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Gallon Cold Brew Coffee
The bag for this recipe
Wash it and use it again, batch after batch, instead of single-use plastic.
XXL Silicone Bags, Clear, set of 2
Two clear reusable silicone bags, about 102 oz each, so you can see what is inside.
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One XXL silicone bag makes close to a gallon of cold brew to drink. Steep 2 cups of coarse grounds in 8 cups of cold water, flat in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours, then strain out about 7 cups of concentrate and dilute it 1 to 1 with water or milk as you pour. The bag holds the concentrate with room to spare and squishes to saturate the grounds; a full gallon of water plus grounds would not fit, so the concentrate is the trick. The Clear bag lets you watch it darken and judge the strength before you strain.
What you need
- 2 cups coarse-ground coffee (about 1/2 pound)
- 8 cups (2 quarts) cold filtered water
- Fine mesh strainer or nut-milk bag, for straining
- 1 XXL Silicone Food Storage Bag (Clear)
Directions
- Add 2 cups of coarse-ground coffee to the Clear bag. Pour in 8 cups of cold filtered water, a 1 to 4 ratio of coffee to water.
- Squish the bag from the outside to wet all the grounds and make sure none are clumped dry at the bottom.
- Press out the extra air, seal the zipper, and lay the bag flat in the fridge.
- Steep 12 to 18 hours. Longer gives stronger and darker concentrate.
- Hold the bag over a large pitcher and open one corner. Squeeze gently to strain through a fine strainer or nut-milk bag.
- Filter a second time through a coffee filter if you want a cleaner cup. Refrigerate the concentrate and dilute it 1 to 1 with water or milk over ice.
Tips and notes
- Coarse-ground coffee strains faster and produces less sediment than finely ground; use the French press or cold brew setting on your grinder.
- The 1 to 4 ratio makes a concentrate. Dilute 1 to 1 for drinking, or use it stronger over ice.
- Keep the finished concentrate refrigerated and use within two weeks for best flavor.
- Do not overfill. Grounds and water together should leave a few inches below the zipper so the seal closes cleanly.
Get the XXL Silicone Bag
The Clear XXL bag steeps a week of cold brew concentrate flat in the fridge, with room below the seal. The see-through silicone lets you watch the concentrate darken so you can pull it at exactly the strength you want.
See the Clear Bag
Common questions
- What is the coffee to water ratio for cold brew
- 1 cup of coarse grounds to 4 cups of water makes a concentrate. This recipe uses 2 cups of grounds and 8 cups of water, which yields about 7 cups of concentrate once the grounds have soaked up their share.
- How long should cold brew steep
- 12 to 18 hours in the fridge. Twelve hours gives a medium brew; eighteen gives a stronger, darker concentrate. Going much past eighteen starts to pull bitter notes.
- How do I strain it without a filter
- A fine mesh strainer into a pitcher works for a quick first pass. A second pass through a nut-milk bag or coffee filter removes the fines for a cleaner cup.
- How does one bag make a gallon of cold brew
- The bag holds the concentrate, not the finished drink. About 7 cups of concentrate diluted 1 to 1 with water or milk gives close to a gallon of cold brew to drink. Do not fill the bag with a full gallon of water plus grounds; it will not close.
More big-batch bag ideas
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