How to Make Espresso Cold Brew Coffee
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There’s nothing like a refreshing glass of cold brew coffee to kickstart your day or enjoy as an afternoon pick-me-up on a hot day. If you’ve ever craved that smooth, rich flavor without the acidity of traditional coffee, then cold brew is for you! This homemade espresso cold brew coffee recipe is a simple and satisfying dark roast iced coffee, making it a delicious addition to your summer coffee menu.
Wake up to freshly brewed coffee, chilled and ready to be enjoyed over ice. With just two ingredients and minimal effort, you can create a delicious batch of cold brew that’s ideal for sipping any time of the day. The steeping process takes a little time, but the hands-on preparation is quick and easy – allowing you to set it and forget it while you go about your day or sleep at night.
I use a 2:1 water to coffee ratio when making cold brew coffee, especially with dark roast beans like espresso. This ratio is something you can adjust and experiment with and adjust as you continue to make more batches of cold brew at home.
Whether you’re lounging by the pool, hosting friends for brunch, or simply seeking a delightful way to beat the heat, this cold brew coffee is your go-to solution. It’s versatile enough to be enjoyed on its own or mixed into a variety of cocktails, making it a summer staple that you’ll reach for time and again.
Tip: Use simple syrup, brown sugar syrup, coffee syrup, or even lavender syrup to sweeten your cold brew coffee. Simple syrups are liquid sugar and don’t risk gritty sugar granules settling at the bottom of your glass.
Ingredients
- Espresso Roast Coffee (Whole Bean) – The whole bean part is very important here. (See my note on coarse grind below.) You can to grind the coffee beans yourself to get the correct grind, or use the machine in the store, set to coarse grind.
- Filtered Water – Use filtered water to get the best flavor from your coffee beans.
Equipment
- Coffee Grinder – While a home coffee grinder is helpful, you do not need to own a coffee grinder to make cold brew. When you buy your coffee at the store, set the grinder in the store to coarse grind and run your espresso roast beans through that before you leave the store.
- Fine Mesh Strainer – Look for a medium to large fine mesh strainer. Choose a metal strainer that won’t retain the flavor of the coffee (or anything else you strain through it).
- Cheese Cloth – Fine cheese cloth that fits the
- Mason Jar with Lid – I like to make a large batch of cold brew at once, so I use half gallon mason jars like those pictured on this page. If you prefer to make smaller batches, cut this recipe in half and use a quart mason jar.
- Four Cup Measuring Cup – A large measuring cup will hold your strainer steady and be stable on the counter while you’re pouring the cold brew through the strainer/cheese cloth
Shop The Ingredients & Equipment
Whole Bean Coffee, Espresso Roast
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Half Gallon Mason Jars with Lids, Wide Mouth
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Pyrex 4-Cup Glass Measuring Cup
Buy Now →How to Make Espresso Cold Brew Coffee
Combine water and coffee in a large jar or pitcher.
Stir well, cover and place on the counter or in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.
Place a strainer lined with cheese cloth over top of a large bowl or glass measuring cup.
Pour the coffee through the cheesecloth into the bowl.
How to Reuse Your Cheesecloth: Keep the binder clips and cheesecloth in place after you’ve strained your cold brew. Hold your strainer over the trash or compost, then turn it over to dispose of the coffee grounds. Once most/all the grounds are out of the cheesecloth, run the strainer and cloth upside down under hot water until no grounds remain. Remove the binder clips and set aside the strainer. Continue to rinse your cheesecloth until the water runs clear. Wash as usual or hang to dry if you’re only going to use it for cold brew coffee.
Optional: Strain the coffee a second time, this time through a coffee filter set in the strainer, to remove the very fine coffee silt that will make it through the cheese cloth and settle to the bottom of the cold brew.
Dilute using cold water to your desired strength. (If you like super strong coffee, you may choose not to dilute it at all.)
How to Make Espresso Cold Brew Coffee at Home
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups coarse ground coffee
- 3 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Combine water and coffee in a large jar or pitcher.1 ½ cups coarse ground coffee, 3 cups filtered water
- Stir well, cover and place on the counter or in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours.
- Place a strainer lined with cheese cloth over top of a large bowl.
- Give the coffee mixture a final stir, then pour through the cheesecloth into the bowl.
- There will be a small amount of very fine coffee silt in the bottom of the bowl. You can strain the coffee a second time through a coffee filter set in the strain if you prefer, or you can leave it as is and let it settle to the bottom of the cold brew.
- Store your cold brew coffee in a tightly covered glass container in the refrigerator and use within 7 days of brewing.
- Dilute using cold water to your desired strength.
- Serve over ice. Add sugar and cream as preferred.
To serve
- Taste your cold brew to check the strength and see if it's to your liking. If you prefer very strong coffee, or want to use it with lots of cream or milk, you may find it fine as is.
- If you like a lighter brew, you will want to mix 2-4 ounces of cold water into 4-6 ounces of your cold brew before you serve it over ice.
Recipe Tips
You will lose about one third of the liquid to the coffee grounds when making cold brew. So 3 cups of water will make 2 cups of cold brew coffee.
Strain your cold brew through cheese cloth set in a fine mesh strainer.
The last bit of the cold brew will have a fine coffee silt in it. Strain this through a coffee filter set in a fine mesh strainer (or in a coffee brew basket) to remove the last of the coffee grounds.
I HIGHLY recommend using binder clips to hold the cheesecloth to your strainer. (See photos above.) They keep the cheesecloth from moving around while you’re pouring your cold brew into the strainer.
What is Coarse Ground Coffee?
Coffee can be ground in many different ways. For cold brew, you want the beans to be in bigger pieces than you would for drip coffee and MUCH bigger than you would for traditional espresso. If you’re familiar with french press coffee, the texture of the espresso beans for this recipe is the same. Grinding the beans too fine will result in your cold brew having a lot of sediment in it and it will be much more difficult to filter the coffee beans out.
Ways to Enjoy Espresso Cold Brew Coffee
- Sip it over ice – with or without cream and sugar!
- Mix it into my Coffee Old Fashioned.
- Shake it up in a Pumpkin Spice Martini or a Peppermint Mocha Martini.
- Use it in my espresso martini drinks: Classic Espresso Martini, Chocolate Espresso Martini, Gingerbread Espresso Martini, and Espresso Martini Mocktail
