Man I need a Cold Brew.

Not Beer, Coffee! I have been reading all about cold brew coffee lately and hearing about it from the ladies at the Balanced Bites podcast. Now we can't get their recommended cold brew in these parts (Florida your weather is great, but you are no hipster) so I decided to research and make it myself. What I found was a surprisingly easy way to make your cold coffee. No more waiting to brew coffee and then let it cool for me! It is perfect for those mornings you are rushing out the door and for coffee all year round in the South. I use the best flavored coffee I can get my hands on; usually it's the seasonal coffee at The Fresh Market. You can use regular but I looove flavored (in spite of its dark side).

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Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate

Step 1: Get out your coffee grinder and grind 12 oz. of coffee. If your grinder has a choice, courser beans are better than finer in this instance. Pour in Mason jar. I use a large half gallon Mason jar to house the grounds during the brewing process but you can use anything large enough for 7-8 cups.  Add filtered water until half way full. Thoroughly stir your ground coffee with the water until all grounds are saturated. Then fill to just below the brim this will be about 7-8 cups of water altogether. Put a lid on it and set aside for 15-24 hrs. 

Step 2: When the wait is over, use a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth and pour into clean container to remove grounds. Rinse out your original container and filter it again. (Use the spent grounds for the garden!) Now here is the fun part. You can use your *coffee maker to do this. Place a clean filter in the coffee maker; pour your pre-strained coffee directly into the basket of the coffee maker. Let it drip into the coffee pot and walk away- do the dishes or something. In a few minutes you will need to add more to the basket and you might have to do this a couple of times depending on the size of your coffee maker. After the last drop has dripped, you will end up with a great cold brew coffee concentrate.

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How is this a "fast morning coffee"? 

Once you have your concentrate, your mornings will be easy breezy and caffeinated. All you will need to do is fill your glass with ice (does not matter if it is a to-go mug or a stay-at-home glass) and pour in 4 ounces (1/2 c) of the coffee concentrate. This is the ideal amount but for those **heavy coffee drinkers out there just fill your glass half way. The other half can be water, milk, almond milk, whatever ever your little heart desires. Except soy milk. It's terrible for you. I know some people just need a big jolt to get them going in the morning, so for you- drink it ***straight. 

Have you ever had a cold brew before? What is your favorite? You have one more day to help vote in the best coffee beans for home brewing. 

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* If you do not have a coffee maker, alternatively you can use a mason jar with the ring (not the lid) and a coffee filter. It does take a rather long time. 

**Also you should really fix your dependency on caffeine. Mark from Mark's Daily Apple asks "Is it really just a pick-me-up, or is it a band-aid for a larger problem..."

***Stop this! It is a drug after all.