How to Make the Perfect Cold Brew Coffee at Home
Summer calls for cold coffee
When the weather warms up, there are few things we enjoy more at Brazier than a good cold brew. It's smooth, refreshing, naturally sweet and, perhaps best of all, incredibly easy to make at home.
Unlike an iced coffee, which starts with hot-brewed coffee that's then chilled, cold brew is made by slowly steeping coffee in cold or room-temperature water. Given a little time, the result is a completely different expression of the coffee – smooth and rounded, with plenty of sweetness and a refreshing finish.
We've been experimenting with cold brew at the roastery, and it's something we think more people should be making at home.
So, here's our guide to making great cold brew coffee, including our go-to recipe and a simple method using a French press if you don't have a dedicated cold brew maker.
Our Cold Brew Recipe
We like to keep things simple.
Our starting point is a 1:11 coffee-to-water ratio, which gives us a rich and flavourful cold brew that's ready to pour over ice.
You'll need:
- 90g freshly roasted coffee – coarse grind
- 1 litre of water
- A cold brew maker or French press
That's it.
1. Choose your coffee
The great thing about cold brew is that there's no single coffee that's "right" for the job.
We particularly enjoy coffees with plenty of natural sweetness, but it's worth experimenting. A chocolatey, nutty coffee can make a rich and smooth cold brew, while a fruity single origin can be bright, juicy and incredibly refreshing over ice.
If you've got a favourite Brazier coffee in the cupboard, give it a try.
You might be surprised by how different it tastes when brewed cold.
2. Grind your coffee
For cold brew, we recommend a coarse filter grind.
The coffee will be in contact with the water for several hours, so a coarse filter grind helps create a clean, balanced extraction.
As always, freshly ground coffee is going to give you the best results.
Don't have a grinder at home? We can grind your Brazier coffee for you - just let us know you're making cold filter brew.
Making Cold Brew with a Cold Brew Maker
We've recently added the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Maker to our range because it makes preparing cold brew at home incredibly straightforward.
For a 1-litre batch, start with: 90g coffee + 1 litre water.
1. Add your coffee
Place your coarse ground coffee into the filter of your cold brew maker.
2. Add your water
Slowly pour in 1 litre of room-temperature water, making sure all of the coffee grounds become fully saturated.
3. Let time do the work
Place the brewer in the fridge and leave it to steep overnight for at least 8-12 hours.
We normally make ours in the late afternoon and leave it overnight. By the morning, you've got a litre of cold brew ready to go.
4. Remove the coffee
Once it's finished brewing, remove the filter and give the cold brew a gentle stir.
Then it's ready to drink!
How We Like to Drink It
For us, cold brew doesn't need much doing to it.
Fill a glass with ice, pour over the cold brew and enjoy. If you prefer a longer drink, add a little cold water.
For something creamier, try adding a splash of milk or oat milk.
And if you've got friends coming over on a warm afternoon, make a batch in advance and keep it in the fridge.
No Cold Brew Maker? Use a French Press
You don't need any specialist equipment to get started.
If you've already got a French press at home, it works really well for making cold brew. The method is exactly the same: coffee + water + time.
Our French Press Recipe:
- 50g coffee – coarse/filter grind
- 550ml water
Add the coffee to your French press and slowly pour over the room-temperature water.
Give it a gentle stir, making sure all the grounds are wet. Put the lid on, but don't plunge it yet.
Place the French press in the fridge and leave it for 8–12 hours. Overnight is perfect.
When you're ready, slowly press the plunger down. Pour the coffee into a separate jug or bottle, and you're ready to serve.
A Few Brazier Tips
Use freshly roasted coffee
The quality of your coffee matters just as much with cold brew as it does with any other brewing method.
Freshly roasted, freshly ground coffee will give you a much more vibrant cup.
Start with 1:11
Our 1:11 ratio is a great starting point.
If you find your cold brew too strong, dilute it with a little water. If you want something more intense, increase the amount of coffee next time.
Don't rush it
Cold brew is all about patience.
Give it at least eight hours and let the water slowly extract all those lovely flavours from the coffee.
Try different coffees
This is probably our biggest recommendation.
Don't assume that the coffee you enjoy most as an espresso or filter will necessarily be your favourite cold brew.
Try different Brazier coffees and see what happens.
Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee
They're often confused, but they're actually quite different.
Iced coffee is generally brewed using hot water and then chilled or poured over ice.
Cold brew is brewed slowly using cold or room-temperature water over several hours.
Because the extraction is so different, the finished coffees taste different too.
Cold brew tends to be smooth, rounded and sweet, while iced coffee retains more of the brighter acidity and characteristics you associate with a hot brew.
Neither is necessarily better – they're just different ways to enjoy coffee.
Make It Your Own
There's no single recipe for the perfect cold brew.
Our 1:11 ratio and 8-12 hour brew is where we'd recommend starting, but once you've made a few batches, have a play.
- Try a different coffee.
- Change the amount of coffee.
- Leave it a little longer.
- Add milk.
- Drink it black.
- Pour it over plenty of ice.
That's the beauty of making coffee at home - you can find the recipe that works for you.
Posted on August 13th 2026
Updating page...