305224 Wed Jun 28 04:21:22 -0700 2006 26 31 Home Cooking 0 1716090 Has anyone tried this? There's no way I'm going out and buying another coffee making contraption, but I thought I could do the following: -grind a pound of coffee to a fine espresso grind -place in a glass jar with the amount of cold water specified on Toddy's website (8 cups? I forget) -refrigerate overnight to cold brew -slowly filter out the coffee grounds. I have a plastic manual drip that sits over a mug and am willing to filter batches of the cold coffee using more than one filter if necessary It sounds good to me, but does anyone know if it will work for sure? The allure of having coffee concentrate that won't go bad for two weeks is appealing. I don't usually finish even half a pound of coffee in a week, and every day as the flavor deteriorates I find myself wanting to drink it less. Pei, formerly nooodles Wed Jun 28 04:21:23 -0700 2006 11577 Pei 1 1716107 Yes, I have done exactly as you outline. I don't recall the details -- it was about 10 years ago -- but I happily made my own cold brew and used it for iced coffee with milk all one summer. I found a guideline here: one pound coffee, 9 cups water, 12-24 hours. That sounds about right: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/recipes/articlearc.php?id=991 Wed Jun 28 04:41:32 -0700 2006 1716090 10664 Saccade 1 1716111 I remembered Jess' reply to one of my previous posts. It has instructions for you to use. I'd suggest using a medium grind coffee instead of fine espresso, I seem to remember another post saying fine grind can get messy. The coffee toddy website gives the proportions to use. HTH http://chowhound.com/topics/show/278688?user_name=&query=cold+brew+coffee http://www.toddyproducts.com/customerservice/instructions.php Wed Jun 28 04:44:45 -0700 2006 1716090 13030 free sample addict aka Tracy L 2 4741092 Update: I screwed up when making my first batch of cold brew for the summer. I put the stopper in upside down so I couldn't pull it out. As a solution I poured the grounds and liquid though a mesh strainer line w/ coffee filters. It was still good. I had discovered my stupidity in the morning so I transfered the coffee when I got home so the coffee steeped about 24 hrs. The longer time steeping did not make the coffee turn out too bitter or strong. In fact, I think I liked it better and my accident turned out for the better because sometimes I'm not around my house enough to work 12 hours steep time into my routine. Wed Jun 03 21:30:35 -0700 2009 1716111 13030 free sample addict aka Tracy L 1 1716135 My mother's best friend (from the Netherlands) used to brew all her coffee this way. I was only a kid, but I tried it a few times (with lots of milk and sugar) and it was good. Another tip. I buy my coffee beans and immediately freeze them. I take out what I need each time I brew coffee. Lasts a long time with no ill effects. Refrigerate? Never! Freeze? Always. Wed Jun 28 05:08:49 -0700 2006 1716090 10245 oakjoan 1 1716151 I've heard so many things about storing coffee, and nothing works as well as I'd like. I've frozen whole beans in tight glass jars, put them in the fridge, vacuum sealed with a home system, etc. It just doesn't work for me. Though, out of all the easy choices, freezing is best. Hopefully, the cold brewing will be my solution. Wed Jun 28 05:32:42 -0700 2006 1716090 11577 Pei 2 1716737 How long are you storing them for? I find that storing beans in an air-proof container inside a cabinet keeps coffee well. But I usually only buy a week's worth, and the beans I buy are freshly roasted. If your beans are going bad within a week, I would guess they weren't fresh when you bought them. Or, are you talking about more long-term storage? Wed Jun 28 16:48:05 -0700 2006 1716151 11296 Darren72 2 1716966 I never store beans in the freezer for more than 2 or 3 weeks. Works for me. I must have a palate compromised by years of eating Twinkies and Spam. Also, I have a question about the cold-brewed coffee. Why doesn't it deteriorate after brewing and during storage? I mean pretty soon after - not weeks. Wed Jun 28 18:11:06 -0700 2006 1716151 10245 oakjoan 1 1716705 You can do it like that, that's how I did it before I bought a "contraption" it will just take you longer to filter, and it can be messier. Wed Jun 28 16:36:12 -0700 2006 1716090 10911 LisaN 1 1716940 I've never used any contraption except a plain ole French Press. Don't grind the beans too fine. When it's ready, press down the filter. The rest you can filter once more as you pour. Look into those Japanese tea filters (individual rectangular pouches)if you want very fine filters. Wed Jun 28 18:01:37 -0700 2006 1716090 10422 HLing 2 1716961 They are talking about a totally different kind of procedure for making coffee. I don't think they are asking for alternatives to cold brewing. Perhaps you might want to start a separate thread about alternative ways to brew coffee, rather than post about it here? Wed Jun 28 18:10:24 -0700 2006 1716940 11296 Darren72 3 1717007 I AM talking about cold brewing. The French Press I've used has a glass container. Rather than pouring boiled water to make my coffee, I pour ice cold filtered water to mix with the grounds and leave in the fridge over night. The press when ready to extract the ice coffee functions as a first filter. Wed Jun 28 18:25:27 -0700 2006 1716961 10422 HLing 4 1717021 Oh, I'm sorry! I figured you were suggesting traditional french press coffee, made with hot water. Do you reheat it straight out of the fridge, or add more water? Wed Jun 28 18:28:21 -0700 2006 1717007 11296 Darren72 1 1717469 INITIAL REPORT BACK: I did the whole procedure like I wrote in the original post, and so far it's tasting great! Smooth and nutty with a very rich mouthfeel, and very in low acid. A sweet, slightly smokey aftertaste. I can't remember what coffee I'm using; some kind of medium roast from Costa Rica. I actually like it better than when I made hot coffee with the same beans, and that was when they were freshly roasted (they're almost a week old now and have been in and out of the freezer). The biggest bonus for me is that because the coffee is concentrated, I can add a lot of milk to it. I don't really like milk by itself and tend to use coffee as a way to get my milk intake (I know, the caffeine and calcium probably cancel each other out in terms of my bone health). With the concentrate I can drink an entire glass of milk and a few teaspoons of the concentrate. When I was drinking a whole cup of French pressed coffee, I tended to drink it black or add a little half and half (because coffee with skim milk added to it is too thin for me). At least this way I'm drinking more milk overall. The potential for coffee concentrate's use in cooking are endless. Coffee flavored cakes and cookies, ice cream, frozen blended drinks, or even savory dishes (chili). All that remains to be seen is whether the flavor deteriorates over the next few days. I have no idea why it wouldn't, but I'll let you guys know. Edit: I've seen claims both ways in terms of whether cold brewed coffee has more or less caffeine than hot brewed. Personally, I think it's more. I am so jittery from one small cup of coffee, and I usually have two full mugs of it! I only added a tablespoon, maybe two, of the concentrate to my milk and I almost need to be peeled off the walls. Wed Jun 28 21:18:24 -0700 2006 1716090 11577 Pei 2 1718247 When I used to do this, I routinely kept the concentrate for 4-5 days with no tangible (tasteable?) deterioration. But, like you, I used it with lots of milk, so I may have missed some of the subtle changes in flavor. It's so mild and low-acid that it doesn't seem there are a lot of bright flavors to go "off," IYKWIM. Thu Jun 29 05:56:17 -0700 2006 1717469 10664 Saccade 2 1719434 So what did you use to filter? Paper cones? And, how fine did you grind? I always thought it had more caffeine as well. And, I did find flavor deterioration after about 4 days but I thought it had to do w/ the (traditional Toddy) filter getting moldy or something. Brice Thu Jun 29 19:33:38 -0700 2006 1717469 14823 bruce 3 1719446 I used paper cones in my plastic manual drip (set over a mug). I ground the coffee a little more finely than I normally would for an American drip machine. Thu Jun 29 19:36:29 -0700 2006 1719434 11577 Pei 4 1719454 Thx. Thu Jun 29 19:38:11 -0700 2006 1719446 14823 bruce 3 4829090 I also think the caffeine is higher - I mix equal amounts of regular and decaf, I prefer the taste of the cold-brewed but get the shakes every time, which does not happen with the hot-water drip method. I have read the suggestion of a two-step filter process: first through a fine metal sieve, then a filter cone. Supposedly this prevents the cone remaining filled with wet sludge. Sat Jul 04 08:05:59 -0700 2009 1719434 159317 greygarious 2 4383675 I use a slightly coarser grind, and rap it all in a couple layers of cheese cloth. I only have to pour it through the filter once to get rid of most of the grit. I make about a gallon at a time, so this saves a lot of trouble. Tue Feb 03 10:00:20 -0800 2009 1717469 215278 corneygirl 1 1717823 I'd definitely use a medium-regular grind. the toddy has a fibrous filter that you put in the bottom, like a fusible pellon-like stuff about a quarter of an inch thick, that is moistened with water. layer the coffee and 9 cups of water, don't stir or compress. and the time is 12 hours. the reviews on, I think, Amazon had a user saying they had tried longer with nasty results. I don't think cold-brewed is about the caffiene as much as the acid. and it tastes great, and you aren't throwing away the rest of the pot. Thu Jun 29 00:41:19 -0700 2006 1716090 10580 Betty 1 1719329 ZUNI LOVERS, ALERT! The coffee concentrate is fantastic in the espresso granita recipe. The recipe specifically warns you not to merely use strong coffee, but without an espresso machine how is one supposed to get a hold of 2 cups of espresso? Even if I went down the street to the coffee shop, 2 cups worth of coffee shop espresso would cost a small fortune. I just finished a batch using the cold-brewed concentrate, and it's as airy and delicious as the version I enjoyed at Zuni. http://www.chezpei.com/uploaded_images/DSCN1916-738672.JPG Thu Jun 29 18:57:56 -0700 2006 1716090 11577 Pei 2 1720837 Oh delish! Could you please post the recipe for this, Pei? Looks like a perfect summer dessert. Fri Jun 30 14:54:37 -0700 2006 1719329 12124 TorontoJo 1 4383471 I'm new to cold brewed coffee, but experimented with using the pods I had on hand. The results were pretty good and it saved all the filtering and clean-up. I suspect it is an expensive way to go and I probably won't use it once I run out of pods, but I figured it was better than throwing them out. Tue Feb 03 09:03:28 -0800 2009 1716090 262854 Rebels_mom 1 4550123 I use a 2-litre Erlenmeyer flask. Place about 2.25 cups of fine ground coffee in the bottom (having carefully washed out any old lab residue) and add very cold water (about 1800ml) to the top. Stopper securely so that there is no air left in the flask. Do not stir. Invert gently 4-5 times, holding long enough each time for all of the grounds to move to the upper end. Lay sideways in refrigerator on a slow-roller set up to rotate the flask through 360 degrees about once per hour. If you have no access to a slow roller, simply invert the flask every hour or so. Wait 12-18 hours. Filter the solution through a standard coffee filter to yield about 1400ml of concentrated black liquid. To use: pour concentrated solution into a coffee cup to about 1/4 to 1/3 full, depending upon strength desired. Add boiling water and milk and sugar to taste. There is no need for a French press. This method has produced for me the best coffee I have ever tasted. Sun Mar 29 23:54:25 -0700 2009 1716090 278536 kafoozel 2 4550783 -A tad off=topic, but here's a Shaker recipe for "Syrup of Coffee", from 1878: Take a half pound of the best ground coffee, put in a pot with 3 pints of water; when thoroughly steeped, pour off into another clean vessel and boil again until reduced to one pint. As it boils, add white sugar enough to give it the consistency of syrup. Remove from heat, when cold, put into a bottle and seal..."When traveling, if you wish for a cup of good coffee, you have only to put 2-3 teaspoonfuls of the syrup into an ordinary cup, then pour boiling water upon it, and it is ready for use. We have proved it to be good." I've never been tempted to try this, but noticed that it's unclear whether the initial "steeping" is in cold water or hot, since the next sentence says "boil again". Mon Mar 30 08:38:27 -0700 2009 4550123 159317 greygarious 2 4732656 kafoozel- Now you did it, where can I get a slow-roller :) "Lay sideways in refrigerator on a slow-roller set up to rotate the flask through 360 degrees about once per hour" johnwwwatson@yahoo.com Mon Jun 01 10:44:56 -0700 2009 4550123 129439 johnwwwatson