Let's say you want to start making your own cold brew coffee. What should you know? What is the best coffee to use for cold brew? What do you need? Is it easy or difficult to make your own cold brew coffee? I am excited to share my research and tips with you! I hope you will be inspired to join me on this at home cold brew journey.

Your homemade cold brew will also taste delicious in your Mora travel mug if you are on the go. Perhaps you are enjoying a smaller tea mug! Michael and I had one of my cold brew experiments just this morning in our large tea mugs. Coffee and ceramic are just made for each other.

Yes. Making your own cold brew at home is both simple and satisfying. Not to mention you can save a ton of money! With summer on the way, hot drinks will mostly be for those chilly days, and cold coffee drinks are ready to take over. This is such a simple process and there are so many benefits to brewing your own cold brew at home. Let's talk about statistics, the process, and the benefits.

For those of you who know me, I am terrible with numbers of all sorts. This included budgeting. It has been a goal of mine to be more aware of how much things cost and ways I can be more frugal. As I said, it is a goal.

When I researched how much money the average person spends per day on coffee, I must say I was not surprised by the numbers. Speaking from my own experience, I used to visit a local coffee shop at least once a day and sometimes twice a day. At about $5 a pop, I was spending on average $25 to $40 per week on coffee. That is $100 to $160 per month. $1200 to $1920 a year! It can really add up.

I know this is my own personal statistic, but have you found yourself in a similar situation? Sometimes, we just don't care. We NEED our coffee. That little tasty treat, or giant cup for some, that gets you through a long day at work. What about our coffee dates with friends? That stroll through your favorite department store sipping on some coffee goodness. (pre-covid memories).

The point is, it can become an expense in our daily life. What if you want to budget or simplify? What options do you have? While supporting our local coffee shops is a great thing, finding balance and taking care of our needs is also very important.

One source says 62% of Americans drink coffee every day. For most of us our coffee habit is probably fine, and can even have some health benefits. However, it can still contribute to things such as heartburn or the high caffeine content can also affect anxiety. When I worked at a coffee shop, I once pumped 16 pumps of syrup by request into one coffee drink. Probably not the healthiest beverage I've laid my eyes on.

The amazing thing about making your own cold brew at home is that the acidity is naturally lower because of the way the coffee is extracted. It also tends to be more on the sweet side, so you shouldn't need to add any or hardly any sugar. I love my glass of homemade cold brew over ice with a little cream.

Please note. Cold brew does generally have a higher caffeine content that regular brewed coffee. I also found this out the hard way as I was testing out all of my home brews today. When I sat down to type I suddenly had a desire to run around the block and I hate running. So, while the acidity is lower the caffeine content is higher. If you need less caffeine, you can dilute the cold brew to your needs and taste. Your shots of espresso will usually have more caffeine than your cold brew.

This is both a simple and satisfying process. There isn't much energy that goes into preparation. You can really hit pause and relax. The majority of the time is waiting. You don't really need to do any research as to what bean to use. The best coffee to use for your cold brew is a coffee bean that you like. There are however some basic fundamental musts.

I talked with Michael, who has been making his own cold brew at home for a few years now. He had many tips and tricks to make the perfect brew.

• Fresh beans (coarse grind)
• Fresh water
• Coffee filters
• String
• Jar, glass, or pitcher

Does it really matter what coffee bean you use? No. It doesn't really matter which brand or roast you use for your cold brew. So, the best coffee for your cold brew is a roast that pleases your taste buds. The most important factor is that you use fresh beans. Grind them as coarse as you can right before you will use them. I tried out 5 different coffee beans for my cold brew and will list them all for you in case you would like to try any of them for yourself.

The second most important factor is the water you use. Water can change the flavor of your coffee for the better or for the worst. Both coffee and water have chemical elements that need to work together in balance. I find that my filtered tap water at room temperature works great for me. If it is clean fresh water that you would drink on it's own, it is probably what you will want to use. You can also use bottled water if you don't generally drink your tap water.

One blog article that I found very helpful, explains why different bottled waters will also change the flavor of your coffee. If you love the science behind making great tasting coffee you may also want to check out this article on businessinsider.com. A long story short - Yes. The water you use will have a huge impact on the flavor of your coffee.

Here are all of the steps in a nutshell, but you can check out the recipe card below for more details.

• Grind your fresh coffee beans on your most coarse grind setting.
• Put the coarse grinds in a coffee filter of your choice.

• Twist the filter closed at the top and tie it off with a string that will not affect the flavor of your coffee.

• Fill your 16oz mason jar to the top line with your filtered, fresh, room temperature water.

• Place your bundled coffee grounds inside your jar.

• Put the lid on or cover with plastic wrap.

• Wait for it... the next day you can enjoy your fresh homemade cold brew.

• After 12 to 24 hours your cold brew will be ready. It depends on the temperature and how fast the coffee is extracted.

• Pull out the coffee filter with the grounds.

• Top off with fresh filtered water.
• Refrigerate or serve over ice.

• TIP: It will be concentrated so you may want to dilute it 50/50 (half water & half cold brew), or 25/75 (1/4 water to 3/4 cold brew) if you like your coffee a little stronger.

First of all, this is a perfect opportunity for you to try many different flavors of coffee beans for cold brew. You may be surprised at what you find! Second, you may save yourself a little cash if you have a coffee drinking habit like mine, or I should say like Michael's. Finally, cold brew is more gentle on your stomach since it is lower in acidity.

Michael has signed up for a few different coffee subscriptions and recently signed up for Trade Coffee. You take a quiz, they can learn what kind of coffee you like, and they will send you new beans to try every couple of weeks. It is so cool because it gives you a chance to taste coffee from all over the country. I used two different beans from Trade Coffee in my Cold Brew experiment I like to call it.

It also dawned on me that I can make these adorable little mason jar cold brew coffees and give them to my friends as gifts. How cute! It makes about two servings in a 16oz mason jar.

Here are the five coffee beans that I used for my at home cold brew experiment. I will list them in order of my favorite flavor. Remember, the best coffee for your cold brew is a fresh bean you love!

1. Quills Whole Coffee Beans

This one was my favorite! Have you ever had the Chameleon brand cold brew coffee? The extracted flavors reminded me very much of this cold brew coffee. Very smooth, the perfect amount of sweetness, and very low acidity. I may be borrowing some more of these beans from Michael, since this bag came from his Trade Coffee subscription.

2. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Wow, I must admit that I was a little skeptical when Michael said this bean you can usually find at Costco makes a pretty tasty cold brew coffee. He was absolutely right! It is also Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf brand. This brew was very smooth and full of flavor.

3. Terra Americas Coffee "Welcome to the Dark Side"

4. Ohana Konatation

This bean straight from Hawaii was also delicious. It had a smooth and yet bold flavor.

5. Red Bay Coffee

In conclusion, the best coffee beans for cold brew are fresh and a roast that you like. Make sure you use fresh water. Hit pause and have fun making your own cold brew coffee at home.🥰

If you enjoy making your own coffee, check out Alix's blog and recipe on how to make a healthy and easy iced mocha using real chocolate!

If you would like to know more about why the water you use in your coffee is so important check out these articles:

https://www.businessinsider.com/coffee-boil-hard-or-distilled-water-better-2017-12

https://www.baristainstitute.com/node/275

https://www.beanground.com/best-water-for-coffee/

 Statistics and health information:

https://www.ncausa.org/Newsroom/NCA-releases-Atlas-of-American-Coffee

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/coffee-and-health/faq-20058339

https://www.homegrounds.co/does-cold-brew-have-more-caffeine/#:~:text=Cold%20brew%20usually%20has%20more,it%20is%20not%20as%20diluted

Written by Beth