I started drinking coffee when I was 14 years old. It was the early 1990s and Portland, Oregon was ground zero for the onslaught of espresso bars that was soon to sweep the nation. Boyd’s, one of the early local chains, had a location just a block from my high school and whenever my budget allowed, I’d get myself a latte (often with hazelnut syrup) or when the weather warmed, an iced coffee.
I’ve been a fairly regular coffee drinker ever since. And so, when the nice people at Driftaway Coffee got in touch a few months back to see if we could team up in some way, I said of course. They are a subscription coffee company that will send you installments of freshly roasted beans every two weeks.
They trick is that they like each new subscriber to start with their Rise & Grind kit, which includes four different varietals in one-ounce samples. Once you’ve brewed through each one, you let them know which one you liked best and that’s the one you’ll get in each shipment. It’s a pretty great idea, particularly for people who are just starting to explore single origin coffees.
They sent me one of the two-ounce Rise & Grind kits and once I was finished admiring the packaging (I’m a sucker for good design), I popped open one of the 2 ounce packets and got to work making a batch of cold brew.
I’ve been a cold brew coffee fan for years now (you can see that the first time I mentioned it was way back in 2010) and make it a lot when the days warm. I’ve refined my approach and upgraded my equipment slightly in the last five years, so an updated post on the topic seemed like a good idea.
I’ve found that everyone has their own ratio for cold brew. My preferred recipe is 2 ounces of coarse ground coffee to 3 1/2 cups cold, freshly filtered water. This makes a strong brew that produces enough to last 2-3 days (depending on how many deadlines I’m pushing to meet). I don’t typically add water to thin it out, but instead add a couple of ice cubes and a generous pour of milk and call it good.
I grind the beans and funnel them into a quart jar. I add a splash of cold water and swirl the jar a little to dampen the grounds and let them bloom a little. Once they’ve grown a little, I add the remaining water and put a lid on the jar. I tuck into the corner of the kitchen and let it sit for 12 to 18 hours.
The next day, I perch a cone filter over a clean quart jar and fit it with one of Coffee Sock cloth filters that Cuppow sells. I pour the sludgy coffee through the filter in a couple of batches, until the lower jar is filled with perfect, ready to drink coffee.
One of my favorite things about cold brew is that it has the ability to take mediocre or slightly elderly beans and make them drinkable. However, when you’re shooting for more than just simply drinkable, using good, freshly roasted beans creates a brew that is transcendently good.
For the batch of cold brew that is pictured here, I used Driftaway Coffee’s Guatemalan beans and it was magical. Earthy and a bit chocolatey, with just a bit of acid for lightness. Oh, and if making your own cold brew feels like too much work, I hear that Driftaway Coffee is soon going to be making their own concentrate.
The nice folks at Driftaway Coffee want to give a three-month subscriptions away to one of my readers so that’s what we’re going to do. Here’s how to enter!
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me what you’re drinking these days. Cold brew coffee? Homemade kombucha? Hot tea with honey?
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog soon thereafter.
- Giveaway open to US residents only. Void where prohibited.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.
Disclosure: Driftaway Coffee sent me their Rise & Grind kit and are providing the giveaway subscription, both at no cost to me. No additional financial compensation has been provided and all opinions expressed are mine alone.
I grind my own beans every morning and make a full pot of french press for me and the hubby (sometimes just for me!). I’ll either have an iced coffee in the afternoon or some great tea. Big fan of the Downtown Abbey Rose tea from Republic of Tea right now. Hibiscus, raspberry and rose…delicious!
Well I am JUST beginning to get into making my own cold brew for the warmer months ahead… Awaiting my hemp cold brew mesh bag to arrive from Amazon in the next day or two … wish me luck!
I’m just a plain ‘ol coffee with cream type of girl 🙂 Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
I drink what we call “cheater” iced mochas. Cold brew (your 2010 recipe) with milk and a spoonfull of hot chocolate mix, blended with ice using an immersion blender. One of those in the morning, and then ice water for the rest of the day!
When it warms up I start drinking iced coffee. I’ll have to try your method.
This appeals to me on such a deep level that I want to subscribe regardless of whether I win. I’ve been drinking americanos or lattes on days I work from home, but I stick to various black teas (pumpkin spice today!) when in the office because our coffee is notoriously the worst.
I drink all the coffee. A latte in the morning, iced coffee in the afternoon and now that I have a new coffee pot with an insulated carafe I make a full pot and sit on my porch all morning reading/knitting until it is gone!
The idea to send a mixture of blends to determine what flavor you like the best is brilliant and though I have a local roaster I really enjoy the idea of trying some new brews sent right to my door is very tempting!
Yep. We are coffee lovers. Every AM good & strong. Black no sugar. Winter or summer.
Iced coffee, using a Toddy with a nut bag. 1# coffee, 9c H20, sit 12hrs or so. With this concentrate I use
1-1 coffee/water. Lots of ice and half and half. Lasts about a week. Grocery store coffee works, but good fresh coffee is glorious
Coffee in the morning is my favorite! My grown kids love cold brew when we all get together!!
Coffee with cream most days….hot even in summer (at least to start the day). Then, if out and about, an iced coffee from somewhere. My favorite blend right now is from our local candy/coffee store…..Here’s Howe…..their Sneakadiddle blend is great (cinnamon, coconut, etc.).
Drinking a pour over cup each morning, but summer is coming – Iced afternoon coffee!
I am a tea drinker, hot or cold, fruity or strong. However my daughters are both coffee drinkers, so I keep good coffee on hand for them.
Lately I’ve just been drinking plain, run-of-the-mill coffee at work, because it’s free and someone else makes it. But as soon as it starts getting warm outside I’m always itching for some cold-brew iced coffee…with a little sweetened condensed milk. Mmm!
Coffee in the am & herb infused water throughout the day. Basil & mint
Coffee, triple cream & triple splenda
Coffee till noon then switch to guayusa tea for an afternoon change of pace.
Fresh ground Guatemalan coffee in the morning (pourover) and then hot tea in the afternoon. Iced coffee when it is hot out is my afternoon treat!
Iced coffee for me these days. I haven’t tried cold brew but would love to.
I drink coffee in the morning, Earl Grey tea in the afternoon and at night have a flavored coffee or mocha. I love flavored coffee.
Green tea
Whoa, what a great offer! I love my hot morning coffee and then, throughout the hot summer days cold refreshing coffee, full of ‘good for you’ antioxidants! Thanks for a chance to win, Marisa. Cheers.
Coffee first thing, iced tea in the afternoon.
I love coffee but have never tried cold brew, but I will!
Mmmm. Coffee…
I live on the stuff, I grind roasted decaf Colombian beans every morning to take a thermos to work, and on weekends I grind flavored decaf that I can get roasted locally. I don’t use sugar or milk, but I like nutty, chocolaty mellow flavors like toasted southern pecan. Hard to find in decaf.
I drink good, black coffee. This summer I am exploring teas with my backyard herbs.
So I walked into a French cafe’ on my first day in Paris three years ago. “Deux cafe’,” I said to the waitress. My travel companion asked, “What kind of coffee did you just order?” “Who cares,” I responded. “It will be French.” The waitress brought back two small cups of deeply intense coffee. I’ve been a French Roast coffee lover ever since. I grind the beans fresh every morning and make my coffee in a French Press. Ah, bliss; that first sip is like manna from heaven.
I drink French Press coffee every morning and kombucha every afternoon! I do love a good glass of cold brew coffee though…
I love some cold brew in a drinking jar on warm summer mornings!
I drink my coffee both hot and cold.
I’m a die-hard tea drinker. There’s nothing like a big pot of black tea (with almond milk and sweetener) on the back porch on an early weekend morning!
I’ve been drinking my coffee brewed in a Chemex lately, it really comes amazing =)
Coffee, water, coke zero.
Lots of iced tea.
Good Morning!
I make an Americano to get me to work, then do a pour over at my desk
followed by tea the rest of the day!
Coffee, hot and iced.
Lots of tea. I am trying to convert to all loose leaf. Water with some fruit in it the rest of the day.
Lots and lots of coffee but I also drink plenty of water
Coffee, black, and percolated. A little messier than my previous drip maker, but oh, so worth it!
I drink a lot of coffee- hot and iced, and water.
A double espresso or two per day gets me through life. 🙂
Lately I’ve been drinking hazelnut lattes.
I’m a big fan of tea, and now that it’s been getting warmer, a ginger pear iced white tea hits the spot perfectly
coffee. always coffee.
Majestic Roast in the morning. Water till 4 pm. V-8. Tea. Whoohoo!
Lots of Red Raspberry Leaf tea for me these days! Usually coffee is my drink though.
If the beans are fantastic, espresso. If not (most of the time), Americanos
Coffee! First cup is hot and black, second cup is iced with whole milk and sugar in a to-go cup.
Coffee in the morning and cucumber water during the rest of the day!
I drink lattes or pourover, but I make cold press for my man. I filter through a nut milk bag then a paper cone filter.