The Small Batch Guide to Cold Brew

What is Cold Brew?

Not just a fancy name for an iced latte, cold brew is a process of filter coffee preparation where the grounds are left to ‘brew’ for a prolonged period of time in cold or room temperature water. Unlike iced coffees, the coffee never touches hot water and is served as a long filter coffee not an espresso with milk.

How Do I Make Cold Brew?

One of the best things about Cold Brew is you can achieve incredible and complex tasting coffee without the need for fancy equipment. We love using either a French Press or a simple V60, both let the desired coffee shine. Either use your coffee grinder at home, or request your desired grind size when ordering online or in-store. 

French Press Cold Brew Guide

At Small Batch Coffee, we recommend a 1:8 ratio of coarsely ground single origin coffee (see recommendations below) to cold, filtered water (around 4°C). Combine the coffee and water in the French Press and give it a good stir to saturate all grounds. Cover and steep in the fridge for 12–18 hours. After steeping, press the plunger slowly to separate the grounds. Serve over ice or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy with or without your preferred milk. 

V60 Cold Brew Guide

A favourite tool at Small Batch, the humble V60 is perfect for getting the most out of your cold brew. Our tip is ensuring you have the right filter paper. Start by steeping your coarsely ground beans with cold, filtered water (about 4°C) in a jar for 12–18 hours at a 1:8 ratio. Cover and place in the fridge. After steeping, line your V60 with a paper filter and slowly pour the cold brew concentrate through it to filter out fine particles, if some particles get through, filter again. Serve over ice or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. Dilute with water or milk as desired.

Is Cold Brew Coffee Bitter?

Cold Brew can be bitter if made with the wrong beans, most roasters wouldn’t recommend a darker roasted coffee or a blend. At Small Batch Coffee we would always recommend using a sweeter single origin coffee to combat the bitterness. In addition, cold brew coffee can bitter if you leave if steeping too long or if the coffee-to-water ratio is too high as over-extraction can draw out harsher, undesirable compounds from the beans.

What Coffee Should I Use?

So glad you asked! As mentioned above we love drawing out the flavours of our sweeter single origin coffees with cold brew. The team's favourites are our Kenya Sasini with tasting notes of stone fruit, blueberry and fudge or our Ethiopa Nesru Aba Nura with tasting notes of marzipan, lychee and lemon curd. If you try any of our coffees for cold brew, please let us know on Instagram! We love hearing and seeing how you brew our coffees.

The Small Batch Coffee Guide to Cold Brew