Recently, I decided again to give up coffee. Last time wasn’t the most successful as the lack of sunlight here made me really want coffee. All the time. Cup after cup. My husband also wanted coffee containers for a project so he bought several at one point. Then I got yummy German coffee for Yule. So I had piles to go through.
It’s something I want to work on though. I can’t tolerate the taste of black coffee and adding cream and honey to just a drink alone a few times a day isn’t helping me. So I’m moving on to tea. My friend is helping me by letting me have samples of her loose leaf teas. If you read my Tea-sistion blog you will know more about this change.
For now though I have a giant canister of coffee I need to get through. So I have been making cold brewed coffee and not drinking it daily. Basically, it’s just making coffee with no heat. It’s super easy and just takes some time. It’s also better tasting than a hot cuppa to me. Less acidic and smoother. Another great thing is I don’t need to add honey. The creamer is enough with it this way oddly enough.
What you will need:
*Coffee
*Water (I filter ours)
*A jar or Tupperware with a lid
*A pitcher or large jars to brew the coffee
*Cheesecloth
*Scissors
Alternately, you can use a French press or a fine strainer instead of the cheesecloth and scissors.
What you do is take your coffee of choice and find a container to add it with the water. I tend to use mason jars but I used this today since I am running low on jars. You use a ratio of 1 cup dry grounds to 8 cups water (MATH!). It’s best if the beans are only lightly ground and still a little chunky. Only because of straining later. This can was pre-ground and I don’t really have any issues since I use cheesecloth to strain.
You probably should to measure how much content your container can hold before beginning. I don’t always and have regretted it.
I always add the coffee first.
Then the water.
A benefit of using jars is being able to shake the mixture instead of stirring it.
Then leave for AT LEAST 18 hours. I usually shoot for 24. You can leave this in the fridge or on a counter to brew. I tend to use the fridge but this container wouldn’t fit. Counter it is!
Once it’s done I shake it or stir it once more before straining. Here you can use a fine strainer or cheesecloth. A coffee press works too. I tried using my husbands tea strainer and the grounds globbed it up. So be careful of that. I use a hair tie to strap the cheesecloth on if my jar doesn’t have a kid that comes apart. The outside of a lid for a mason jar works the best.
I push the cheesecloth down a little to hold more grounds.
I pour into another container with the cheesecloth. If I strap the cheesecloth onto the container with the grounds it fills up then shoots out coffee in random areas. It’s a mess.
Once it’s strained store in the fridge. It supposedly will last up to a month if kept air tight but I drink it within a week. Who am I kidding? A day. Maybe two.
Enjoy iced or straight from the fridge!
The Heathen Homesteader 