Cold brew coffee is the drink of choice for coffee enthusiasts looking for a refreshing drink during the summer.
This isn’t just a regular cup of coffee poured over ice to make it cold or an iced coffee. Making this coffee requires a little effort, especially if you use Chemex equipment.
If you’re up for the challenge of making this coffee, stick around because we’re going to talk about how to make cold brew with a Chemex in this article.
But, before we get there, let’s have a quick discussion to get to know the cold brew coffee even better.
What is cold brew coffee?
As previously stated, cold brew coffee is more than just an iced coffee, contrary to popular belief. These two are not the same and should not be confused.
A cold brew coffee is made without even the use of hot water. This is why it’s called cold brew.
This is also the reason why it’s unique. Even iced coffee uses hot water to brew and then is cooled down with ice afterward. But this one is different.
Cold brew coffee also takes time to brew. You have to leave it in cold or room temperature after you steep the coffee in the water.
The brewing process usually takes 12 – 24 hours.
Time is what this coffee uses to brew itself. That’s why it’s very important to beware of the time because longer or shorter steep time may result in an unpleasant flavor.
There’s a lot of equipment you can use to prepare this coffee. But this time, we’ll talk about Chemex.
It’s a manual pour-over style glass that’s commonly used to make pour-over coffees, but it can also be used for other things, as in this case.
Now that we know what this coffee is made of, let’s talk about the step-by-step process of making this coffee.
How to make cold brew with a Chemex – coffee recipe & method
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make cold brew coffee with a Chemex.
Step 1: Coffee grounds
This coffee is typically made with a coarse grind of coffee beans.
The first step in making this coffee is to place the coffee grounds in the Chemex iced coffee maker.
To make a concentrate cold brew coffee, use a 1:8 coffee-to-water ratio.
You can check the ratio with a coffee scale.
Step 2: Pour water
After adding coffee grounds to the bottom of the Chemex coffee maker, slowly pour in room temperature or cold water in a 1:8 ratio.
Remember to keep this ratio in mind no matter how many cups of coffee you make.
You should thoroughly mix and stir it, making sure to let the water all around the coffee grinds.
Step 3: Cover Coffee
Before storing it, you should cover it with whatever you have on hand, such as a cloth or cling wrap.
This will help easy to prevent unwanted dirt from getting into your coffee.
Step 4: Storing
The coffee should then be stored and steeped for about 12-24 hours.
This allows the water to extract enough flavor from the coffee grounds, resulting in a more flavorful and concentrated cold brew.
Step 5: Filter
Filtering is an important part of this process. You don’t want to drink your coffee with the hassle of the coffee grind and micro-fines, do you?
Paper filters are the most commonly used to separate the ground coffee from the water.
Pour coffee into the filter and let it drip. By doing this, you can enjoy your strain cold brew hassle-free!
Step 6: Dilute the brew
Drinking your brew concentrate cold alone is very heavy to take.
Although, you can take it that way if you prefer a strong and concentrated coffee, some people like the idea of diluting it.
If you like it too, you can add additional water, ice, milk, or cream.
This will cut the intensity of the cold brew, allowing you to enjoy cold brew at home even more!
Find out which are the best coffee beans for cold brew here
Conclusion – Chemex Cold Brew
So that’s it! Making a cold brew coffee is not as tricky as you may have thought. However, it does require a lot of time, especially the brewing process.
But overall, the waiting time will be all worth it because, in the end, it will provide you with a smooth, rich, sweet, and not bitter coffee at home.
Thanks for reading!
FAQs
Can you make iced coffee in a Chemex?
Yes, you can. You have to have How to make Chemex iced coffee recipe, make a hot coffee like a pour-over with the ice at the bottom of Chemex, like a Japanese-style iced coffee. Making iced coffee is also easier and faster than making cold brew coffee.
What is the difference between iced coffee and cold brew?
Iced coffee is made by brewing coffee in the normal process, which is using hot water and then pouring coffee over the ice to make it cold. The cold brew is different. It’s made by brewing coffee at a cold or room temperature and leaving it for around 12-24 hours.
Can you put your Chemex in the fridge?
Yes. If you prefer to put your cold brew into the fridge, you can.
