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Of course, we had to make a trip down to get our morning coffee to have along with our massive Perkins muffins. I ordered an iced coffee, but they were out. They told me I could wait 10-15 minutes for them to finish brewing the iced coffee, or they had some cold brew ready to go. I decided to give it a try.
Life: changed.
You know how some people say they love the smell of coffee but not the taste? This coffee tasted exactly like the smell. There was not one single hint of off-putting acidity or bitterness. It was full-bodied, rich, and smooth - exactly how you expect coffee to taste.
And so, I had to find out how to make it myself at home.
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Cold brew coffee is exactly that - coffee that is brewed cold rather than hot. The process takes several hours (anywhere from 12-36 depending on how strong you want it to be), but it is so worth it. The resulting product is a coffee concentrate that you can dilute with water or milk, and you can even heat it up if you like your coffee hot for a smoother, less acidic alternative to your traditional cup.
All you need to make it yourself is ground coffee, water, a pitcher, a long handled spoon, and some filters (I like to line a mesh sieve with a coffee filter set over a bowl and then pour it through). For maximum flavor, make sure you buy whole bean coffee and grind it just before brewing. I have a Hamilton Beach coffee grinder that I got at a garage sale years ago and it's awesome. The small size takes up barely any counter space or storage space, and it's super easy to wipe out when you're done, plus you can use it to grind spices, too. Even though I initially paid $2 for it, I would gladly shell out the $15 it typically sells for if/when it dies.
For every cup of water, add a half cup of coffee. I usually brew 1.5 cups of coffee with 3 cups of water at a time to have a week's worth of coffee concentrate. Make sure to use your spoon to stir it well and push all of the grounds into the water. Stir after a couple hours to push down any that have floated to the top. Leave the pitcher on the counter and let it steep for 24 hours (you can also steep in the fridge, but you'll need 36 hours for that method. The cold air hinders the steeping process).
Once you're ready to strain, get your filtering mechanism ready. Because of the large amount of grounds, you'll want to double filter it. You can use a coffee filter or a cheesecloth set in a mesh sieve or a colander. Set your filters over a bowl and pour the coffee mixture through. Most of the grounds will settle to the bottom of the pitcher, which you can just throw away along with the coffee filter or cheesecloth. Rinse any grounds out of the pitcher and pour the filtered coffee concentrate back into it.
NOTE: Because of the large amount of coffee, this process will take patience. It can take over an hour to properly filter the entire pitcher and you will have to change out the coffee filters throughout the filtration process as they will get backed up with coffee sludge and will stop letting coffee through. UPDATE 12/17: Click the picture below (or right here!) to check out my new favorite filtering method.
To make it at home, you'll just need your cold brew coffee, ice, milk, heavy cream, and vanilla syrup.
For the vanilla syrup, mix equal parts of sugar and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract to taste. Let cool completely. Fill a glass with ice and add equal parts coffee and milk. Add a splash of cream and vanilla syrup to your liking. Stir well.
Want to know my shortcut?
Instead of heavy cream and vanilla syrup, I use vanilla flavored Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss creamer. It's the only creamer I've ever used that doesn't taste like chemicals and doesn't leave your coffee looking filmy and oily. It's also the only creamer I've bought since I discovered it earlier this year. Their Cinnamon Cream flavor is super good, too. Since Natural Bliss creamer only contains milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla flavoring, it's the perfect substitute for the Starbucks vanilla sweet cream.
UPDATE 2016: They now have almond milk and coconut milk versions! The almond milk one is absolutely incredible. It makes your coffee super creamy and decadent. If you like coconut, you'll like the coconut milk one, but the consistency is a bit watery in my opinion.
UPDATE 2016: They now have almond milk and coconut milk versions! The almond milk one is absolutely incredible. It makes your coffee super creamy and decadent. If you like coconut, you'll like the coconut milk one, but the consistency is a bit watery in my opinion.
Starbucks Copycat | Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew Coffee
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups ground coffee
3 1/2 cups cold water
milk
heavy cream
Vanilla syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Add coffee and water to pitcher and stir well. Cover and let steep at room temperature for 12-24 hours or in the refrigerator for 24-36 hours, stirring occasionally.
Strain coffee mixture through filtering mechanism set over bowl. Rinse out pitcher and pour coffee concentrate back in. Cover and refrigerate.
To make the vanilla syrup, combine the sugar and water over medium heat until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Let cool completely.
Pour 1/2 cup coffee over ice. Add 1/2 cup milk and a splash of heavy cream, then sweeten to your liking with vanilla syrup.
Shortcut: skip the heavy cream and vanilla syrup and add a splash of Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss in vanilla.
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