French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam

Name: French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 serving
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))

August 1, 2018 By Homemade & Yummy 103 Comments (I EARN COMMISSION FROM PURCHASES MADE VIA PRODUCT LINKS IN THIS POST)

French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam is so delicious. Caffeinated and cold, perfect for hot summer days. Once you make cold brew coffee 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.

With the help of a french press and some good quality coffee beans, you can easily make a flavourful cold brew coffee concentrate. Once you master it (and it is so easy), you will be saving money making your own homemade iced 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. I should have been buying stocks in Starbucks.

I am glad we have figured out a way to enjoy these delicious 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.

This french press cold brew coffee recipe was the next on our list of delicious homemade coffee drinks. If you have never made cold brew at home, you are in for a surprise. Not only is it delicious, it is SO easy to make. Really smooth and LOTS of caffeine, this cold brew coffee is sure to please. The cold foam is a must!

After reading several articles on the best way to make cold brew coffee, I decided on the french press cold brew method. Since we already had a french press that was not being used, this seemed like the most logical choice to me. You can of course just use a mason jar if you like. Follow the same steps. Read below on how to strain the grinds.

How To Make French Press Cold Brew

Honestly, in just a few simple steps, you are on your way to the best cold brew concentrate made right at home. French Press Cold Brew coffee is so easy, I think it is almost impossible to mess up.

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 fridge for up to 2 weeks (ours never lasts that long)

We have an 8 cup french press. For this cold brew recipe, 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 also make a difference in the strength of the cold brew concentrate, and the amount of beans you will want to use.

Cold Brew Coffee Essentials

There are a few key points on how to cold brew coffee (no matter which method you choose):

Quality of the coffee
The grind of the coffee
Water to coffee ratio
Brew time

It is really important to use good quality coffee beans to produce the best cold brew concentrate possible. 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 when they make their cold brew drink. 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.

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.

Now, for the ratio of coffee to water, this 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 water. Depending on the coffee beans you choose, how long you steep, and how strong you like your finished cold brew 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 the YOUR cold brew the way YOU like it.

Don’t rush the brew time. Let stand at room temperature 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. If you have used a french press to make the cold brew, then you SLOWLY plunge. If you have used a mason jar, you can use cheesecloth or a very fine mesh sieve to filter the grinds.

Store the cold brew coffee concentrate in a glass bottle. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (like that is going to happen).

How to Make A Cold Brew Coffee Drink

It’s as simple as 1-2-3. I cannot believe it took me so long to make cold brew at home.

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!

How To Make Cold Foam To Top Your Cold Brew

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 this at Starbucks, I was on a mission to make it a home. It happened! All you need is non-fat milk and a handheld frother (check below for a link). 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.

My first attempt using 1% milk produced a very weak froth that disappeared almost before I finished adding it to the drink. This would not do, I had to experiment more.

My second attempt using a different brand of milk, this time skim, produced a nice, thick foam that peaked nicely on top of the cold brew. I was even able to sprinkle raw sugar on top! Perfection achieved!

Now you know how to master making French Press Cold Brew Topped With Cold Foam. Easy right? You might not want to let your friends know. They will be visiting you instead of Starbucks. Instead of a lemonade stand, put up a cold brew stand. You will be the hit of the neighbourhood. Have fun making and drinking this cold brew coffee recipe.

What is your favourite iced coffee drink?

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