Do you ever feel like your day hasn’t started until that first sip of coffee? The aroma, the taste, and the heat of good coffee can boost your mood and get you pumped for the day ahead. However, everyone likes their coffee a little different. Some people like it light, while others love it dark. We’ll show you how to make a big batch of coffee concentrate you can enjoy in different ways for any season.
Coffee concentrate is a potent water-based solution you can use to make regular coffee or as a base in coffee-based recipes. It is different from coffee extracts, as extracts are derived from oil. It is made using coffee and water in almost equal parts to produce a caffeine-filled concentrate.
What is coffee concentrate?
A potent mixture of coffee grounds and water is known as coffee concentrate. The concentrate is made by mixing water and coffee with a higher coffee grounds quantity.
The coffee concentrate is easy to make and can be done at home with two main ingredients; water and coffee grounds. Brewing methods may vary from one’s coffee bean choice to the desired concentration of coffee.
You can dilute an amount of the concentrate with water or milk and serve cold or iced.
How to make coffee concentrate
It is possible to enjoy a nice brew of iced coffee or cold brew in the comfort of your home. With simple ingredients and basic kitchen equipment, you can have a big batch of coffee concentrate for your brews and coffee-inspired recipes. You can enjoy cold brew concentrate or iced coffee concentrate with different flavors.
The concentrate and brewing methods are similar to cold-brew coffee. The coffee grounds are steeped overnight and then strained to get the desired results in both brews.
All you need to make your coffee concentrate is:
- A bowl big enough to hold your required coffee amount
- A filter-lined strainer for draining your coffee
- Clean drinking water, preferably filtered.
- Coffee grounds
Method
- Put your favorite coffee beans in a large bowl.
- Gradually pour water mixing it slowly to ensure the coffee grounds are wet.
- Set it overnight on the kitchen counter.
- Strain the mixture in a glass jar.
- Dilute and serve.
The great coffee concentrate has more coffee grounds than water. Mix 8oz water with 1.5oz coffee grounds for strong coffee concentrate. Serve it diluted with water or milk. You may add other flavors.
How to make cold brew coffee concentrate
A cold brew of coffee is the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer day. You can make this brew at home with simple kitchen equipment and ingredients.
Cold brew is easily confused with drip coffee or regular coffee that got cold. Cold brew is made chilled with a higher coffee ratio to water. Cold brew concentrate is stronger than regular drip coffee. It is also bolder and smoother than the regular cup of Joe or drip coffee.
Never brew this type of coffee using heat. It will be bitter and lose most of its flavor. Flavorings can be added when serving.
Making cold-brew is a slow steeping method that takes 12-15 hours, translating to slightly acidic and bitter coffee. Cold-brew coffee has a full body flavor.
The coffee is easily filtered the next day in two steps:
- Strain the grounds through a sieve
- Dilute the brew with a 1:1 water ratio
Filtering takes about five minutes to make a cup. Cold brew coffee contains less caffeine. The oils and sugars are extracted during steeping, creating a more robust taste than traditional coffee.
There are also many benefits of choosing cold brew over other brews.
- Cold brew is easy to make. It does not require machinery to make and can be done by steeping coffee grounds.
- Cold brew is smoother. Heated coffee brings out a bitter and spicy taste.
- Cold brew coffee has less caffeine than drip coffee.
Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
To get 5 to 6 cups of cold brew coffee, use 1 cup of ground coffee to 3 cups of cold water. Coffee concentrate should be stored in the fridge overnight, or you can leave it covered on the kitchen counter. It is added to clean water for diluting when you are ready to drink. If you want a clear brew, use coarsely ground coffee. Finely ground beans are hard to sieve and make a cloudy drink.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of coarse ground coffee
- 7 cups of water
Preparation
- In a large container, put in the coarsely ground coffee.
- Adding 7 cups of water, slowly stir the mixture to moisten all the coffee grounds.
- Cover the mixture with a cheesecloth and leave it overnight or for 10-12 hours.
Take the cheesecloth off and reuse it as a sieve for your coffee concentrate.
- Place the cheesecloth over a large jug/pitcher and sieve your brew. While sieving, do not shake or stir the mixture as this will result in a cloudy brew. Rinse your container and throw out the used cheesecloth with the coffee residue.
- Cover your brew and chill in the refrigerator.
To enjoy, pour the desired amount of diluted coffee concentrate into a chilled glass with a 1:1 water or milk ratio. Add any desired flavor or ice cubes to make it colder.
Iced coffee concentrate
The cold brew method makes iced coffee concentrate. First, coffee grounds are mixed with water and left overnight to make a concentrate. The mixture is then sieved, chilled, diluted, and served with ice cubes.
Iced coffee concentrate follows cold coffee concentrate’s procedure. Avoid using heat during any step of the process.
Here are the steps to follow.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups of water
- Coffee grounds
- Ice cubes
PREPARATION
- In a jar, stir coffee and 1 ½ cups of cold water. Cover and let rest at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight for at least 12 hours
- Strain your coffee concentrate at least two times with a sieve. Dilute your coffee concentrate with water or milk 1:1 ratio. Pour the diluted brew into a glass filled with ice cubes and enjoy.
Liquid coffee concentrate
In a large bowl, put the ground coffee of the preferred grind or roast and add 6 cups of cold or room temperature water. Stir gently to ensure the grounds are all wet. Cover with a cheesecloth and let sit on the counter for 12 hours. Use a strainer to strain the coffee concentrate and add water. Flavors are optional.
Coffee concentrate makes a less acidic cup of coffee than most regular brewed coffee. It also lets you choose if you want a strong or mild brew.
Store coffee concentrates in the refrigerator for two weeks. After that, it builds up acid and becomes bitter.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of ground coffee
- 112oz water
- Gallon jars
- Sieve
- Cheesecloth
Procedure
- Add 1 pound of coffee into a large container
- Pour in 112oz of water slowly while stirring to form a mixture.
- Let mixture stand on the kitchen counter for 10-12 hours or overnight
- Line the sieve with a cheesecloth and set it over a jar as you slowly pour the coffee concentrate.
- Throw out the remaining coffee grinds and put your brew in the refrigerator or somewhere to chill. The liquid concentrate can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
To make a cup of coffee from your liquid concentrate, use a 1:1 or 1:2 water ratio. You can use milk and add desired flavors.
Coffee Concentrate Recipe + Serving
How To Make Coffee Concentrate to Serve Coffee to a Crowd
Ingredients
- 12 ounces coarsely ground coffee beans
- 6 cups of water
Equipment
- 2 large bowls or pitchers
- Kitchen towel or cheesecloth
- Sieve
- Large coffee filter
- Covered container to store concentrate (such as a quart-size canning jar)
Instructions
- Put the coffee grounds in a large bowl or container and slowly mix with 6 cups of water. Depending on the type of concentrate, you can use room temperature or cold water.
- Stir thoroughly to ensure all the grounds are wet and cover the mixture with a cheesecloth. This method is known as steeping.
- Leave on the counter or refrigerate for 10-12 hours.
- Using a large jar or container, sieve the mixture steadily. Use a coffee filter to line your sieve for better results. Do not stir the mixture before sieving. Depending on the amount of coffee concentrate, the sieve time can be between 5 and 45 minutes.
- Cover your concentrate for storage. The concentrate can remain in storage for up to 14 days.
Dilute the concentrate with water or milk with a 1:1 ratio when you want to make a cup of coffee.
