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.
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.
Homemade & Yummy
Yeah….if I can get a week I am doing awesome. ENJOY!!!
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!
Homemade & Yummy
It really is a nice added touch…and this coffee is ADDICTIVE!!
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!
Homemade & Yummy
I am enjoying one right now, after a walk in the HEAT!!
Liz
This looks SO yummy – I love this drink. It’s perfect for summer!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes, and it is so easy to make at home. Save me so much money!!
ashley manila
Yes, please! This sounds so refreshing!
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give this easy recipe a try.
Carolyn
This is the perfect morning treat!
Homemade & Yummy
We love it in the afternoon….on the patio.
Linda
Thanks for the detailed cold brew tutorial – no need to go to the coffee shops for a quality cup of iced joe!
Homemade & Yummy
So easy to make…and saves MONEY too!!
Sophia Inza
Oh, I love foam so you can be sure I”ll be trying this!!
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you do….this is such a great recipe.
Linda
Well I’m not a coffee person but you just changed me into one. I’ve been reading about cold brew but seeing this post has changed my thoughts about cold brew. A perfect summer treat indeed!
Homemade & Yummy
It sure has been a welcome favourite around here this summer.
Shobee
We never buy our coffee because it gets so expensive.Although I am not a big coffee drinker, I do drink on Saturdays and my husband brew it. It is way better than any other coffee stand in my town. I will have him try this and and I tell yah, I am excited to try this.
Homemade & Yummy
I don’t think you will be disappointed…it is so delicious. Yes it is expensive to go out for coffee all the time.
Natalie
I desire anything iced lately so this looks absolutely irresistible to me now. + I’m a huge coffee fan. I’m going to make this right now. BTW That foam looks so good Gloria.
Homemade & Yummy
The foam is like the icing on the cake…and makes a nice presentation for sure.
Debra
Everything about this is so smart! I love the idea of a concentrated mix so it doesn’t taste watery when you add ice. Thanks for the extensive research on every single part of this recipe. I’m totally going to try that cold foam.
Homemade & Yummy
HHAHAHA enjoy!! We just made another batch ourselves.
Dana
I absolutely love a good cold brew—especially in the heat of an NC summer! I’ve never made my own at home though. I usually buy the pre-made stuff. I really, really need to try this! This looks and sounds fab!
Homemade & Yummy
Once you do this yourself, and see just how easy it is…premade will be history.
Donna
I absolutely LOVE cold brew coffee, it is so much smoother and less bitter than coffee prepared in the traditional way. I have a cold brew ‘system’ (I didn’t pay for it, thank goodness), but am loving the idea of using a french press, one less one purpose gadget needed in the kitchen!
Homemade & Yummy
Yup the french press works wonders here.
Carmy
I panicked a little when you said to leave for 24 hours LOL! But then when I saw 8 cups, it’s worth it! I love a good cold brew but never tried to make it myself. I’ll give this a go tonight so I can have it this week!
Homemade & Yummy
HAHAHA…yes that is to make the concentrate. It lasts for a bit…but patience is the hard part for sure.