Cold Brew Measurements: Tips and Tools for Brewing No-Fuss Cold Brew

If you’re just now hearing about cold-brew coffee in the past couple of years, you’re not alone. This style of coffee has become increasingly popular and for a good reason. With summer right around the corner, it is the perfect way to get your caffeine fix minus the steaming hot coffee. Depending on how you like your cold brew coffee, you can change the flavor profile, acidity level, and style!

Here’s your simple guide to making an almost effortless cold brew. We’ll share some of our tips, the right ratios, and one serious short cut to the perfect cup of cold brew!

Use High-Quality Beans

Repeat after me: “Low-quality beans, bitter cold brew.”   

Here are a few tips when choosing coffee beans.

• Keep in mind the beans need to be ground very coarsely. If they are too fine, they will lose flavor – this can cause your coffee to be bitter and cloudy.
• For a traditional taste, look for a medium to dark roast.
• Want to skip a few steps?  Try our Hugo Coffee Dog Daze Cold Brew Packs.  With perfectly ground beans in a biodegradable sachet or “tea bag,” it takes all the guesswork out of making the perfect batch of cold brew.

Make sure you use quality coffee beans – Choose the tasting notes that you enjoy! You want to use quality beans – otherwise, your cold brew will be bitter instead of mellow.

Good Water Makes For Good Cold Brew

The next thing to keep in mind is the water you use with your cold brew. A good cup of coffee is about 98 percent water and 2 percent soluble coffee plant. So you want to make sure you use clean water and filters. If your water tastes bad, then your coffee is going to taste bad!

Cold Brew Measurements

Now the ratio and measurements you use for coffee-to-water are just going to depend on your personal taste. There is no standard ratio. 

However, for a good start, try – 3/4 a cup of beans for every 4 cups of cold water. This is going to be your basic starting point. From there, you can either begin adding more beans to boost your flavor profile up to extra-bold or decrease the number of beans if it’s too strong for you.  We recommend that you brew your coffee in a glass jar or pitcher – this keeps the flavor clean without leaching any metal or plastic flavors. 

Another thing to keep in mind about cold brew – it’s not quite like regular coffee. Cold-brew puts the dilution in your hands. You can always add more water or ice to bring down flavor and concentration.  

What About Timing?

Cold brew is brewed in your fridge over time. As a general rule, you should let your cold brew steep between 12 – 24 hours. You can increase the time to adjust the flavor profile or slightly decrease it for a less robust concentrate.  However, the longer you let it steep, the more acidic your flavor will be. 

Wrapping Up the Beans

These are the best tips for making the perfect cup of cold brew. Remember to use quality beans, freshwater, and the right cold brew measurements, and then brew for 12 – 24 hours, then enjoy!

Check out our cold brew options OR find our full range of Hugo Coffee – from light to dark roasts.  The best part?  A percentage of sales from every single bag supports dog rescue organizations.  Which means you can feel extra good when you drink your cold brew.