How to Make Cold Brew Coffee in a French Press (best recipe)

As much as I look forward to summer, I know it’s a trap. When summer is at its hottest and the sun is at its brightest, not only does it drench you in sweat, but it also drains your energy. I cannot think of a crueller irony than to face the inviting green openness of a clear summer day, only to have your motivation and spirit drowned in a lake of warm and salty sweat.

But hallelujah to the Japanese for inventing cold brew coffee to cool and stimulate our overheated bodies, and get us back out frolicking (yes, frolicking) into summertime.

You don’t have to brave the herd at Starbucks or order some crazy contraption off of Amazon to enjoy the rejuvenating elixir, because today I am going to show you how to make cold brew coffee with a French press.

Here’s a quick video tutorial, with the exact steps laid out in the article below:

What You Need

Here is a quick list of all the things you will need to create your French press cold brewed coffee:

• Most obvious, you will need a French press. But since you’re already reading this, I’m assuming you have one. If not – go here.
• You will also need some coffee beans. Choose one from this list.
• To grind up those beans, you’ll need a burr grinder. Just make sure whatever you have can produce an extra-coarse grind.
• Although it is not entirely necessary, a good scale will help you maintain accuracy (the key to tasty coffee) in your brew (​1).
• You will need 3 ¾ cups (887 ml) of filtered, room temperature water (2). And if you use good water like this, your cold brew will taste better.
• You will also need a sealable container, no smaller than your French press, to pour your brew into.
• You may want to have some type of fine filter, though this isn’t an absolute necessity.*

Related: If you don’t have a french press, you could always make cold brew with a simple mason jar, or even an Aeropress.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee in a French Press

* For the (optional) fine filter, this could be anything from a cheese cloth to a Chemex dripper with paper filters. This will simply serve as a secondary filter to screen out any sediment that your French press might let through.

Now that you have all your ingredients, let’s dive into the recipe.

1. Measure and grind coffee beans

Get your beans ready. The correct coffee to water ratio for cold brewing is between 1:5 or 1:4, depending on how strong you like it. For this tutorial, we will use 90 grams (a little less than a cup) of coarsely ground coffee (3), which is a slightly scaled down ratio of Toddy’s cold brew recipe.

Because you’re making your cold brew using a French press, you’ll need a coarser grind than you’d usually use. It should be slightly larger than a French press grind. Make sure you have a good burr grinder to help you out here (4). Once you have your grounds, pour it all into the French press.

2. Add Water

Fill up your French press with 3 ¾ cups (887 ml) of filtered water — pouring in a slow, circular motion — but do not stir.

Instead, use the back of a metal spoon (to prevent any sticking) to press down on any grounds floating near the top, ensuring that all the grounds have been submerged.

3. Wait 12 hours or more

This step is the easiest, but also the most frustrating. You now need to let your brew sit at room temperature for no less than 12 hours (5). Although you want your coffee now, do not rush this process, or else you will end up with a decanter full of slightly coffee-flavoured water.

In comparison to the standard hot brewing methods, cold brewing replaces heat with time to achieve an adequate extraction (6). Letting your grounds soak for half a day will release all the flavours and oils trapped inside your beans.

4. Pour and Filter

Now that you’ve survived the long hours waiting for your cold brew to finish, it is ready to decant. Start by placing the French press’ top on, and pushing the plunger down only a few inches, allowing it some stability for the upcoming pour. 

With the screen in place you can now pour your fresh brew into the large, sealable container. If you’ve ever used a French press before, you know the metal screen isn’t the best at keeping out all the sediment from your brew; therefore, you may want to use a secondary filter. You can use almost any pour over dripper for this –  or you can loosely tie a piece of cheesecloth around the opening of your container and pour through it.

5. Enjoy your hacked cold brew!

Whichever way you go, one filter or two, once you’ve decanted your brew you are now ready to enjoy. When preparing your cup, remember that cold brew is incredibly concentrated, and that you should dilute it with a few ice cubes and a splash (or two) of water.

Now that your refreshment is ready, sit back, embrace the sun, and start planning what you’ll do on this fine summer day! Orrr…. use your cold brew concentrate for something exciting, like one of these cold brew coffee recipes.

Cold brew coffee, although time consuming, is one of the easiest and most versatile brew methods, and anyone can make it at home. And as you’re now aware, you don’t need a cold brew coffee maker to create it!