If you're an iced coffee fan, you likely know pouring hot coffee over ice simply doesn't cut it. And brewing hot coffee, letting it cool and then serving it over ice, while passable, still results in less-than-ideal-tasting cold brew.
So how do you achieve that coffee house flavor at home? By cold-brewing a coffee concentrate. Cold-brewed coffee is considerably less acidic than regular brewed, and the concentrate will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
The most basic method is to combine coarsely ground coffee (about 3/4 pound) and cold water (about 5 cups) and let the coffee "steep" at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, then strain out the grounds. The resulting liquid is concentrated cold
brew. The concentrate can be mixed with cold or hot water to create the desired drink.
We recently tested two cold-brew makers on the market, the Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker ($50) and Primula Cold Brew Glass Carafe Brewing System ($35).
Both makers feature a 40-ounce glass carafe and permanent filter and are dishwasher safe.
The Oxo takes up a lot of space. In addition to the carafe and permanent filter, the Oxo model includes a brewing chamber, stand, "Rainmaker" diffuser, dual measuring cup/lid and optional paper filters. The assembled brewer stands at least as tall as an automatic coffee maker and takes up about the same amount of space. After brewing, the stand, brewing chamber and "Rainmaker" diffuser stack together for storage, while the measuring cup/lid seals the glass carafe to be stashed in the refrigerator.
The Primula model includes a screw-on lid, a detachable silicone bottom for the carafe and a stirring attachment. And it takes up very little space. After brewing, all one need do is remove, clean and store the filter. The carafe is slender enough to fit in a refrigerator door.
Following the instructions with each model, we tested them using freshly ground coffee from the same bag of beans.
The Oxo instructions called for mixing 3 1/2 cups ground coffee with 5 cups water and letting it steep for 12 to 24 hours. We liked being able to use the carafe to measure and pour the water into the brewing chamber.
The Primula instructions suggest 1 cup ground coffee to 5 cups water and steeping for 12 to 24 hours. Because the Primula's carafe is also its brewing chamber, we had to use a separate pitcher to measure and add the water. Not a big deal, but slightly inconvenient.
We let both mixtures steep for 19 hours.
The concentrate prepared with the Oxo was rich and flavorful and produced a deliciously smooth iced coffee prepared with 2 ounces coffee concentrate, 2 ounces water and 4 ounces cold milk. We also mixed it with hot water for a hot brew with good results.
The concentrate prepared with the Primula was thin and watery. The mixture is hardly a concentrate, with little to no flavor even before mixing in water or cream.
To be fair, we like very strong coffee. Our preferred coffee-to-water formula for drip coffee is 2 tablespoons ground coffee to 6 ounces water.
We liked the Primula's simple design and small footprint, but it's the coffee that counts, and the Oxo produced a far superior brew.
Food on 08/12/2015