My cold brew was always too weak until I tried a different grind size

For like a year, my homemade cold brew just tasted like brown water. I was using the same medium grind I use for my drip machine, letting it steep for 18 hours in the fridge, and it was always super weak. I almost gave up. Then I read a comment on a forum from someone in Portland who said they use a coarse grind, almost like for a French press, but way more coffee. I tried it last week with a 1:4 coffee to water ratio, using my cheap hand grinder on the coarsest setting. I let it sit for 24 hours at room temp, not in the fridge. The difference was crazy. It actually had that thick, chocolatey taste I wanted. Has anyone else found that room temp steeping makes a bigger difference than they thought?

3 comments

3 Comments

sanchez.lucas2mo ago

Oh nice, but careful with room temp steeping that long, it can get bitter fast. I'd stick with fridge after 12 hours.

caleb_ellis2mo ago

Room temp is a gamble with bacteria though. Fridge is slower but way safer, especially in summer.

shane75128d ago

Haha oh man the bacteria police are out in full force today. I guess we're all supposed to be scared of a little bit of room temperature coffee now. Look, I've been doing room temp steeps for years and I'm still here, not dead yet. But yeah, you guys are right, I should probably start living in a sterile bubble. Might as well just drink my cold brew through a straw made of hand sanitizer at this point.