Colombia is a hot country. And hot coffee in the middle of the day in Medellín, Cali, or Bogotá during the dry season is, to be honest, a tough sell. Cold brew solves that—but it solves it with style.
We're not talking about black coffee with ice on top, which merely dilutes and accentuates bitterness. Cold brew is an entirely different preparation: ground coffee steeped in cold water for hours, without any contact with heat. The result is a drink with less acidity, more natural sweetness, more body, and a flavor concentration that perfectly holds up to ice without losing character.
Why is cold brew conquering the world?
Cold brew isn't a fleeting trend—it responds to something real in coffee chemistry. When coffee is extracted with hot water, the heat quickly releases acids and some bitter compounds from the bean. When extracted cold, this process is much slower and more selective: sugars and aromatic compounds are extracted before acids.
The result is a coffee that can be enjoyed by someone with a sensitive stomach to hot coffee, that is naturally sweeter without sugar, and that preserves the fruity flavors of the bean in an extraordinary way. For a naturally processed coffee—which already has notes of red berries and tropical fruits—cold brew is the method that best expresses them.
What you need to make cold brew at home
- Coarsely ground coffee — Green Hills Natural Coffee is ideal for its fruity and intense notes
- Cold or room temperature water — filtered if possible
- A pitcher with a filter — Green Hills' Cold Brew Pitcher is specifically designed for this process
- Refrigerator and patience — minimum 12 hours, ideally 18–24 hours
Basic recipe: Concentrated Cold Brew
Cold brew is typically prepared as a concentrate to be diluted to taste. This recipe produces a concentrate that you can mix 1:1 with water or milk.
Proportions
- 100 g of coarsely ground coffee (equivalent to a French Press grind or coarser)
- 700 ml of filtered cold water
Step-by-step
- Grind the coffee right before brewing — coarse grind, like sea salt. Pre-ground coffee doesn't work the same way.
- Place the ground coffee in the pitcher's filter — ensure the coffee is well distributed.
- Pour the water slowly over the coffee, making sure all the coffee is wet from the start.
- Stir gently with a spoon to ensure even contact.
- Cover and refrigerate — for 12 to 24 hours. At 12 hours you will have a milder flavor; at 24 hours, more intense and concentrated.
- Remove the filter with the coffee — do not squeeze or press, to avoid extracting bitterness.
- Serve over ice and dilute with water or milk to taste.
The concentrate keeps in the refrigerator for up to 10–14 days without losing quality. One batch lasts you a whole week.
Variations for the Colombian climate
Cold Brew with milk — the smoothest
Mix the concentrate 1:1 with cold whole milk. The result is a creamy, naturally sweet, and full-bodied drink. If you want something lighter, use oat milk — it perfectly complements the fruity notes of the Natural.
Cold Brew Tonic — the most refreshing
Serve the concentrate over ice and top with tonic water in a 1:2 ratio. The fizz of the tonic enhances the fruity acidity of the Natural and creates an effervescent, refreshing, and surprising drink. Add a slice of lemon or orange to boost the citrus effect.
Cold Brew with citrus — the most tropical
Prepare the concentrate and serve over ice with a splash of passion fruit juice or freshly squeezed orange juice. The tropical notes of Natural Coffee find their natural match in Colombian citrus. It's the combination that most surprises those who try it for the first time.
Cold Brew with coconut milk — the most daring
Mix the concentrate with cold coconut milk in a 1:1 ratio. The result has an intense tropical character that perfectly complements the fruity profile of the Natural process. Perfect for the hottest afternoons.
Common mistakes when making cold brew at home
- Too fine a grind — produces a cloudy, bitter, and difficult-to-filter cold brew. Always use a coarse grind.
- Less than 12 hours — the coffee is underextracted, watery, and lacks character. Patience is part of the recipe.
- More than 24 hours — it can become bitter. The optimal point is between 18 and 22 hours.
- Room temperature overnight — heat accelerates extraction uncontrollably. Always in the refrigerator.
- Low-quality coffee — cold brew highlights the defects of coffee as much as its virtues. With specialty coffee, the result is extraordinary; with commercial coffee, the result is simply less bitter.
Everything you need to get started: our Cold Brew Pitcher designed for this process, and Natural Coffee — Green Hills coffee with the fruity profile that shines brightest cold.
