Best AeroPress Cold Brew Recipe - Proper Smooth Iced Coffee! — *Who doesn’t like a nice glass of refreshing cold brew AeroPress coffee on a hot day?*

Cold Brew Coffee is one of my personal favorite ways to make coffee and wouldn’t you know it? The AeroPress can make a damn fine cup of cold brew! Smooth, complex, and refreshing iced coffee and it’s so easy to make too! All you need is a bit of patience to brew my AeroPress Cold Brew coffee recipe!

Servings: 1
Calories: 10 kcal
Brewing Time: 12 hours

Skip Straight to the recipe :)

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What Exactly is Cold Brew Coffee?

aeropress cold brew coffee recipe — *The AeroPress really is a versatile little coffee brewer*

I like to describe Cold Brew coffee akin to something like a Buddhist Monk. The smoothest and most complex cup of coffee that can only be made if you exhibit high enough patience and the skill to balance the ratios of coffee grounds, water, and time. Like a Buddhist Monk training to reach enlightenment.

Ok that may be a little too pretentious, but basically Cold Brew Coffee is a brewing method using cold or room temperature water to brew coffee grounds for a long duration of time (generally, 8 - 24 hours) in order to bring out the most complex flavors of the coffee beans.

The resulting cup of coffee is a nice smooth, non-bitter, non-acidic, and yet complex cup of coffee that is enjoyed chilled. It’s fabulous, and also it’s the only drink I order at Starbucks :)

And it’s really to make, all you need is water, coffee, and time. No skill required, only patience. I’ll be showing you how to make Cold Brew Coffee with an AeroPress but you can also make it with a French Press. Special brewers also exists for making cold brew specifically but I found that it’s not necessary at all to purchase those, unless you are really serious about cold brew coffee.

Yes! An AeroPress can Make Cold Brew

aeropress cold brew coffee — *I personally use the AeroPress Go but the other variants work as well*

And no, I don’t mean the included AeroPress Cold Brew recipe that’s on the manual, please ignore those instructions, in fact throw it out because the included recipe produces a really weak and unpleasant cup of coffee…

I’m talking about REAL cold brew coffee, the one that takes hours to steep and brew. Ok, stop believing what the other AI generated recipe blogs tell you, unlike them I actually made “cold brew” with the included recipe and it tasted horrible.

In actuality there is no way to “speed-run” through making a Cold Brew because the long brewing time is what allows the coffee grounds to fully release their flavors. So I am here to share with you my recipe on how to make actually good and real Cold Brew Coffee with an AeroPress.

Water Temp for AeroPress Cold Brew

aeropress cold brew coffee water — *Cold bottled water like this also works well for cold brew*

For Cold Brew you’ll generally want to use room temperature water, so about 24°C or 70° Fahrenheit. However I want to point out that for brewing coffee, the temperature of the water is directly related to the extraction of your coffee grounds.

So hot water equals faster extractions of the oils and acids meaning more stronger bitter tastes. Colder water means slower extractions allowing for a smoother flavor. So for purposes of Cold Brew coffee we’ll want room temp or cold water. I room temp water but to be honest, the preference is totally up to you, you’ll just need to adjust your brew time.

What Type of Water to use for AeroPress Cold Brew

This section is completely optional and only for those who exhibit the highest form of coffee snobbery (it’s ok I understand). But the type of water you use also affects the flavor of your cold brew, to be honest this goes to all types of coffee brewing methods but it’s the most prevalent in cold brew making.

Tap, distilled, filtered, mineral, bottled. All of these contains minerals and compounds that affect the extraction of your coffee grounds. I’ll make it short, if you want the best extraction possible, Distilled Water is the way to go.

But if you don’t care, then any will do. Personally I don’t care and I use regular bottled water.

Coffee Grind Size for AeroPress Cold Brew

aeropress cold brew coffee grind size — *Cold Brew grind size should be coarse like sea salt*

For Cold Brew coffee you’ll want to go for a medium-coarse grind similar to a French Press grind, it should look like coarse beach sand or sea salt. You’ll want a coarse grind size because it allows for slower extraction of the flavors of the coffee beans, and as we’ll be steeping the grounds for a long time using cold water, that’s what we want.

If you’re not sure about grind size, such as the consistency of your grounds, don’t worry because the cold brew method is very forgiving and different consistency in grind sizes don’t affect much of the overall flavor. This is the same for brewing AeroPress Cold Brew.

What type of Coffee Roast for AeroPress Cold Brew?

I use dark roasted coffee beans for my AeroPress Cold Brew recipe, in fact I found that the AeroPress shines with dark roasted beans anyway. But generally for all cold brew recipes you’ll want to use medium-dark to dark roasted beans.

Darker roasts are better for immersion brewing methods compared to lighter roasts because it’s harder to extract the coffee oils and flavors from a lighter roast without the use of hot water.

What Brew Time for AeroPress Cold Brew?

Generally, the brew time for any Cold Brew recipe is around 8-24 hours. For my AeroPress Cold Brew recipe I brew for 12 hours, usually leaving it overnight so I can have it ready for the morning before I go to work.

The brew time comes down to personal preference, If you want a weaker cup then less time, if you want a more complex and stronger cup then more time. But I recommend the maximum allotted brew time for cold brew to be 16 hours, because after that point, contrary to popular beliefs, the flavors don’t change much.

I find that my 12 hour brew time produces the best cold brew coffee for me, a balance of smoothness combined with slight bitterness.

Recipe Ingredients and Equipment

AeroPress Coffee Maker (I use the AeroPress Go)
AeroPress Paper filters (metal or paper works)
16g coffee (medium to dark roasts), medium-coarse grind size
Room temperature water (around 24°C / 70°F)
Stirrer

AeroPress Cold Brew Recipe

1st Pour (5 Seconds) -Swiftly pour in your water to the #2 line on your AeroPress, at the same time stir your coffee and water mixture with a stirrer.
2nd Pour (5 Seconds) - Pour in your water to the #3 line on your AeroPress, now cover with your plunger to prevent dripping (push the plunger in a tiny bit for a secure fit).
Brew (12 Hours) - Leave your AeroPress to brew for 12 hours out on the counter.
Plunge - Plunge your plunger into your cup filled with ice, or not up to you.
Enjoy :) - Enjoy you delicious chilled cup of AeroPress Cold Brew coffee :)

Tips for this AeroPress Cold Brew Recipe

Optionally, you can put your AeroPress in the fridge to brew but remember to adjust for longer brew times, around 16-18 hours.
You can throw out the little bit of diluted coffee water that managed to drip through the filter during the pouring steps before you inserted your plunger, this makes the end brew less diluted.