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I believe making cold brew is one of the best ways to consume coffee without drinking it hot. Over the years, I’ve improved and perfected my favorite Chemex cold brew coffee formula, and this is the one I offer to you.
Can you make cold brew in a pour-over
You surely can; gather the ingredients listed below and follow the instructions to be sipping on a delightful iced coffee brew in no time.
What Do You Need Before Starting
A Chemex Pour Over Coffee Maker
Coffee
Ice
Recipe Instructions
Two – 12oz cups
Water-340 grams
Ice-212 grams
Coffee-48 grams
Double the recipe if you want 4 cups or triple it for 6 cups.
The ratio of water, coffee, and ice is 1:4:7 48g coffee: 212g ice: 340g water]
Grind Size | Like Peppercorn
How Do You Make Chemex Cold Brew
Even though it is a straightforward recipe, you may need to experiment with the ratios and brewing times to achieve the ideal balance of flavor and strength to match your flavor profile.
STEP 1 – Prep Ingredients And Let It Steep
You’ll want to begin with 5.5 ounces of your favorite whole bean coffee.
We utilize whole bean coffee because it enhances the flavor of your iced coffee and because it requires coarse grounds that you won’t find in a pre-ground coffee, which makes it more convenient to use.
You want your coffee grounds to be a somewhat coarser consistency than what you would normally use for the French Press. In addition, it should have the appearance of peppercorns.
If possible grind your beans right before you brew your coffee.
Place the coffee grounds in a vessel (glass) with a tight-fitting lid that can hold at least 32 ounces or slightly less than 1 liter of liquid.
You may have to use two 16oz glasses since it is hard to find a 32oz glass that is big enough.
Slowly add 3 cups of cold filtered water if possible (not hot water) to the mixture. Secure the top and shake very well. Everything must be well-balanced to be effective.
Refrigerate overnight or for a maximum of 20 hours. It has been my experience that storing cold brew in the fridge for more than 20 hours can actually detract from the flavor, so try not to exceed the specified storage duration.
Take note that the longer you leave the mixture to infuse, the stronger the flavor of your cold brew coffee will become.
I prefer a pretty mild iced coffee. It is only when I feel that the kind of coffee beans I am using requires that I allow the coffee Chemex mixture to sit for 20 hours to extract properly.
Refrigeration is recommended for up to 24 hours after mixing the ingredients together. This, in my opinion, does not contribute to the flavor. Keeping the brewing duration under 20 hours consistently yields better results in my testing.
STEP 2 – Strain The Slurry
In your Chemex, place a bonded Chemex filter in it. Stir the Cold-brew mixture to ensure that the coffee grounds are evenly dispersed in the liquid.
Afterward, slowly pour the mixture through the filter into the container. Any ground coffee that remains in the jar after all of the liquid has been poured out can be discarded.
Allow the liquid to drain into the Chemex container. If you notice that it isn’t coming out quick enough, grab a butter knife or any long object and help it along.
STEP 3 – Reduce The Cold Brew Mixture
At this point, I do not advocate drinking the cold brew you currently have. The concentrate contains a significant amount of caffeine and will taste disgusting. (trust me, I’ve tried it) It is necessary to dilute it.
How much should you dilute it? Only you can answer that.
I drink a lot of coffee and have a bit of a tolerance towards caffeine, so I will perform a 60/40 ratio of the concentrate and cold water to make it a little stronger.
After you’ve tasted it, you can tweak the proportions until you’ve found the perfect cold brew recipe.
But wait, if you want, you can make iced coffee.
Fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the liquids in an 80/20 ratio of cold brew concentrate to water. This ratio may seem slightly off-balance, but you need to remember that the ice will melt and dilute it even more.
Alternatively, mix the cold brew coffee concentrate with a little water or coconut milk. In the end, you will get a delicious and creamy drink.
Just make sure to use less milk than you would normally use when making a cup of water. Milk dilutes the taste by a factor of ten times more than water.
I propose starting with milk to water ratio of 70/30 to get a feel for things.
Can You Store The Cold Brew Coffee
The cold-brew extract can be chilled for up to a month or longer if properly stored. During the first week of making it, there will be little to no difference in flavor between batches.
However, after that, the flavor begins to deteriorate. After two weeks, it should not be used. It will have gone sour by then.
Make careful to only store undiluted cold brew concentrate for that amount of time. It is recommended to consume diluted cold coffee brew within a day or two of making it. After 2 to 3 days, it becomes almost unpalatable to drink.
Why Make Iced Coffee in a Chemex
It is possible to create iced coffee using nearly any brewing method, but the Chemex is practical.
The broad lower piece of the carafe makes it simple to fill with ice, and the tempered glass is durable enough to withstand temperature fluctuations. In addition, you will be able to see the entire process.
If you don’t have a Chemex, don’t worry. Instead, consider purchasing one or using a different pour-over dripper or drip coffee machine in its place.
What’s so special about Chemex
Since its creation in 1941 by Peter Schlumbohm, the Chemex coffeemaker has been a staple of the coffee-drinking world.
It was created in the shape of an Erlenmeyer flask and is composed of non-porous glass to prevent bacteria from growing within (Over time, plastic counterparts develop cracks and fissures, including mineral deposits that alter the overall flavor of the product.)
The Chemex filter, which is 30 percent thicker than ordinary filters, also contributes to the clean flavor of the beverage. The thick filter removes any undesired fats or oils, resulting in a clean, clear, and flavorful cup of coffee, with no bitterness or sediment present.
This is why your result will be a cup of coffee that is abnormally invigorating and silky.
If you want to use a strainer, you can line it with cheesecloth, as you will see in many famous recipes. Alternatively, a ‘normal’ pour-over cone with a ‘normal’ paper filter can be used.
The Chemex filter achieves the same results as cold brew coffee concentrate. They remove all contaminants and turn this already smooth cold coffee into something even better.
Are There Other Ways To Make Chemex Iced Coffee
Use Coffee Ice/What Is That
My favorite trick is to use what is known as coffee ice cubes instead of ice cubes made from water.
Make coffee using any brewing method and allow several hours for the coffee to freeze in an ice cube tray after pouring it in.
The only change to the recipe will be to put the ice cubes in before you brew since they can’t weaken your cold brew like normal ice cubes. Because the melting ice will not dilute the coffee, you will have a stronger cup of Chemex iced coffee due to this method.
Refrigerate Ground Coffee Slurry
Brewing a pot of Chemex coffee as usual, but without any ice in the base, is another straightforward way. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before putting the entire thing in the refrigerator to cool completely. (This is extremely significant.) I once put a hot Chemex in the refrigerator, and it cracked, causing a significant mess.)
Whenever you’re ready to consume it, you may either pour it over ice or sip it straight from the cup. What could be more straightforward than that?
What If You Don’t Have A Fridge Or If It’s Full
It’s not a problem.
Alternatively, you might leave it at room temperature. However, you will need to reduce the brewing time dramatically.
You need to decrease the brewing time to around 10 hours to keep it from becoming over-extracted.
At room temperature, the flavor ingredient in the ground coffee is extracted more quickly, and the extraction of flavors is also more rapid than at higher temperatures.
If you leave your cold brew coffee at room temperature for more than 12 hours, you run the danger of producing a bitter or even muddy-tasting beverage.
Conclusion
There you have it: the quickest and most straightforward method for making iced coffee with a Chemex. However, you may not have understood just how flexible this exquisite maker can be until you tried it with hot coffee for the first time.
Chemex coffee may now be enjoyed all year long, regardless of how hot the weather is outside! We hope that this instruction has demonstrated how simple it is to create Chemex iced coffee at home. Please feel free to explore and discover your favorite flavors!
