Slow aka Cold Brew is smooth, super caffeinated, and perfect for the long, hot days of Summer.
Slow Brew is a "set it and forget it" brew method that only requires a few items you likely have around the kitchen - a Mason jar and lid (or any larger glass, saran wrap, and rubber bands), a filtration method, and room temperature, filtered water. Explore a Little Waves' Cold Brew pack here.
Recommended Brewing Parameters
Brewing Volume: 8 - 35 fl oz
Coffee Brewing Ratio (Grounds:Poured Water): 1:8 (double strength concentrate) - 1:4 (quadruple strength concentrate)
Grind: Coarse (like sea salt)
Brewing Time: 8 - 20 hours
Brewing Temperature: Fresh, filtered water at room temperature
Recommended Dilution Parameters
Dilute to a 1:16 ratio, so depending on if you're using 1:4, 1:8, or somewhere in between, you'll need a little math to help you along!
If you brew a 1:8 concentrate, dilution will be a simple 1:1.
If you brew a 1:4 concentrate, dilution will be 1:2.
You can dilute with just ice, cold water/ice, hot water, milk, or even juice!
Step-by-Step
1. Think about how much coffee you'd like to brew (8 - 35 fl oz) based on the volume of your brewing container.
2. Divide your Poured Water number by 4 for a very strong concentrate (to which you could add milk like a latte) and 8 for an average concentrate (or anywhere in-between the two Coffee Brewing Ratios - we recommend a 1:5 for LW coffees) to figure out how much ground coffee you should use. Grind this amount of fresh, whole bean coffee coarsely (roughly the size of sea salt).
3. Follow attached Toddy instructions if you have one!
4. If you are using a Mason jar, weigh out your ground coffee dose into the jar and re-tare to zero.
5. Note the time, then pour your pre-determined amount of fresh, filtered water.
6. Stir five times, then screw on the lid to keep your brew airtight.
8. 12-20 hours later, unscrew the lid and stir five more times. Slowly begin pouring the brewed coffee (try to keep most of the grounds in the jar) from the jar through a paper / metal / cloth filter (a v60 and paper filter work well) into another jar you can make airtight. The more oxygen exposure cold brew has, the quicker it will taste "off".
9. Smell and taste the brew. Little Waves coffees should exhibit a nice sweetness (like honey, caramel, ripe fruit), a moderately intense aroma, and medium-full body with a balanced mouthfeel. If you're making a concentrate, your brew should be very full in body. This concentrate will taste really good for 48 hours, then will start tasting oxidized - time to make more!
10. If the coffee tastes overly bitter, consider coarsening your grind one notch. If it tastes overly sour, consider fining your grind one notch. If it feels weak, consider using a slightly stronger Coffee Brewing Ratio. If the coffee feels overly strong, consider using a slightly weaker CBR.
11. Most importantly, enjoy your cold brewed coffee!
