Recipe: Doug’s Cold Brew

To honor my good buddy Doug, who not only encouraged me to refine this recipe, but also helped to fund it and served as my taste tester, I wanted to add his name to the final version.

Thank you, friend. 😊

For those curious about the pumpkin cream addition I’ve also been working on, fret not — that separate recipe is coming soon.

Onto the brew!

Doug’s Cold Brew

Inspired by Emma Christensen’s recipe on Simply Recipes, as well as by Alton Brown’s version from Good Eats

Ingredients

• One glass quart jar, with lid
• One fine mesh strainer
• One large glass measuring cup
• One coffee filter
• 95g coarse ground coffee
• 5g chicory root
• 900g water

Notes: You’re welcome to refer to this post for which brands I’ve been using. Using a coarse grind on the beans gives you better flavor. You can use more chicory if you want, but it does tend to overpower the coffee if you’re not careful.

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Directions

1. Fill jar with coarse ground coffee and the chicory root.
2. Add the water slowly, stirring the coffee and chicory so that it incorporates well into the liquid. Adjust the amount of water if needed so that the final level ends up just below the mouth of the jar, around 1/4-1/2 of an inch.
3. Seal the jar with the lid, ensuring a snug fit before giving the jar a good shake. Place jar into refrigerator overnight; 10-12 hours was a good sweet spot for me.
4. The next morning, remove jar from the refrigerator and unseal. Rinse the lid if needed, as grounds might have floated to the top. Stir the contents so that you don’t have huge clumps.
5. Add a coffee filter to your mesh strainer, setting both over your large measuring cup (chances are you’ll have to hold it there). Carefully, holding the strainer and filter steady over the cup, pour the contents of the jar into the measuring cup.
6. Once all the liquid has been transferred to the measuring cup, rinse the jar and dispose of the filter/grounds (compost is great; I’m told coffee grounds are fantastic for tomato gardens).
7. Pour yourself a cup of cold brew straight from the measuring cup, and then you can transfer the rest back into your jar for storage in the fridge. This cold brew will keep for 5-7 days.

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Cold brew can be pretty strong, so feel free to dilute it using ice, water, or cream. Another possible addition is sweetener; I like either pure maple syrup for brightness, the Monin brand vanilla for a pop of flavor, or a shot of Irish cream for the weekends.

For those feeling fancy, Alton Brown’s version of cold brew has a custom sweetener that I haven’t yet attempted. I might at some point, though!

If you’re adventurous, add a couple tablespoons of this cold brew to chai for a “dirty” version of the popular tea, or even to hot cocoa for a quick and easy mocha — add some whipped cream and you’re set!

To Doug and all of my readers — happy brewing, and merry Tuesday!

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Want to suggest a future project? Let me know in the comments what you’d like to see! I’m always open to ideas.