Sous Vide Coffee (Cold Brew Coffee Recipe) Savoring The Good® (2024)

FAQs

How do you make cold brew taste better? ›

Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the jars completely and place a sous vide immersion cooker into the water. Set temperature to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) according to manufacturer's directions.

For cold brew, you want to aim for a coffee to water ratio around 1:6. It's easiest to measure this by weight, so grab a kitchen scale if you have one. For example, if we want a liter of cold brew (1000ml or ~32 ounces), we'd weigh out 167 grams of coffee.

Sour cold brew happens when your coffee grounds are too coarse. Coarse grinds take a while to extract—which is why they're ideal for cold brew. But, if you overshoot the grind size, you won't be able to extract all of the tasty solubles in the right amount of time, leaving you with a sour and likely acidic drink.

If your coffee is bitter-tasting, it means you dissolved more organic compounds and flavors than desired. As we now know, this is called over extraction. So, to remedy over extraction and brew a more balanced cup free of bitter notes, grind coarser for larger coffee particles.

Sous vide cold-brew coffee falls in between. CREA recommends cooking the sealed coffee mixture in a water bath set to 176°F (80°C) for 4 hours. After cooking, strain the mixture through a coffee filter to prevent the beans from continuing to steep in the water.

Sous vide is a French term for “under vacuum” which is also known as reduced oxygen packaging (ROP). Food is vacuum-sealed and cook in water at a low-temperature; typically, 130–160°F/ 55–71°C.

Starting with warm water will help the sous vide circulator bring the water to the right temperature more quickly. Try a square vessel. Square is a much more space efficient shape than a circle. So with a square container, you'll have an easier time fitting both the circulator and the food.

You didn't put enough coffee. Cold brewing requires a smaller water to coffee ratio than brewing with hot water, like 3–4 times more coffee. You didn't steep it long enough. I normally let it steep for 12-16 hours at room temperature, or 20-24 hours in the fridge.

Should I stir cold brew while steeping? ›

If possible, stir again at the 12 hour mark; this isn't necessary, but we find it works best if you do. At the 22–23 hour mark, stir once more, then strain. Filter the coffee through a metal strainer to remove larger particles, then strain again through cloth or polypropylene.

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Some of the major healthy antioxidants found in cold brew include caffeine, chlorogenic acid, cafestol and melanoidins - which are all known for their impressive anti-inflammatory properties. If you need a good dose of antioxidants for the day, simply grab yourself a nice, refreshing cold brew.

Now let me show you the actual Golden Ratios: 1:15 to 1:18 (coffee to water). In here is where most people find the coffee to be at that sweet spot, though there are a few exceptions, like with espresso, for example.

Tall (12 oz)- 2 oz of cold brew concentrate, 4 oz of cold water, 6 oz of ice. Grande (16 oz) - 2.67 oz of cold brew concentrate, 5.33 oz of cold water, 8 oz of ice.

A coarse grind size is ideal for cold brew — similar what you'd use for a French press. The coarseness will allow water to evenly saturate the grounds for a nice even extraction. If the grounds are too fine, they tend to float together in a dense mass and won't be evenly saturated with water.

Since cold brew coffee is cold sugar doesn't dissolve in it easily. To sweeten your cold brew, use an easy homemade simple syrup (in the recipe directions below), or sweeten it with a touch of honey, some maple syrup, or a few drops of liquid stevia.

If it is sour, it may mean you are not getting enough extraction. A coarser grind will make this worse. Grind finer or let it brew longer. If these changes don't help, you can try a hot cold brew.

If the water temperature is too low during brewing, it may result in under-extraction, leading to a watery taste. Ideally, the water should be between 195°F and 205°F for optimal extraction. Furthermore, the quality of the water used in brewing can also affect the taste of your coffee.

You can use your favorite coffee bean for cold brew. It's the size of the grind that matters more. (You'll need coarse ground coffee. More on that below.)