The Best Cold Brew from Home

One of our most popular beverages at The Get Down Coffee has been our Rhythmatic cold brew since we opened. Through introducing our newest Grapevine Cold Brew and experimenting with some processes, we’ve come to a routine way of making our cold brew at the cafe so it hits every time. 

Cold brewing coffee dates back to the 1600’s in Japan, where cold brewing tea led to the cold brewing process of coffee as well. The process was a bit different than what we do today, and involved a more time-consuming process of slowly pouring cold water over coffee grounds for a 24 hour period.

In the United States, we started cold brewing coffee around the 1930’s. There were a few different methods used over the years, but we began using the Toddy Brewing System around the 1960’s, and this is the method that has continued to be used throughout the United States today. 

The Toddy method is what we use at the cafe for cold brew. It’s very simple and only requires using 5lbs of coffee, 2 filters, and 5 gallons of cold water. Two filters are placed inside a 5 gallon container, the ground coffee is added, and then cold water is added to fill the container. This then sits for 18-24 hours depending on the desired strength of the coffee. After the brewing period, the filters and beans are removed from the container, and the container is filled to the five gallon mark with water. 

For our current cold brew offering — both the Rhythmatic and the Grapevine Cold Brew — we use this method. The one difference is that we add one gallon of hot water in the beginning of the process, and let this sit for 5-10 minutes before adding cold water to the container. This allows us to extract a little bit more of the flavor from the beans during the process, and leads to a strong and well-balanced cup. 

For at-home brewing, it works wonderful to use this process at a smaller scale. The general rule we use is 1lb of coffee to 1 gallon of water, so this method can be used to brew just one gallon rather than five if that’s your preference. 

There are many reasons why folks like cold brew, but a big part of the appeal is that cold brew allows for a wonderful extraction of the flavors without the same acidity that coffee normally has. This makes cold brew easier on the stomach than a typical cup of coffee, while still getting a strong coffee flavor and high amount of caffeine to get moving for the day. 

Whether brewing at home or coming to grab some coffee from the cafe, cold brew is always a great option.