As great as $4.05 Trenta cold brew coffees are from Starbucks, I decided that perhaps there is a better way. Since we have a DIY forum now, I decided to share my experiences.
Supplies
I am currently using this pitcher. The nice feature is that it suspends coffee and has a strainer. It is #1 in Amazon coffee makers which is also why I bought it Amazon.com | Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker, 1-Quart, Black: Drip Coffeemakers: Carafes & Pitchers
After about 5 brews, I think it is a bit too small at 1qt. If you drink a lot of coffee or have multiple cold brew drinkers in your household, a bigger setup is in order. Coffee also floats in the strainer compartment and then as it expands gets stuck in the upper portions. You do need to shake it loose once or twice a day to ensure saturation.
My wife actually had the 2qt version she was using for Soylent, that is brewing now. It did not have the coffee strainer part so I will order that on the next Amazon same day order. I am trying it with the strainer from the 1qt version. Results in 2 days.
I do like the strainer as it makes clean-up very simple. I do not like the fact that the Takeya is plastic not glass.
Coffee wise Amazon.com : Tiny Footprint Coffee Organic Cold Press Elixir - Cold Brew Coffee, Ground, 16 Ounce : Grocery & Gourmet Food has gotten me about 6 brews. At just over $2/ brew I ordered more. I ordered a few more coffee options and would love to hear what others recommend. Finding coffee coarse ground enough to work has been challenging.
Another hack I found was that I used the 32oz Hydro Flask I have been using to hold brewed coffee. That size seems about right for the 1qt pitcher's contents after brewing. It also works well to keep coffee cold in the California summer without ice so I have used it on Tahoe hiking/ mountain bike trips that start at 5am or earlier. The coffee even without ice is cool for the return trip in the afternoon evening.
Cold Brew Process
For those worried about how hard it is to make cold brew coffee, it was much easier than I thought. There are a few steps in the process:
Overall, removing the brew, cleaning, re-filling and starting the brew process again is a sub-5 minute task. Saving 50-75% on cold brew has been worth it.
Supplies
I am currently using this pitcher. The nice feature is that it suspends coffee and has a strainer. It is #1 in Amazon coffee makers which is also why I bought it Amazon.com | Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker, 1-Quart, Black: Drip Coffeemakers: Carafes & Pitchers
After about 5 brews, I think it is a bit too small at 1qt. If you drink a lot of coffee or have multiple cold brew drinkers in your household, a bigger setup is in order. Coffee also floats in the strainer compartment and then as it expands gets stuck in the upper portions. You do need to shake it loose once or twice a day to ensure saturation.
My wife actually had the 2qt version she was using for Soylent, that is brewing now. It did not have the coffee strainer part so I will order that on the next Amazon same day order. I am trying it with the strainer from the 1qt version. Results in 2 days.
I do like the strainer as it makes clean-up very simple. I do not like the fact that the Takeya is plastic not glass.
Coffee wise Amazon.com : Tiny Footprint Coffee Organic Cold Press Elixir - Cold Brew Coffee, Ground, 16 Ounce : Grocery & Gourmet Food has gotten me about 6 brews. At just over $2/ brew I ordered more. I ordered a few more coffee options and would love to hear what others recommend. Finding coffee coarse ground enough to work has been challenging.
Another hack I found was that I used the 32oz Hydro Flask I have been using to hold brewed coffee. That size seems about right for the 1qt pitcher's contents after brewing. It also works well to keep coffee cold in the California summer without ice so I have used it on Tahoe hiking/ mountain bike trips that start at 5am or earlier. The coffee even without ice is cool for the return trip in the afternoon evening.
Cold Brew Process
For those worried about how hard it is to make cold brew coffee, it was much easier than I thought. There are a few steps in the process:
- Rinse/ clean container(s) - I do this out of habit.
- Add water to jug. I am filling to just below where the black handle/ top is on the 1qt jug. After brewing the coffee absorbs water. I learned this when I marked the water level after brewing and removing coffee. When I did the next batch using that mark the water level was too low.
- Add coffee. I have been using enough to make it half way up the Takeya 1qt coffee holder's top webbing section. That has made strong enough cold brew while not wasting coffee.
- Shake a bit to get the process going.
- Put in refrigerator. I generally try to shake it once or twice a day to ensure the grounds are not floating too much. I also am set for a 24 hour brew cycle now.
- After 24 hours, pour cold brew into Hydro Flask or another container and start the process again. If you are going through 30oz in a household each day, you do not want to forget starting the process immediately. If you want coffee in the morning and wait until the evening to brew you will not have enough time.
- You will have to clean out the coffee holder/ strainer as well as the Takeya brewer. Sediment still gets to the bottom of the Takeya and even the Hydro Flask if you use that to hold the coffee over a day. Since all of the coarse bits are in the strainer already, this is a quick process.
Overall, removing the brew, cleaning, re-filling and starting the brew process again is a sub-5 minute task. Saving 50-75% on cold brew has been worth it.
