Never mind the brisk wind outside; the conditions are perfect inside for a cold brew coffee.
Cold brew is having a moment. Once merely a summertime specialty, cold brew is now a year-round fixture for many Americans—21%, to be exact, according to a 2025 coffee trends report.
Cold brew refers not to a particular type of coffee, but rather to the process through which it’s made. Cold-brewed coffee has steeped anywhere from several hours to a few days. And never once was it exposed to heat.
It’s cold water, in fact, that pulls all the flavor from the coffee beans. It happens much slower than it does with hot water. (Hence, the long steeping period.) What results is a sweeter, more robust tasting coffee that’s also less acidic than hot coffee.
This is a big lure for cold brew enthusiasts, a segment that’s grown dramatically since 2020, again according to the trends report cited above. Their loyalty could also have something to do with the caffeine. Cold brew’s caffeine content is higher than hot coffee’s.
One more note: While cold brew is usually served chilled or over ice, it is not iced coffee. Iced coffee is usually just hot coffee poured over ice.
If you count yourself among the curious but uninitiated, here’s an easy way to experiment at home. All you need is a bag of your favorite coffee beans, a grinder if they’re not already ground, and a French press.
In this case, the process for making cold brew is very similar to the one for making hot coffee. The obvious difference is you’re going to wait a really long time for it.
Brewing instructions
- Grind the coffee. A coarse grind is generally the way to go here. But go with a finer grind if you prefer your coffee strong.
- Measure out the coffee. You want seven parts of cold or room temperature filtered water for every one part of coffee.
- Add the coffee to the French press, then pour the water over it.
- Gently stir to ensure the coffee and water are completely combined.
- Steep for at least 12 hours. In other words, simply let the mixture sit. Your cold brew will brew faster at room temperature, but it’ll taste better if this part happens in the refrigerator.
- Press the French press’s plunger down. The slower the plunge, the less likely the ground coffee will make it into your cold brew.
- Drink chilled or over ice.
If your cold brew’s too strong for your liking, you can use a little more water and a little less coffee the next time around. Shaving a couple hours off the steeping time could also make a difference. In the meantime, you can try diluting your cold brew with cold filtered water or adding creamer, if you’re OK with the added sweetness.
