Recreate Stumptown Style Cold Brew Coffee At Home

Quick Answer

• Use a coarse grind, like sea salt.
• Aim for a 1:5 coffee-to-water ratio by weight.
• Steep for 18-24 hours at room temperature.
• Filter twice: first coarse, then fine.
• Dilute your concentrate with water or milk before serving.
• Use filtered water for the cleanest taste.

Who This Is For

• Coffee lovers who crave that smooth, rich cold brew.
• Home baristas looking to replicate cafe-quality drinks.
• Anyone tired of weak or bitter homemade cold brew.

What to Check First

Brewer Type and Filter Type

You don’t need fancy gear. A big mason jar or a French press works great for steeping. For filtering, cheesecloth, a fine-mesh sieve, or even a clean t-shirt can do the job in a pinch. Just make sure your setup can handle a coarse grind and allow for a thorough filtering process.

Water Quality and Temperature

Tap water can mess with your flavor. Use filtered water, like from a Brita pitcher. This removes chlorine and other stuff that can make your coffee taste off. Room temperature is the sweet spot for steeping. No need to get it hot or ice cold.

Grind Size and Coffee Freshness

This is crucial. You want a coarse grind, think sea salt or breadcrumbs. Too fine, and you’ll get sludge and bitterness. Too coarse, and it’ll be weak. Freshly roasted beans are best. Stale coffee tastes flat, no matter how you brew it.

Coffee-to-Water Ratio

This is where the magic happens. For a concentrate, aim for 1 part coffee to 4 or 5 parts water by weight. So, for 100 grams of coffee, use 400-500 grams of water. This makes a strong base you can dilute later.

Cleanliness/Descale Status

Gunk builds up. Seriously. Make sure your brewing vessel, filters, and any associated equipment are spotless. If you use a machine, check the manual for descaling instructions. Old coffee oils are the enemy of good flavor.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Cold Brew Coffee Stumptown Style

1. Measure Your Coffee: Weigh out your whole beans. For a good starting batch, try 100 grams. This makes a solid concentrate.

• Good looks like: Accurate weighing.
• Common mistake: Guessing amounts. Avoid this by using a kitchen scale.

2. Grind Your Beans: Grind the beans to a coarse consistency. It should look like coarse sea salt.

• Good looks like: Even, coarse particles.
• Common mistake: Grinding too fine. This leads to a muddy, bitter brew. Use a burr grinder if you can.

3. Combine Coffee and Water: Place the ground coffee in your steeping vessel (jar, French press, etc.). Pour in your filtered water. A 1:5 ratio by weight is a good starting point for concentrate.

• Good looks like: All grounds are saturated.
• Common mistake: Not fully saturating the grounds. Stir gently to ensure everything is wet.

4. Steep: Cover the vessel and let it sit at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours. Longer steeping means a stronger brew.

• Good looks like: The mixture is steeping undisturbed.
• Common mistake: Steeping for too short a time. This results in weak, underdeveloped flavor. Patience is key here.

5. First Filter: After steeping, carefully strain the coffee through a coarse filter. A fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth works well.

• Good looks like: Most of the grounds are removed, leaving a liquid.
• Common mistake: Rushing this step. Let gravity do the work; don’t force it.

6. Second Filter: For an even cleaner brew, filter it again. This time, use a finer filter. A paper coffee filter in a pour-over cone or a dedicated cold brew filter bag is ideal.

• Good looks like: A clear, sediment-free liquid.
• Common mistake: Using a filter that’s too slow. This can cause overflow or an uneven extraction.

For an even cleaner brew, consider using a dedicated cold brew filter bag for your second filtering pass. These bags are designed to catch even the finest sediment, ensuring a smooth finish.

150 Pcs Cold Brew Bags 4x6 inch, No Mess Disposable Cold Brew Coffee Filter Pouches with Drawstring Large Empty Tea Bag for Loose Leaf Tea, Iced Coffee, Herbs, Spice, Home brewing, Hot pot

• Cold brew bags bulk: You will receive 150 pieces disposable cold brew coffee filter bags with drawstring. Enough quantity can meet your daily needs and share them with your family or friend
• Filter bags size: Each cold brew coffee pouches measures 4x6 inches/ 10x15 cm, can hold a cup of coffee grind and suitable for 32 oz jars. After brewing, put it in the refrigerator and enjoy the delicious cold brew coffee after 12-24 hours
• Material: These disposable coffee filter bags are made of degradable non-woven fabric, safe and odorless. The drawstring is designed to be easy to use, and the top drawstring prevents internal particles from escaping
• Fine mesh design: These cold brew pouches have sturdy double thread stitching and fine mesh design that allows the water to fully soak the coffee powders, whether coarse, medium and fine. No flavor is affected and no particles remain
• Multi-purpose: These large tea bags can be used for hot and cold brew coffee, and are also suitable for loose leaf tea, herbs, soup stocks, spices, hot pots, seasonings, foot baths, etc

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7. Store Concentrate: Pour the filtered cold brew concentrate into an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator. It should last for about two weeks.

• Good looks like: A sealed container in the fridge.
• Common mistake: Leaving it out or in a leaky container. This degrades flavor and freshness.

8. Dilute and Serve: When ready to drink, dilute the concentrate. A 1:1 ratio of concentrate to water or milk is a good starting point. Adjust to your taste.

• Good looks like: A perfectly balanced drink.
• Common mistake: Drinking the concentrate straight. It’s too strong and will taste bitter.

Common Mistakes (and What Happens If You Ignore Them)

Decision Rules

• If your cold brew tastes bitter, then you likely ground the coffee too fine or steeped too long.
• If your cold brew tastes weak, then you might need to increase the coffee-to-water ratio or steep for longer.
• If your cold brew has sediment, then your filtering process needs improvement.
• If your cold brew has a chemical taste, then your water quality is suspect.
• If you notice oily residue on your equipment, then it needs a good cleaning.
• If you’re brewing for the first time, then start with a 1:5 ratio and adjust from there.
• If you prefer a less intense coffee flavor, then dilute your concentrate more.
• If you want to experiment with flavor, then try different coffee bean origins.
• If your brew is cloudy, then consider a finer second filter.
• If you’re short on time, then cold brew isn’t the quickest method, but it’s worth the wait.

FAQ

How long does Stumptown style cold brew last?

Your cold brew concentrate should last about two weeks when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Always check for any off smells before drinking.

Can I use any coffee beans for cold brew?

While you can use any beans, medium to dark roasts often shine in cold brew. They tend to have richer, chocolatey, or nutty notes that hold up well to the long steeping process.

What’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?

Iced coffee is typically hot brewed coffee that’s been chilled or poured over ice. Cold brew is brewed with cold water over many hours, resulting in a smoother, less acidic, and often more concentrated flavor.

Why is my cold brew gritty?

This usually means your grind was too fine, or you didn’t filter it thoroughly enough. Double-filtering with a fine mesh sieve and a paper filter can help.

How much caffeine is in cold brew?

Cold brew concentrate generally has more caffeine than regular drip coffee due to the higher coffee-to-water ratio used during brewing. However, the final caffeine content depends heavily on how much you dilute it.

Can I use a French press for cold brew?

Absolutely. A French press is a great tool for cold brew. Just follow the same coarse grind and steeping steps, and use the press to separate the grounds after steeping.

Is cold brew supposed to be concentrated?

Yes, typically cold brew is made as a concentrate. This allows for better flavor extraction and gives you the flexibility to dilute it to your preferred strength.

What if I don’t have a scale?

You can approximate ratios using volume, but it’s less precise. A common starting point is about 1 cup of coarse grounds to 4 cups of water. Weighing is always best for consistency.

What This Page Does Not Cover (and Where to Go Next)

• Specific bean recommendations for cold brew.
• Advanced filtering techniques or specialized cold brew makers.
• Recipes for cold brew-based coffee drinks beyond simple dilution.
• The science behind cold brew extraction and acidity.