Keep Up Your Cold Brew Habit at Home: Maximize Flavor and Save Cash

Think of the first time you tried cold brew coffee. Like many, you may have expected something similar to the watery, sometimes acidic taste of iced coffee, but experienced something completely different. It was smooth, almost sweet and rich, a perfect refreshing drink on a hot day.

Over time, it became more than a treat to accompany days in the sun. It was a several-days-a-week habit, enjoyed at your local coffee spot. If you were lucky, you didn't have to experiment with too many different locations to find a great one.

But then you realized your bank account was slowly getting smaller and smaller. Could it be your cold brew habit was causing financial distress? Everyone deserves a bit of luxury; without joy, life loses much of its appeal. It turns out you can have that joy at home, at a fraction of the cost. Don't worry; you won't scrimp on taste.

Cold Brew Versus Iced Coffee: What's the Difference?

Maybe you've tried to make iced coffee at home. You dutifully poured hot coffee over a glass filled with ice and were disappointed in its diluted taste and inconsistent temperature. As it turns out, although this may be the go-to method for iced coffee, cold brew is quite a bit different.

You don't make a batch of hot coffee and let it gradually come down to room temperature. In fact, with cold brew coffee, there is never any heat. As a result, there is little to no bitterness in the resulting beverage. By immersing grounds in cold water and letting them steep, you get the best of the coffee's flavor, to which you can add whatever sugary and creamy toppings you like (or not).

Do You Need Special Equipment?

Here's the thing with cold brew. It's messy. There are no paper filters to simply ditch into the compost. Traditional home cold brew methods require several rounds of filtering out the grounds from the mixture after it has sat steeping for 18 to 24 hours. But with a filter specifically designed to make cold brew, like the one sold by BRUW, you can eliminate the mess and focus on the rewards of your efforts -- amazing coffee.

Here's the best part. You can make it your routine. Prepared cold brew can last in your fridge up to a month because of the low acidity. A little bit of effort, a lot of taste and more cash in your pocket -- although we wouldn't blame you if you still visited your nearby barista to purchase a pastry.