cold-brewed iced coffee
i read about the cold brewing process in the nyt a few weeks back, ever since then i've been making it 2-3 times a week. the recipe is incredibly simple, takes no time whatsoever and the results are pretty spectacular.
1 -mix 5-7 tablespoons of ground coffee (i prefer la colombe) into 2 quarts of cold water.
2- cover.
3- let sit for anywhere from 12-24 hours depending on how strong you desire, i like it in the 12-18 hr stength.
4- strain using a coffee filter and a sieve.
5- pour over ice and cut it down with a bit of water to taste.
6- i mix in a touch of milk, which is completely optional.
7- store it in the fridge.
7 comments:
good call. professionals refer to this as the "toddy method". in the store i worked in, we would grind a 5 pound bag of dark roast coffee coarsely, at the "percolator" setting, tie it up with twine in a cheesecloth bag, and soak it in one of those white industrial buckets overnight. the resulting concentrate is useful not only for iced coffee (cut with added water) but iced espresso drinks as well, when used in concentrate.
I would like some clarification on step 3:
3- let sit for anywhere from 12-24 hours depending on how strong you desire, i like it in the 12-18 hr stength.
In what kind of surroundings should i t be let to sit?
i just leave it out on the counter or the top of the fridge.
Just read this at Bella...
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36082.asp
that's awesome. i'm so gonna do that. thanks for sharing!
I came up with a simple cold-brew setup to avoid what seems like an objectionable problem with the grounds. My odd idea will appeal to foot-fetishists and javaheads alike: use a short--new--women's nylon stocking as a filter-bag for the grounds. Invert the open end of the nylon over a large glass and then spoon or pour coffee grounds into it, finally knotting the open end to trap the grounds in this java-blackjack. I was amazed to find that these things are selling for just 33 cents a pair (they come in plastic egglike containers that twist apart) and if you wanna be even more economical I'm sure they can be reused, probably many times.
But the coffee ratio mentioned here wasn't for me--not strong enough at 15 tbsp/gal. I should say also that I used my espresso (fine) grind, and it didn't pass through the nylon to a great extent. With that fine grind, I'd expected the recipe to be overly strong if anything, but not so--in fact I have not yet taken the filter/coffee out of the jug (days later), just letting it steep, now at home in the fridge.
A new Barista pal shared this, from the not-so-secret manual they use ("Seattle's Best"): use 1 lb of coarsest-ground beans to 9 cups of water...this makes a concentrate that should then be diluted with an equal part of water in order to get to a strongish, drinkable ratio. For bulk use, they grind a whole 5-lb bag and steep it in 4 gallons, but that's a bit much for me.
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