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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Fast: Best Tricks for Coffee Lovers

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Learning how to make cold brew coffee fast will put a pep in your mornings.

Although, traditionally, cold brew is typically made overnight or a couple of days in advance, there are faster methods.

If you need a last-minute boost, we recommend these steps to prepare your favorite coffee quicker so that you can be out of the door sooner.

What Are the Benefits of Cold Brew?

You’ve likely heard that cold brew brings a new line of flavors to your traditional coffee, which is true. However, there are plenty of other benefits to consider, as well.

1. Lower Acidity

If you have a particularly sensitive stomach, opting for cold brew instead of traditional coffee is a great option.

This point is especially true if you deal with acid reflux, which is when your stomach acid flows back into your esophagus.

Cold brew coffee has an average acidity level between five and six on the pH scale, depending on the brew.

It’s important to note that seven is neutral on the pH scale, and anything above seven is acidic.

Some studies suggest cold brew can be slightly less acidic than traditional coffee.

There’s also evidence to suggest that it is less irritating because of the smaller number of polysaccharides.

Not only do polysaccharides help to decrease the irritation in your gut, but they can also help to boost your digestive system.

2. Improved Flavors

If you have a typical coffee that you enjoy, when you opt to cold-brew it, you’re bound to have a whole new experience.

When traditional coffee is brewed at high temperatures, it causes the liquid to oxidize, creating a stale taste.

In comparison, cold brew essentially steeps in a cool environment, preventing the oils from oxidizing to achieve pure flavor.

The longer you’re able to allow the flavors to steep, the more flavorful your coffee will become.

This issue is also one of the most significant disadvantages of cold brew, as any quick recipes won’t pull the authentic flavors out.

It’s highly recommended that if you have more time on your hands, let the cold brew steep for at least 24 hours.

3. High Kick of Caffeine

Many rumors are circulating that cold brew has more caffeine than traditional coffee. This myth isn’t the case, as both types have the same amount of caffeine at their core.

What makes cold brew significantly different is how you prepare it, which can cause you to have more caffeine to enjoy.

Typically, cold brew is consumed without the use of sugar or milk, unlike regular coffee.

By avoiding anything that can dilute the caffeine, you’ll have a big punch of caffeine rather than a watered-down version.

The easiest way to explain the jolt from the cold brew is the less you reduce the concentration, the more caffeine you’ll have.

4. Assisting With Headaches

Coffee and cold brew can be exceptionally beneficial, especially if you’re dealing with a migraine.

As you consume coffee, it helps to improve blood circulation to your brain.

According to the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, coffee can also help to improve cognitive deficits.

If you’ve begun to notice that your head is hurting, having cold brew coffee can bring relief.

As the blood flow increases to your brain, it reduces swelling and the size of your red blood vessels.

Considering headaches are a direct result of a swelling brain, you can see how this beverage can help.

5. Reducing Sugar Intake

Are you the type of person that enjoys adding a lot of sugar to your morning coffee?

By opting for cold brew, or even nitro cold brew, instead of traditional coffee, you can save many calories.

Fortunately, the way these two types of coffee are brewed, you’ll find that they taste much sweeter.

This point is especially true for nitro cold brew, which is known for its phenomenal sweetness without cream or sugar.

Many also use cold brew as a solution to their morning needs when they’re losing weight.

If you average 70 calories for sugar and milk in your coffee every morning, cold brew helps you save them later.

6. Efficient Brewing Method

When it comes to needing last-minute coffee, you might find that hot brew is your best bet.

However, cold brew allows you to prepare your coffee in advance so that it’s ready for the week ahead.

Apart from the many benefits of cold brew, you’ll find its low-maintenance brewing method is spectacular.

You won’t have to worry about buying a unique coffee maker to do it, especially as cold brew kits are inexpensive.

Enthusiasts can easily brew an entire week’s worth of coffee, so you won’t have to worry about making a new batch.

Even if you’re not interested in buying a specific cold brew kit, you can make it using some traditional kitchen items.

Most DIY recipes call for a mason jar, cheesecloth, and the best French press.

Tips for Making Cold Brew Quickly

Now that you’re aware of its benefits, let’s get some essential tips for making a quick cold brew.

Tip 1: Steeping Time Is Your Choice

Even though you should steep the coffee for up to 24 hours, the length of time is your choice.

Some enjoy a more subtle flavored coffee, while others want the powerful punch that steeped coffee has to offer.

Fortunately, this point means that you might not need to let it sit for several hours before enjoying it.

It’s a good idea to try to strive for at least six to eight hours, but if you’re unable to, you can make it similar to iced coffee.

Tip 2: Know the Ratio

There’s a golden ratio when it comes to making cold brew so that you’re not stuck with a watered-down coffee.

Ideally, you’ll want to get your hands on a kitchen scale to measure the coffee accurately. Most find that one ounce of ground coffee is enough for one cup of water.

These measurements will allow the grounds to soak up enough water and leave plenty of concentrate behind for you to use.

If it’s too strong, you can always add more water or milk to help dilute it to a flavor of your choosing.

Tip 3: Use Coarsely Ground Coffee

Instead of using a fine grind that will dissolve into the water, you’ll want a coarse grind for cold brew.

There are two main reasons you’ll want coarse. First, it helps boost the filtration process and, second, reduces bitter aftertastes.

Opting for too fine of a grind can cause the grounds to heat up even slightly, affecting the taste of your cup.

Tip 4: Always Strain Your Coffee

After you’ve given the coffee more than enough time to steep, you’ll want to make sure you strain the grounds from the water.

This point is when you’ll want to get your hands on a cheesecloth or paper filters that can be secured.

By avoiding this step, you’ll have a delicious tasting cold brew and bitter coffee grinds in your drink.

How to Make Cold Brew Fast

With an understanding of the benefits and tips under your belt, it’s time to brew. It’s effortless to make cold brew; all you have to do is follow the steps below.

The Beginner’s Method

Ingredients and Tools

  • Light roast coffee beans
  • Coffee grinder
  • Water
  • Handheld blender
  • French press
  • Glasses with ice

Directions

Step 1: Grinding the Coffee

Using your light roast coffee, put it into the grinder, and select a coarse size. Ensure that you don’t go too fine; otherwise, you’ll have far too much coffee leftover in your cup.

Step 2: Combining with Water

Once you’ve achieved the ideal grind, begin to mix your coffee with your water. It’s best to opt for three to four scoops of coffee per one cup of water, as it can be diluted later.

Stir the ingredients thoroughly to make sure the coffee falls to the bottom of your cup.

Step 3: Blend

Using a handheld blender, blend the ingredients thoroughly for two to three minutes. You’ll find that the longer you’re able to blend, the better the extraction will be.

Step 4: Add to French Press

It’s now time to pour the mixture into your French press, making sure you press the plunger gently to the bottom.

If you’re not a fan of coffee with silt, it’s best to leave about 10% of the liquid at the bottom of the press.

Step 5: Serve

You should now have a wonderfully extracted cup of cold brew to enjoy. We recommend serving it over ice to give it an extra ounce of chill before drinking.

Depending on the silt left over, you might also want to consider using a paper coffee filter to eliminate excess coffee.

The Experienced Method

Compared to the beginner’s way, this method is recommended for people who have access to all of the dreamy kitchen tools.

For this process, you’ll have to invest a little more money rather than using the things you’d find in your kitchen.

Ingredients and Tools

  • 100g whole coffee beans
  • 500g filtered water
  • Coffee grinder
  • N20 cartridges
  • Whipping siphon
  • Chemex
  • Coffee Filter

Directions

Step 1: Grinding Coffee

Like the previous method, the first thing you’ll want to do is grind your coffee, just as you would for drip. You’re going to want to opt for a size of 0.75 to one millimeter.

Step 2: Adding Water

In your whipping siphon, combine the coffee and water, making sure you charge the mixture with three N20 cartridges.

Don’t shake the siphon, but gently swirl the upright portion; otherwise, the coffee could get lodged in the valve.

Step 3: Chill and Release Pressure

Allow the siphon to sit in your fridge or on ice for two hours to allow the coffee to infuse perfectly.

Once the two hours have finished, you can release the pressure of your siphon.

Step 4: Filter and Drink

When the siphon’s pressure is released, put a coffee filter inside your Chemex or another type of pour-over brewer.

Pour your immersed coffee into the filter, allowing it to drip through while straining the coffee grounds away.

When this process is finished, you can pour the cold brew over ice and dilute it to achieve the ideal flavor.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Fast: Final Thoughts

Whether you have access to high-end equipment or not, there are a couple of ways to learn how to make cold brew coffee fast.

Although it is always recommended you try to let the mixture sit for at least six hours, it might not be viable.

Be sure to reference this guide anytime you’re interested in opting for something different from hot brew coffee.

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