How to Make Cold Brew Coffee

Want to know how to make delicious cold brew coffee at home? Who doesn’t, right? Cold brew is smooth and delicious, easy to make, and stores for up to a week. If you’re looking for a good jolt of caffeine but a less acidic cup of joe, look no further. This homemade cold brew is sure to power you through your work day, or up a mountain, all year round. All you need is a couple of mason jars, no fancy machines! You can store your cold brew in the fridge for up to a week. Make a big batch and have coffee ready to go each morning!

A coffee roaster stirs coffee grounds and cold water into a mason jar to make cold brew.

What you’ll need to make cold brew coffee in a Mason jar:

  • A couple of Mason jars (32 or 64 oz)
  • Coffee filter
  • Strainer
  • Prime Roast coffee, ground coarse (#9 grind on an industrial grinder)
  • Cold filtered water

*For a 32 oz (quart) mason jar, use 4 oz (.25 lbs) of coarsely ground Prime Roast coffee.

*For a 64 oz (half gallon) mason jar, use 8 oz (.5 lb) of coarsely ground Prime Roast coffee.

Time needed: 18 hours and 5 minutes.

How to Make Cold Brew Coffee in a Mason Jar

  1. Scoop coffee into your jar.

    Put 4 oz (.25 lbs) of coarsely ground coffee into a 32 oz. Mason jar.
    Coffee grounds sit in a mason jar before cold water is added to them to make cold brew coffee.

  2. Fill jar with cold water.

    Fill mason jar halfway with cold water and stir. Fill the rest of the way with cold water.
    A coffee roaster pours cold water over coffee grounds in a mason jar to make cold brew.

  3. Let steep.

    Secure lid on jar and place in the refrigerator. Steep for 12-24 hours, depending on desired strength and preference (we’ve found that 18 hours works great.)
    Coffee grounds steep in cold water in a mason jar to make cold brew coffee.

  4. Strain the coffee.

    After the desired steep time has been reached, place a coffee filter into a strainer and strain the cold brew into a second Mason jar. The coffee grounds will soak up some of the water, leaving less liquid than what you started with. This will yield a concentrate. If you love your cold brew strong, drink it straight! Or, add cold water until desired strength is reached. We recommend adding small increments of water to find your desired taste. You can always add more, but you can’t make it stronger once it’s too weak. 
    A coffee roaster strains the cold brew coffee into another mason jar.

What type of coffee works best for making cold brew at home in a Mason jar?

Cold brew coffee is best made with coarse grounds. We recommend our Mexican Roast to make cold brew—blend our medium and dark roast and experience all the chocolatey goodness! Just select “Very Coarse (French Press, Perc, Cold brew)” as the grind type at checkout. You can also browse all of our coffees.