Cold Brew Coffee in a French Press

It’s no secret that I’ve been obsessed with Cold Brew coffee lately, as evidenced by my Instagram account. It all started at Panther Coffee when I discovered their iced cold brew. It was the first time in a LONG time that I got jitters from half a cup of coffee. (If anyone ever visits Miami, a trip to Panther Coffee is a must!)

Since I work day shifts outside in the very muggy Miami sun, hot coffee is out of the question. Unless I want heatstroke. And regular iced coffee tends to taste like watered down swill, in my opinion. So this cold brew concept has been my saving grace. I love how delicious, caramel, and smooth it is.

Just recently I started making my own cold brew, mainly because I hated riding my bike a mile to Panther every morning. I have never owned a coffee pot and instead chose to get my cafe con leche or cappuccinos made to order. Sounds ridiculous right? It’s just that owning a coffee pot seemed unnecessary because I’ve had to limit my hot coffee intake since it gives me crazy rosacea flare-ups. It’s either because of the hot temperature of the coffee (which can cause rosy cheeks) or the high acidity in an average cup of joe. Or a combination of both. The rosacea alkaline diet insists on cutting out foods that unbalance the pH in the body, and coffee is one of the “no” foods.
But cold brew is different. Because of its unique brewing method, basically making a coffee extract by steeping the grounds in room temperature water for 16+ hours instead of heating them, it produces a smooth coffee concentrate that’s 67% less acidic than conventionally hot brewed coffee. Go figure. I’ve noticed that my rosacea is under control after drinking a cup of bold cold brew.

Perhaps if I lived in a colder climate where it was still snowing this far into Spring (South Dakota, I’m looking at you), then cold brew coffee would not sound appealing. Obviously a warm mug of coffee in the morning is super comforting. But today it’s not even noon yet and it’s almost 90 degrees F with 73% humidity, SO I’ll be over here sipping on iced cold brew, content with life.

So far, I’ve made cold brew two different ways. The first time I made it using Wild Foods Co’s Cold Brew Coffee Kits that I got at Paleo f(x) in Austin. It’s so easy, all you have to do is stick the filtered coffee pouch in a large mason jar and fill with water. Then you place the mason jar in the fridge, brew for 24 hours, and then toss the coffee bag away. EASY PEASY.

Then I researched ways to make homemade cold brew and I came across the French Press technique. I *may* have prematurely bought a French press and coffee bean grinder before realizing that the French press only acts as a vessel to brew the coffee, much like a mason jar. You still have to strain the coffee through a cheese cloth or filter because the French press tends to produce a “dirty” coffee (ie cloudy with coffee ground sediment). I might look into creating my own cold brew filtered coffee pouches like Wild Foods Co sells, but until then, I’ll continue to use my French press. Now that I’ve got a system down pat it’s really simple. Usually a single batch of cold brew made using this recipe will last me 3-4 days. The finished product is more of an extra strength concentrate, so I only use about half a cup and then dilute it with organic cream, turbinado syrup, and ice.

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