Brewing basics, 5 minute read, October 2026

How to make cold brew coffee at home

Coarse grind, cold water, a long wait. Here's how to make a smooth concentrate that keeps for a week.

Cold brew is coffee steeped in cold or room-temperature water for many hours, then strained. It makes a smooth, low-acid concentrate that keeps in the fridge, and it's the easiest method here: no timer to watch, no technique to learn. You mix, wait, and strain.

What you need

• A large jar, pitcher, or french press
• Whole beans and a grinder with a coarse setting
• A kitchen scale that reads in grams (most can switch from ounces)
• A fine mesh strainer and a paper coffee filter, or a nut milk bag
• A clean bottle or jar with a lid for the fridge

Step by step

1. Grind coarse. Grind the beans right before you start. A coarse grind keeps the coffee from turning muddy or bitter over the long steep.
2. Combine. Put the grounds in your jar, pour in the water, and stir gently until every bit of coffee is wet.
3. Cover and steep. Put the lid on and set the jar in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. Some guides steep at room temperature instead, but fridge steeping is the safer habit for a drink you'll keep for days. A cold steep can taste a little weaker, so lean toward the longer end.
4. Strain. Pour the coffee through a fine mesh strainer lined with a paper filter. Don't squeeze the grounds. It makes the cold brew cloudy. Throw the grounds out.
5. Store and dilute. Keep the concentrate in a sealed container in the fridge. When you pour a glass, dilute it. Many people use equal parts concentrate and water, and some go as strong as 2 parts concentrate to 1 part water.

How long it keeps

Refrigerate cold brew right away, and plan to finish it within 7 days. Coffee experts and a food-safety specialist quoted by The Skimm give about a week for homemade cold brew, and Wisconsin's retail food guidance also uses 7 days for cold brew sold in stores, held at 41°F (5°C) or colder. Some recipes say two weeks. A week is the safe number to remember, and it's easy to stick to if you make smaller batches.

If it doesn't taste right

Change only one thing at a time, so you know what made the difference.

• Weak or watery: use more coffee, grind a little finer, or steep closer to 24 hours. You can also dilute less when you serve it.
• Bitter or harsh: grind coarser, steep for less time, and strain the grounds out promptly instead of leaving them in.
• Cloudy or muddy: the grind is too fine, or the filtering was rough. Grind coarser and strain through a paper filter.

Tips that make a bigger difference than gear

• Make a concentrate. It takes up less fridge room and lets you pick the strength by the glass.
• Buy fresh beans. Look for a roast date on the bag, not just a best-by date.
• Keep everything clean. Wash the jar, strainer, and bottle between batches, since old coffee residue goes off and flavors the next batch.

This guide describes a widely used starting method, not a single correct way. Ratios and steep times vary a lot between sources, so treat the numbers as a starting point and adjust to your taste. Based on published guides, including Saveur, the National Coffee Association, and The Skimm.