How to Make Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee (and Why You'll Never Go Back)

This article was written by Amy Sara Clark.

From April to October, I am an iced coffee junkie. I used to make it by brewing it hot and then cooling it in the freezer. But last week I learned that cold-brewed coffee tastes better, so I decided to give it a try.

I discovered that you can make cold-brewed coffee at home with just ground coffee, water, a jar or French press and lots of waiting time.
In looking at cold-brewed coffee recipes, there are two areas of disagreement: how much time to brew it for and how to strain out the grounds. How long to wait ranged from 10 to 24 hours and many recipes called for a double straining method, first to get out the course grounds, then a second to remove the silt. 

For my experiment I opted for a brewing time of "overnight," meaning setting it up before bed and letting it brew until I made myself a glass in the morning, which ended up being about 12 hours.

To strain, I opted for the French press method due to its simplicity. I was not about to strain it twice as the New York Times suggests or in batches, as in the Chow.com recipe. 

So, last night, I loaded up the French press and this morning tasted the result. And even I, who has never pretended to have a particularly sensitive palate, could taste the difference.

It was less bitter than hot brewed and had a richer flavor. New York Times writer Cindy Price described her first glass as having "hints of chocolate, even caramel." While my taste buds could never pick such subtleties out, I could tell that it's far better than what I had been drinking.

So, the verdict is in. The coffee maker is off duty until fall and my brand-new French press will be working overtime.

Cold Brewed Coffee Recipe
Adapted from the New York Times. 

Time: 5 minutes, plus 12 hours resting