, too!

So, how do you brew?

The French press is our go-to apparatus. After trying other forms of brewing, this elegant carafe just does the job. The winning formula is based on the instructions from a barista at Crema, one of my favorite coffee and bakeshops in Portland.

Here’s the method for the giant (51-ounce) French press, and check out brewmethods.com for anything you want to know about making great coffee:

• 60 grams coarse-ground coffee
• 200°F water
• 4 minutes brew time

And, we solved the problem of keeping the coffee hot with an insulated carafe.

It works so well that it keeps the coffee that Benjamin makes at 5 a.m. hot when I pour myself a cup at 7 a.m. {So, when I say “we,” I really mean my generous and loving barista of a husband.}

Now, it’s warming up enough {hello, 81°, where ya been?) to enjoy our morning cup on the front porch. {Note to parents: this is the solitary moment of the day when we have uninterrupted airwaves–generally.)

So, I made my first batch of cold brew of the season this week.

Homemade Cold Brew

I used to buy Stumptown’s cold brew. And I believed it was, like, a special extraction type of product at $4 a bottle.

Little did I know then that coffee lovers have been making it at home for centuries! The cold brewing process produces the more complex flavors and less acidity. And a lot more buzz per volume.

Cold brew is the easiest brewing method–provided you can stand to wait overnight for the ground coffee to steep in cool water.

Cold Brew Coffee Makers

Your trusty French press can do double duty, so there’s no need to purchase one of the cold brew coffee makers for sale. The smoothest cup comes from a second straining through a cone coffee filter.

Some people swear by the Aeropress for cold brew. Here’s what worked for me on my last camping trip: a mason jar with a cone filter. I just love no-tech solutions!

Any way you make it, the resulting cup is sooooo smooth! I pour it straight over a tall glass filled with ice. It’s so robust that even as the ice melts, it’s still plenty strong.

Or, you can dilute it with water or add a splash of milk, coconut milk or nut milk to taste. With or without sweetener this is the best afternoon pick me up.

And you can keep that $4 in your pocket.

Let the kids have their afternoon popsicles. I’ll take a homemade cold brew.

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