Colombia is a hot country. And drinking hot coffee at midday in Medellín, Cali or Bogotá in the middle of the dry season is, to be honest, a tough sell. Cold brew solves that, and it does so with style.
We are not talking about black coffee with ice on top, which simply dilutes it and accentuates the bitterness, or about a chilled Americano. Cold brew is an entirely different preparation: ground coffee steeped in cold water for hours, with no contact with heat. The result is a drink with less acidity, more natural sweetness, more body and a concentrated flavor that holds up perfectly to ice without losing character. If you want to learn about its history and how it arrived in Colombia, read our article on what cold brew is. Here we focus on how to make it.
Why does cold brew taste different?
Cold brew is not a passing trend: it responds to something real in coffee chemistry. When coffee is extracted with hot water, the heat quickly releases the acids and some bitter compounds in the bean. When it is extracted cold, the process is much slower and more selective: sugars and aromatic compounds are extracted before acids.
The result is a coffee that people with stomachs sensitive to hot coffee can enjoy, that is naturally sweeter without sugar and that preserves the fruity flavors of the bean remarkably well. For a natural process coffee, which already has notes of red berries and tropical fruit, cold brew is the method that expresses them best. That is why it pays to start with good Colombian specialty coffee: when brewed cold, the quality of the bean shows more than in any other preparation.
What you need to make cold brew at home
- Coarsely ground coffee: Green Hills Natural Coffee is ideal for its intense, fruity notes.
- Cold or room-temperature water, filtered if possible.
- A pitcher with a filter: the Green Hills cold brew pitcher is designed specifically for this process.
- A refrigerator and patience: at least 12 hours, ideally between 18 and 22.
Basic recipe: cold brew concentrate
Cold brew is usually made as a concentrate and diluted to taste afterwards. This recipe produces a concentrate you can mix 1:1 with water or milk, and it works as a base for iced versions of many classic coffee drinks. It makes about 500 ml of concentrate, or roughly one liter once diluted.
Proportions
- 100 g of coarsely ground coffee (a French press grind, or even coarser).
- 700 ml of cold filtered water.
Step by step
- Grind the coffee fresh, with a coarse grind like sea salt. Pre-ground coffee does not work as well.
- Put the ground coffee in the pitcher's filter and make sure it is evenly distributed.
- Pour the water slowly over the coffee, so that all of it 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 the flavor will be milder; at 24, more intense and concentrated.
- Remove the filter with the coffee without squeezing or pressing it, so you do not extract bitterness.
- Serve over ice and dilute with water or milk to taste.
The concentrate keeps in the refrigerator for 10 to 14 days, although it tastes best in the first week. One batch lasts you the 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 drink with plenty of body. For something lighter, use oat milk, which pairs very well with the fruity notes of the Natural.
Cold brew tonic: the most refreshing
Pour the concentrate over ice and top with tonic water in a 1:2 ratio. The bubbles in the tonic bring out the fruity acidity of the Natural and create a sparkling, refreshing and surprising drink. Add a slice of lemon or orange to boost the citrus effect.
Cold brew with citrus: the most tropical
Serve the concentrate over ice with a splash of passion fruit juice or freshly squeezed orange juice. The tropical notes of the Natural Coffee find their ideal partner in Colombian citrus. It is the combination that surprises first-timers the most.
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
- Grinding too fine: it makes a cloudy, bitter cold brew that is hard to strain. Always use a coarse grind.
- Less than 12 hours: the coffee ends up under-extracted, watery and flat. Patience is part of the recipe.
- More than 24 hours: it can turn bitter. The sweet spot is between 18 and 22 hours.
- Leaving it at room temperature overnight: heat speeds up extraction uncontrollably. Always use the refrigerator.
- Low-quality coffee: cold brew highlights a coffee's defects as much as its virtues. With a gourmet coffee the result is extraordinary; with commercial coffee, it is simply less bitter.
Cold brew preparation FAQs
How long does cold brew last in the refrigerator?
Cold brew concentrate keeps for 10 to 14 days in the refrigerator, in a glass container with an airtight lid. It tastes best in the first week. If you have already mixed it with water or milk, drink it within two or three days.
What coffee-to-water ratio should I use?
For a concentrate, use 1 part coarsely ground coffee to 7 parts water: for example, 100 g of coffee for 700 ml of cold water. Then dilute the concentrate 1:1 with water or milk. If you prefer to drink it undiluted, use a milder 1:15 ratio.
Everything you need to get started: our cold brew pitcher, designed for this process, and Natural Coffee, the Green Hills coffee with the fruity profile that shines brightest when brewed cold.
