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French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam

*Updated* / By: 145 Comments

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French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam is so delicious. Caffeinated, cold, perfect for hot summer days.

Once you make this at home, you will wonder why you have been spending so much at the coffee shops. The best part is you don’t need any fancy equipment to make this iced coffee recipe.

French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam ready to drink.

With the help of a large French Press and some good quality coffee beans, you can easily make a flavourful coffee concentrate. Once you master it (and it is so easy), you will be saving money making your own DIY cold brew coffee.

Are you a coffee fanatic? WE ARE! No, I really mean it. I think I have tried just about ALL the gourmet coffee drinks out there.

Once I tried Starbucks cold brew, I had to figure out how to make this at home.

RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this cold coffee concentrate are at the bottom of this post.

I am glad we have figured out a way to enjoy these delicious coffee drinks at home. We have lots of great coffee recipes. Boozy Bourbon Iced Coffee, (I think I just might try it with this cold brew concentrate) is a summer favourite. Of course, no fall season is complete without the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte.

And if you have never tried making a Chocolate Milk Latte, you don’t know what you are missing.

Coffee beans and grinds ready to make cold brew.

If you have never made coffee concentrate at home, you are in for a surprise. It is so easy.

Ingredients You Will Need

  • good quality coffee beans
  • water
  • french press

After reading several articles on the best way to make cold brew coffee, I decided on the *(affiliate) French press method.

As for the coffee beans, the freshest beans are best. If you cannot grind them at home, make sure they are coarsely ground.

How To Make Cold Brew In Your French Press

Honestly, in just a few simple steps, you are on your way to the best cold brew concentrate made right at home.

Collage of steps required to make French Press Cold Brew
  • Place your coarsely ground coffee beans in the French press
  • Add cold water (leaving room for the lid)
  • Gently stir to moisten the coffee grounds
  • Put on the lid (DO NOT PLUNGE)
  • Let sit on the counter for 24 hours (if you can’t wait that long, at least wait 12)
  • Slowly press the plunger down
  • Pour cold brew concentrate into a glass bottle
  • Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (ours never lasts that long)

Recipe Tips

Don’t rush the brew time. Let stand at room temperature a minimum of 12 hours. It takes time for the proper extraction to happen. Delicious things take time (and patience), but it is so worth it.

Once the brewing process is complete, it is time to strain the grinds. SLOWLY plunge. If you do it too quickly, the concentrate will become cloudy.

Glass bottled cold brew coffee concentrate can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (like that is going to happen).

What is the coffee to water ratio?

This is is where it certainly comes down to personal preference. Weigh your beans BEFORE you grind them.

A good place to start is 1 cup beans to 4 cups of water. Depending on the coffee beans you choose, how long you steep, and how strong you like your finished coffee drink, there is lots of room to experiment here.

Don’t worry, there is no WRONG way. Let your taste buds guide you to making it just the way you like.

We have an 8 cup french press. We used 6 cups of water, along with the grinds of 120 grams of coffee beans (measured before grinding). This produces about 1 liter of cold brew concentrate. It really is surprising the amount of water the grinds absorb!

You will quickly find the water to coffee ratio that works best for you. The type of coffee you choose will make a difference in the strength of the concentrate. So will the amount of coffee you use.

What is the best coffee for cold brew?

It is really important to use good quality coffee beans to produce the best cold brew concentrate possible. Be sure to use freshly ground WHOLE BEANS.

Images of the french press cold brew coffee concentrate.

We used a nice dark espresso. You can experiment and find which coffee variety works best for you. Some people prefer a milder flavour so they don’t have to water it down as much.

The darker the coffee, the stronger the coffee concentrate. You don’t have to use the MOST expensive beans (because you need a lot), but don’t use the cheapest either.

If you prefer, you can always use flavoured coffee beans as well.

What is the best grind for cold brew?

The grind of the coffee is VERY important, you don’t want the coffee to be bitter. Large, coarse grinds (similar to raw sugar) is what you are looking for.

Depending on your grinder, you may need to grind in batches until you get the amount you need. If your grinds are too fine, you will end up with cloudy coffee concentrate.

You can buy a *(affiliate) coffee grinder to easily grind the beans at home.

Cold foam to top the cold brew (round one)

How To Make Iced Coffee At Home

It’s as simple as 1-2-3.

  • Pour some cold brew concentrate into a glass
  • Add ice (and additional cold water if you want a milder tasting brew).
  • Sweeten with your choice of sweetener (honey, agave, raw sugar or flavourings)
  • Add milk or cream if desired (cold foam is amazing)
  • ENJOY!
Cold foam to top the cold brew (round two)

Cold Foam

This is the BEST part, like the icing on a cake. You know that wonderful steamy froth you get on hot lattes? This is a cold version.

Once I had at Starbucks cold foam, I was on a mission to make it a home. All you need is non-fat milk and a *(affiliate) handheld frother.

Starbucks uses a blender (I carefully watched to see how they did it). Not ALL milk is created equal. It took a bit of trial and error to find out which milk worked best.

Nonfat milk produces the strongest foam. It contains more protein than fat. Higher fat milk (1%, 2%, and whole) work best for latte art. You can also flavour the milk before aerating.

Close up of cold foam on top of the glass of french press cold brew

This is the best iced coffee recipe. Don’t tell your friends unless you want to become the neighbourhood barista.

Give these recipes with coffee a try:

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French Press Cold Brew Pin Image
French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam ready to drink.

French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam

French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam is the perfect caffeinated, cold summer drink. Once you master the EASY to make cold brew concentrate, you will wonder what took you so long to make iced coffee at home.
4.99 from 58 votes
Print Rate
Course: Coffee Drink
Cuisine: Canadian
Keyword: making cold brew
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 serving
Calories: 20kcal
Author: Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces cold brew concentrate (or your desired quantity)
  • ice
  • 2 ounces water
  • 2 ounces skim milk (made into cold foam)
  • sweetener (if desired)
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Place the coffee concentrate into a glass.
  • Add ice.
  • Add additional water (if desired).
  • Sweeten (if desired) and mix.
  • Top with cold foam.
  • ENJOY!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 20kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 171mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Calcium: 69mg

Notes

You can experiment on how strong you like your coffee. Add more water if you want a milder coffee. As the ice melts it will also dilute the coffee concentrate.
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Nutritional information on this site is generated via a plugin. I am not responsible for the accuracy of the plugin information.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jo

    I looooove foam in my cold brew, and my husband says i’m crazy! But I know how delicious foam is on any cold brew drink. Love this drink, especially the foam :D.

    Reply

  2. Natalie

    I usually don’t drink coffee but I absolutely love cold brewed. It’s so much less bitter. I must give your cold foam a try next time I’m making myself a coffee.

    Reply

  3. Alena

    I’m such a coffee lover so I can’t wait to make this cold brew recipe! Thanks for breaking it down to make it easier to make!

    Reply

  4. Sara

    I’ve been using my French press lately for regular coffee … but this cold brew coffee is a game changer! And that frothy milk?! It’s something that I absolutely look forward to every morning now! Thank you for sharing, Gloria!

    Reply

  5. Mikayla

    This was just what we needed in the sudden heat wave hitting us here in California. Such a nice change from the standard brewed cup we’ve been having and we were able to sweeten it up with a fun syrup so it felt like a decadent cafe drink. Thanks for all the tips!

    Reply

  6. Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer

    I can’t believe how easy this is! No more getting Starbuck for my hubby. He can now make this at home! This looks incredible Gloria! He’s going to be thrilled he can make this himself!

    Reply

  7. Sharon

    I love a coffee or tea drink in the afternoon. This french press cold brew is so good and makes me feel like I’m having a coffeehouse drink at home.

    Reply

  8. Paige

    It has never occurred to me to make a cold brew at home…but I will now! It looks super refreshing and perfect for warmer weather!

    Reply

  9. Chef Dennis

    I can imagine the delicious taste of this French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam. I can’t wait to finally make this at home and enjoy every sip with my wife while having a small talk about life and all.

    Reply

  10. Donna

    I can’t believe how easy this is, what a great way to get your Starbucks fix from home (without spending all that money on it!)! We are in the middle of Autumn here, but luckily the weather is still pleasant enough for cold brew 🙂

    Reply

  11. Marisa F. Stewart

    You inspired me to get out the step stool to check out the top of the cabinet for my French Press. I had to dust it off. Anyway, I made some of the cold brew coffee yesterday and I’m waiting to take my first sip. It looks amazing and this will be my afternoon treat. I’ll pretend it’s summer and all of this crazy time was just a dream.

    Reply

  13. Jen

    Thanks for the detailed tutorial. I think I was being impatient before and I never knew that about the ground size on the beans!

    Reply

  14. Sandra Shaffer

    I have everything to make this cold brew, even the milk frother. We’re also coffee fanatics and I’ve made my own coffee concentrate but not using a French press. This is going to be my go-to recipe for now on. Thank you!

    Reply

  15. Patty at Spoonabilities

    I never thought of making cold brew coffee myself! This is going to be my new favorite as well! Thanks for the great idea and instructions! 🙂

    Reply

  18. Abigail Raines

    I was actually thinking of making one when I saw a concentrate at the grocery store and reminded me it would be time for cold coffee soon! This recipe is perfect for these upcoming hot days!

    Reply

  19. Suzy

    The best kind of cold brew! Love adding the foam on the top! So much better than what I get from the local coffee shop!

    Reply

  21. LR

    I couldn’t find what brand of milk you used for the cold foam. I’ve been struggling to make cold foam after numerous tries! Would love to know 🙁

    Reply

  23. Michelle

    I’m not familiar with cold brew coffee but with your detailed instructions even a novice like myself can learn, thank you.

    Reply

  25. Jessica (Swanky Recipes)

    I’m obsessed with cold brew coffee and finally learned how to brew my own last summer in mason jars. The hubs and I are heading on a road trip in a few weeks and we need to have plenty of coffee for the long car drive and this sounds easy enough to make once we get there!

    Reply

  26. Julie

    I feel so left out of a major part of our culture because I can’t drink coffee (it’s one of my migraine triggers). This whole post goes right over my head, but I’m going to pass it on to some cold brew loving friends!

    Reply

  27. Kitty

    This is my favorite way to make cold brew. But must admit I rarely grind beans anymore, I just use the regular drip grind and it works well enough. I add so much cream you’d never know if it was cloudy hahaha!

    Reply

  29. lauren

    “Can be stored for up to 2 weeks…like that’s going to happen.” HAHA! I’m with you on that, especially in my house. Coffee is vital to operating on a somewhat human level. Cold brew is always my go to when in I indulge in a coffee shop coffee. I’ll definitely try making this at home.

    Reply

  30. Anne Murphy

    I’ve made my coffee that way in summer for several years, now, and I love it! So convenient, and such good flavor. The cold foam milk is new to me, though – the icing on the cake, so to speak! How cool!

    Reply

  31. Ashley

    We are BIG coffee drinkers in my house. We make cold brew a lot but never in concentrated form. This is a great idea, and I love the cold foam. Looks like a great way to start the day!

    Reply

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