With the summer months moving in, doesn’t a colder type of coffee sound delicious?
Many people may not even know how easy it can be to get your caffeine boost without having to add more heat to your day!
One option you have for replacing your hot coffee is to make cold pressed coffee.
That may sound more complicated than it is, but it’s actually quite simple to make.
There’s also a massive range of delicious, cool beverages you can make using this kind of coffee!
To learn more about what cold pressed coffee is, how to make it and some helpful tips to keep in mind, read on!
What Actually Is Cold Pressed Coffee?
In short, pressed coffee is a great solution for those hot days when you want to drink coffee, but the heat of regular coffee is just too much.
It’s coffee that is brewed with room temperature water, rather than the standard hot water used most of the time.
To get even more particular, cold pressed coffee is made using a French press or similar style of coffee maker.
It can take more time due to the cooler water temperature, but it also results in delicious, cool coffee that is fantastic for those hotter months!
Many people find that the flavor created by this style of coffee is vastly different from what you might get out of your drip-style coffee maker at home.
This is largely because the cooler water does a better job of drawing out the flavor and caffeine benefits without as much of the acidic or bitter flavor in hotter brews.
Knowing this, some people might wonder what makes cold pressed coffee different from other cold coffee options?
Is It Like Iced Coffee?
When you think of cold coffee, the first thing that might come to mind is iced coffee.
However, it’s important to remember that iced coffee and cold pressed coffee are two very different things.
Iced coffee is often brewed with hot water, and later cooled using ice while cold pressed coffee is brewed with cool water.
Because of that, it may have a greater appeal than iced coffee because the flavor tends to be more mellow.
It also mixes great with milk, cream or even flavored syrups to make for a cold coffee treat!
Therefore, even if iced coffee isn’t your thing then you may find that cold pressed coffee is better suited to your taste.
How Do I Make It?
The biggest difference between cold pressed coffee and other kinds of brews is the way it is made.
This separates cold pressed coffee from regular cold brew even, as it explains that the cold pressed coffee is made in a slightly different way, though the result is much the same.
Typically, a cold brew can be made using the cold press option, regular full immersion or slow drip methods.
Here, we’re going to take a look at making a cold brew using the cold press method specifically.
What You Need To Get Started
Making cold pressed coffee is quite simple.
Essentially what you’ll need is a French press coffee maker, the coffee you intend on using, and measuring tools for both the coffee and water.
If you plan on grinding fresh coffee beans to use, then you’ll also want to have a quality coffee grinder with which to do that.
If you don’t have a French press or grinder already, we have some great options for both available to check out!
Another thing to consider is that if you want more filtration than what the French press has to offer then you may want to look into options for filters you can use for the cold pressed coffee.
This process can sometimes get messy, especially if you do some extra filtering so make sure you have hand towels or paper towels handy too!
The Process
Depending on how much cold pressed coffee you want to make, it’s a good idea to start with a ratio of about 3/4 of a cup of coffee to four cups of water.
If you’re grinding your coffee, you’ll want to take a moment to do that. A coarse grind is going to be best because it is able to bloom properly and then easily filter out away from the water when it’s finished.
You can also choose to adjust this ratio if you’re making a greater amount or if you want to strengthen or weaken the coffee flavor. Once you get used to making cold pressed coffee, you’ll be able to play around with the recipe to make it suit your needs.
Once you’ve measured out the amounts you want, you can add the coffee and water into the French press while keeping the plunger out of the way.
Then, comes the waiting process.
If you want, you can store the mixture in the fridge or on the counter but it will need to sit for at least 12 hours to allow the coffee to bloom into the water.
This might seem like a long wait, but it’s going to ensure that enough of the flavor and caffeine get into the water.
With hotter water, this would take a much shorter time but cool water takes longer to draw those features out.
After that waiting period is up, then you’ll want to carefully use the plunger to hold the grounds down while you pour out the amount of cold pressed coffee you want.
If you want more filtering, you can choose to run it through another filter to make sure that no grounds end up in your cup.
What Now?
Once you’ve made and filtered your cold press coffee, you’ll be able to keep it stored in the fridge until you’re ready to drink it.
This is one of the great aspects of cold press coffee. You can make just about as much as you want, depending on the amount of space available in your French press.
That means you may be able to just make coffee once per week rather than having to make it every day.
When you are ready to drink it, you’ll be happy to find that there are a huge variety of drinks you can make using cold pressed coffee.
From fruity to chocolatey to those even including ice cream, there are so many drinks to try out!
This can really help to keep the hotter months not only cooled down, but also make them more exciting and adventurous.
You can take your time going through as many of the different drinks as you want, or pick a favorite and enjoy it all you want!
Some Tips To Remember
It’s important to take into consideration what the best kind of coffee beans for making a cold pressed or cold brew coffee might be, that way you can get the ideal results.
It can be easy to just fall back on your usual favorite, but you may find that a new type of ground might work better when you’re making a cooler coffee.
Also, take your time to find the perfect grounds and ratio to create the results you find to be the most delicious.
Just like any recipe, the ratio suggested for cold pressed coffee is just that, a suggestion.
It may also help to know that you don’t have to use a French press for a cold brew, but that is the method for making cold pressed coffee.
Depending on which you prefer, you may choose to find another route or find the best French press for you so that you can make use of all the options that a French press coffee maker can offer.
Even if you’re brand new to the idea of a cool form of coffee, it’s a great option to try out! Especially in these summer months.
Finally, feel free to get creative and most importantly, enjoy!