The Home-Barista’s Guide to Four Cold-Brew Styles

The Home-Barista’s Guide to Four Cold-Brew Styles

It's Cold coffee season everywhere!!

Here are four unique methods to make astoundingly delicious iced coffee at home. 

 

Mason Jar cold brew recipe

1. The Classic Mason-Jar Immersion

Big idea: Think of this as sun-tea for coffee—beans floating lazily in cool water until every last flavor stow-away has jumped ship.

Recipe (makes ~1 qt ready-to-drink):

  1. Rough-grind 85 g coffee (coarse—breadcrumb texture).

  2. Add to a 1-quart Mason jar, fill with 680 g/ml filtered water (≈1 : 8 ratio).

  3. Stir, lid up, and steep 14–18 h at room temp or 24 h in the fridge.

  4. Strain twice through a metal sieve + paper filter.

  5. Store 7 days chilled; serve over ice.

Why you’ll love it: Zero specialized gear, rich body, minimal cleanup.
Downside: Can taste muddled if grind is too fine.

Torque pick: Gigesa Guji – Faysel Yonnis, Ethiopia – lemon blossom, sweet peach-tea, orange-honey brightness keeps this no-frills brew lively instead of lifeless. (torque.coffee)


2. French-Press “Set-and-Forget”

Allegory: Your press becomes a submarine—plunge at dawn, surface at dusk with liquid treasure.

Recipe (makes two tall glasses):

  1. Put 60 g coarse coffee in an 8-cup (1 L) press.

  2. Add 840 g cold water (again ~1 : 14).

  3. Lightly stir, place plunger just above the surface (keeps grounds under water).

  4. Refrigerate 16 h, then press slowly.

  5. Decant; dilute or ice as desired.

Perks: Built-in metal filter saves paper; cleaner cup than Mason jar.
Watch-out: French-press mesh lets fine silt through—avoid shaking the pot when pouring.

Torque pick: Red Harmony – Cecilia Camacho, Colombia – creamy body + red-plum/apricot sweetness stand up to the press’s full texture while anaerobic notes add depth. (torque.coffee)


3. Toddy-Style Concentrate (Bucket & Felt Filter)

Concept: Brew strong, then dilute on demand—like coffee cordial in your fridge.

Recipe (yields ~600 ml 2× concentrate):

  1. Insert the rubber stopper and damp felt filter.

  2. Add 340 g medium-coarse coffee, then 1.7 L cold water (1 : 5).

  3. Gently stir to wet all grounds; steep 12 h (room temp) or 18 h (fridge).

  4. Pull the stopper over a carafe—gravity does the rest (45 min).

  5. Mix 1 part concentrate : 1 part water or milk, serve over ice. Keeps 2 weeks.

Strengths: Space-efficient; makes latte-ready concentrate.
Trade-off: Felt filters need thorough rinsing/drying between batches.

Torque pick: Bahire – Ngozi, Burundi (Women’s Coop) – grilled-pineapple, currant, red-wine notes punch through milk even when diluted 50 %. (torque.coffee)

 


4. Kyoto Slow-Drip Tower (Dutch-Style)

Picture this: A crystal chemistry set where icy droplets snake through a tower of grounds—like glacier melt carving coffee canyons.

Recipe (for a 600 ml tower):

  1. Grind 80 g medium (slightly finer than immersion).

  2. Pack grounds evenly in the middle section; add a paper pre-filter on top.

  3. Fill upper globe with 800 g ice + 200 g chilled water (total 1 L).

  4. Adjust drip to ~1 drop/sec (requires patience).

  5. Collect 6–8 h; swirl finished brew to homogenize, then refrigerate.

Flavor vibe: Silky-light body, pronounced fruit aromatics, low bitterness.
Gotchas: Equipment costs more; fragile glass; requires tinkering.

Torque pick: Perla Negra – Francisca Cubillo, Costa Rica – its natural-process cherry-cola & butterscotch flavors burst in the fragrance-forward, low-body Kyoto format. (torque.coffee)



Pro Tips for Any Method

  • Water rules everything: Use filtered water at 75–100 ppm TDS; colder water (≤40 °F/4 °C) slows extraction, reducing bitterness.

  • Grind right: Too fine = over-extracted sludge; too coarse = watery. Aim for coarser than drip but finer than percolator.

  • Bloom hack: A 30-second “mini-bloom” with 1–2 × coffee weight of 100 °F water before the cold pour jump-starts extraction without adding heat-shock flavors.

  • Serve smart: Cold-brew is naturally sweet—taste before adding sugar. For sparkling cold brew, cut 2 : 1 with unflavored seltzer and garnish with citrus peel.


Let's Do this!

Whether you’re team Mason-Jar Easy, French-Press Hands-Off, Toddy Concentrate Commander, or Kyoto Aesthete, there’s a Torque coffee ready to flex its flavor muscles in the cold. Grab a bag, set your timer, and let the cool magic happen—all summer (and honestly, all year) long.

Happy steeping and stay cold-brew curious! ☕️❄️

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.