Overnight Cold Brew
Set it, forget it, sip it
The short version
Put coffee grounds in a jar, add cold water, put it in the fridge overnight, and strain it in the morning. Mix it with water or milk over ice. That's cold brew — no fancy equipment, no hot water, just patience.
Cold brew is the lazy genius of coffee methods. No precision pouring, no temperature fussing — just coffee, cold water, time, and patience. The long, cold extraction pulls sweetness and body while extracting significantly fewer bitter compounds than hot brewing. The result is smooth, chocolatey, and ridiculously refreshing. Our go-to when Austin summer hits. Have a twist you love? Email us — we're building a community recipe collection.
The Numbers
Dose
80g
Water
600g
Ratio
1:7.5
Temp
Room / fridge
Grind
Coarse
Brew Time
16–18 hrs
What You Need
~$25 — airtight, built-in filter, no straining needed. Our go-to cold brew setup. A mason jar works too if you're on a budget
~$40 hand grinder — you can also ask your local roaster to grind it coarse for you
~$8 — you probably already have one in your kitchen
~$5 — for straining out fine sediment. A clean dish towel works in a pinch
~$15 — or eyeball it: roughly 1 cup of ground coffee to 3 cups of water
16 hours minimum — no shortcuts, but also no effort during that time
Temperature by Roast Type
Fridge (35–40°F)
35–40°F
2–4°C
Standard cold brew. 16–18 hour steep produces a clean, bright, sweet concentrate. Slower extraction means less oil and less bitterness. Keeps 1–2 weeks sealed.
Room Temp (68–72°F)
68–72°F
20–22°C
Faster extraction (12–14 hours). Bolder, richer, more full-bodied result with more oil. Refrigerate immediately after straining — consume within 1 week.
Japanese Iced (Flash Brew)
195–205°F
90–96°C
Not cold brew — hot coffee brewed directly over ice. Preserves bright origin flavors that cold extraction misses. Try Hoffmann's or Hedrick's method (linked in videos).
SCA Golden Cup Standard: The Specialty Coffee Association recommends water at 195–205°F (90–96°C) at the point of contact with coffee. Light-to-medium roasts are recommended for pour-over methods because their intact cellular structure benefits from thorough, controlled extraction — revealing complex origin flavors that darker roasts lose during the roasting process.
Step by Step
Combine
Add 80g of coarsely ground coffee (think sea salt or raw sugar texture) to your mason jar or pitcher. Pour in 600g of cold filtered water. Stir gently to make sure all the grounds are wet — dry pockets won't extract.
Cover & steep
16–18 hoursCover the jar (lid, plastic wrap, whatever you've got) and place it in the fridge. Let it steep for 16–18 hours. Cold water extracts 3–4x slower than hot, so you need the extra time. Set a reminder and forget about it.
Strain
Pour the brew through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a paper filter. Strain twice if you want it extra clean. Take your time — rushing this step makes it gritty.
Dilute & serve
This makes a concentrate. Dilute 1:1 with cold water, milk, or oat milk. Pour over ice and enjoy. Store the undiluted concentrate in the fridge — it keeps for 1–2 weeks sealed.
Grind Size Guide
Coarse
Like raw sugar or sea salt
Espresso
Powdered sugar
Cold Brew
Raw sugar
Go Finer
Faster extraction, more body, but risk of bitterness and silt over 16+ hours
Go Coarser
Cleaner cup, easier to filter, may need longer steep or tighter ratio
Something Off?
My cold brew tastes bitter or harsh
My cold brew tastes weak or watery
My cold brew is silty or gritty
My cold brew tastes flat or stale
Pro Tips
Grind coarse like sea salt — too fine and 16+ hours of contact time will over-extract, pulling harsh tannic compounds even from cold water.
If your cold brew tastes bitter or astringent, try grinding coarser and reducing steep time to 14 hours. If it tastes weak and watery, steep longer (up to 20 hours) or use a tighter ratio like 1:6.
Add a cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, or orange peel to the jar during steeping. It's subtle, delicious, and makes amazing gifts in mason jars.
Cold water extracts 3–4x slower than hot because heat is the primary driver of solubility. The slow extraction selectively pulls sugars and chocolate notes while leaving bitter chlorogenic acid lactones behind.
Room temp steeping (68–72°F) extracts more oils and produces a richer body than fridge steeping (35–40°F). But fridge concentrate keeps 1–2 weeks vs 1 week at room temp due to slower oxidation.
Brew Log
Cold brew is all about dialing in your ratio and steep time for your taste. Track whether you steep in the fridge or at room temp, how long, and what ratio you dilute at. After a few batches, you'll nail your perfect summer drink every time.
Heads up — A full brew tracking app is in the works. Save brews, compare batches, and watch your technique sharpen over time. Until then, jot your notes below and copy or print the summary.
Brew Variables
Tasting Notes
Brew Summary
Overnight Cold Brew — Brew Log Date: 2026-03-26 Dose: 80g | Water: 600g | Ratio: 1:7.5 Grind: Coarse | Temp: Fridge | Time: 16–18 hrs Tasting: Aroma: — Acidity: — Sweetness: — Body: — Finish: — Overall: —
Overnight Cold Brew — Brew Log
Date: ____________________
Brew Variables
Tasting Notes
Record your brew — ¿Por Qué No?
The Nerdy Stuff
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