French Press Cold Brew With Cold Foam is so delicious. 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 homemade cold brew. You can use it to make a Chocolate Coffee Martini too.
French press cold brew is smooth and bold. The velvety cold foam topping elevates your coffee experience creating the perfect balance of frothy goodness and rich coffee flavour.
With the help of a large 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 cold-pressed coffee. It tastes better than the bottled Starbucks coffee you can buy in the store.
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 am glad we have figured out a way to enjoy delicious coffee drinks at home.
Boozy Bourbon Iced Coffee, 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.
French Press Cold Brew Process
If you have never made cold brew using a French press, you are in for a surprise. It is so easy.
Honestly, in just a few simple steps, you are on your way to the best cold brew concentrate made right at home. No need for an expensive cold brew coffee maker.
- 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).
Cold-Brewed 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)
Cold Foam Perfection
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). All milk is not created equal. It took a bit of trial and error to find out which milk worked best.
Non-fat milk produces the strongest foam. It contains more protein than fat. Higher-fat milk (1%, 2%, and whole) work best for latte art.
If you love oat milk, this is a great alternative to dairy. Be sure to purchase the barista oat milk for best results.
You can also flavour the milk before aerating. The new vanilla sweet cream cold brew is the new craze at Starbucks right now.
Suggestions/Recipe Tips
Fresh beans are best. If you cannot grind them at home, make sure they are coarsely ground. You can use both caffeinated and decaf beans for this cold brew recipe.
Don’t rush the brew time. Let stand at room temperature for 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.
What is the coffee-to-water ratio? 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 of 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 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 are the best coffee beans 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.
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 concentrate? The grind of the coffee is VERY important, you don’t want the coffee to be bitter. Large, coarse grinds (similar to raw sugar) are 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.
Check out this *affiliate link for coffee grinders to easily grind the beans at home.
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Give these recipes with coffee a try:
French Press Cold Brew With Cold Foam
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)
Instructions
- Place the coffee concentrate into a glass.
- Add ice.
- Add additional water (if desired).
- Sweeten (if desired) and mix.
- Top with cold foam.
Amanda
I keep seeing cold brew with cold foam all over Instagram, and I’ve never had the cold foam! I love that you can make it at home with a frother and a French press! Thanks for breaking it down and testing out which milk works best. I’m headed to the farm this morning to get some fresh milk, so I’ll definitely be sipping one of these this afternoon!
Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY….it really is easy…the hardest part is waiting for it to brew.
Kris
Cold brea coffee is an absolute favorite of mine. I’ve never seen the cold foam approach. So fantastic and thank you for the clear, concise guide. Just moved to Texas in July…I will be making this immediately. Thank you!!!
Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY this is so easy to make…the hardest part is patience while it brews.
swathi
I like cup of cold coffee during hot sunny days. Your recipe is so simple I have coffee press in my home. I am going to give it try.
Homemade & Yummy
You will see just how easy this is. ENJOY. Perfect for the hot summer weather.
Megan Marlowe
I use to be a barista and French press coffee is the best way to make coffee so I can only imagine the same is true for this
Cold brew. I’ve never tried the cold foam but it looks delicious. Thankfully, I already have everything in hand to whip up some of these babies this week!!
Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY…honestly so easy, and saves you so much money over the coffee shops.
Miranda
Finally, a reason for me to get out my french press! I love my coffee, but hot coffee just doesn’t hit the spot when it’s hot out from the time I get up to the time I go to bed. Cold brew is definitely the way to go. I need to get my hands on a frother, because that cold milk foam looks amazing on top.
Homemade & Yummy
It’s like the icing on the cake. ENJOY!
Noel Lizotte
Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!!
We drink gallons of it … I mean, on a daily basis we drink at least a gallon. I use the French press when I want a treat, but we even take it camping with us. Aren’t we high class? LOL
Homemade & Yummy
A coffee press is a wonderful thing. ENJOY!
Homemade & Yummy
Once you give this super easy recipe a try…you will be hooked!!
Celeste
Someone ask me the other day if I drink cold coffee, my reply was why yes, I love coffee of any kind. However, I have never had it with cold foam. I’ll have to give it a try.
Homemade & Yummy
The cold foam is likin icing on a cake…so good.
Jyothi (Jo)
Cold brew has been my favorite any day. What makes this best is that cold foam on top. Oh and it this looks so good!
Homemade & Yummy
I know…and it is so easy to make too. BONUS!!
Karyl Henry
I’ve had french press coffee in a restaurant before, but have never tried to make any kind of press at home. This looks like a very cool idea, I’ll have to give it a try
Homemade & Yummy
Once you give this a try…you won’t need to go to the coffee shop. Homemade is easy and delicious.
Veena Azmanov
I’m going to make this for my husband one of these days. He loves coffee and this would be a real treat to him in this weather which is around 40C –We are making everything as cold as can be… Drinks and Ice Cream on the house. This sounds so yum.
Homemade & Yummy
PERFECT for hot summer days. ENJOY!! It has been so hot here too.
Stephanie Simmons
I love coffee recipes like this! Making different coffee drinks at home makes me feel so fancy haha!
Homemade & Yummy
I know…and it is so easy to do. Your friends will be visiting you instead of the coffee shop.
Claudia Lamascolo
I love a cold brew. I often freeze leftover coffee for a quick popsicle my grandmother always did that also . This is the perfect refreshing drink for any coffee lover like me!
Homemade & Yummy
Freezing coffee for a popsicle sounds like a fun idea. This is also a great way to enjoy iced coffee…perfect for hot summer days. Hope you give it a try.
Karyn
Thank you Gloria.. You read my mind. Cold brew coffee perfect for a hot summer’s day.. I’m a coffee addict but it was getting difficult to have my regular two cups every morning. This gorgeous recipe solves that problem perfectly
Homemade & Yummy
You are very welcome. ENJOY…. and stay cool!
Marisa Franca
I wanted to ask if you had a favorite coffee bean that you like to use? And do you think it would work with decaffeinated? We watch our caffeine intake — if I had it in the late afternoon I’d never sleep. I don’t particularly like that big name brand. I’m really anxious to try this out — once I unpack my press.
Homemade & Yummy
YES use whatever type of coffee you like. Any bean will work here for sure. ENJOY!