Still home roasting but on the patio 9 floors up
But will be roasting higher up since we purchased a condo on the 14 floor of a neighboring condo. I’ll be back roasting on one of 2 patios. My wife graced me with the larger patio. I think she knows which side her coffee is coming from
Lately I’ve been making some cold brew in addition to my usual espresso, using an Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker. It works well. I’ve been doing 8oz / 227g of course ground beans (I use setting 28 on a Baratza Encore) and about 960ml of water which is about the same ratio as the Oxo recipe of 10oz / 284g : 1200ml. I’ve been using Peet’s Baridi Blend beans which are supposedly geared for cold brew.
You let it brew for 12-24 hours and then drop the lever to start draining the coffee concentrate into a carafe that I keep in the fridge. For drinking, dilute with water or milk to a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. It works for making iced coffee as well as hot coffee. The lid of the carafe doubles as a 2oz measure for measuring out the concentrate or cold water. Half a pound of beans makes about 12 servings.
So how is the taste?
I like it - its cold brew so there is less acidity and less bitterness than say a drip coffee.
Thank you for the measurements and grind guidelines. Does this use a paper filter? I’ve been wanting to make some cold brew for taking on our extended camping trip, since unfortunately I’ve switched to decaf. I’d love to make it without buying a new contraction.
Yes, there are paper filters available but they are optional - I’ve just been using the screen, which I think is made of steel mesh, by itself.
I knew I would regret giving away my French press 
I was on a cold brew kick for a while and made it in a recycled glass jar.
Filter afterwards using a regular coffee filter (over a colander or using your coffee maker even).
TJs used to carry a cold brew instant (I just found a jar I had bought but forgot to use) if you want to check if they still have it.
Did you save your ratios and grind details?
Per cup to drink it’s 1/4 cup coarse grind coffee to 3/4 cup water (dilute further later with water / milk / ice to taste).
I drink my coffee hot, so I would sometimes go 1/4 cup grounds to 1 cup water, so as not to have to dilute later.
In the mason jar it was 1 cup grounds to 3-4 cups water, filter after 12 or so hours and store in the fridge.
Cold brew is very forgiving, so I used varying grinds (including fine espresso which is how South Indian and Vietnamese coffees are available) to no detriment. You just have to be more careful when you filter — coarse grind is easiest to filter.
(Nowadays I most often use an aeropress, otherwise a Viet pour-over. I should go back to cold brew, love the low acid and smoothness.)
This is all really helpful, thanks!
Same, I’ve been into cold brew also.
New grinder! I’m not fanatical about coffee like I am about most other foods. I grind beans fresh, then use a Chemex pourover and then refrigerate it because I like iced coffee. I don’t measure the grounds, or check the temperature of the water or anything. I recently remodeled my kitchen and installed an instant hot water dispenser, which is great for making coffee, especially since my teen now drinks coffee so I’m making a pot every day or two, whereas it use to last me three days. My old grinder was a Cusinart burr grinder that I bought off Craigslist for $10, that lasted me almost 10 years, so I figured I could splurge (for me at least) on this Baratza $150 grinder. Curious to see if I’ll notice any taste difference.
The Encore has been my grinder for years. I also brew with a Chemex, so I recommend setting the grind to 21 or 22. Enjoy!
That’s the one I have, and have had, for a very long time.
Good to know!
Do you measure the beans or just eyeball it? I’ve got a 10 cup Chemex.
I have the standard-size Chemex (8 cups?). I weigh the beans and the water. For the 2 of us, I use 40 g of beans and 640 g of water, and that will make one 10-oz. cup per person.
I recently got a Vietnamese coffee filter / phin to make ca phe sua da / Viet iced coffee with, which it does quite swimmingly. And also a can of Cafe du Monde ground coffee to make it with.
Nice! Is it a lot of work?
