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An easy way to make coffee? French press cold brew! Here’s how to make cold brew in a French press and the ratio for the best smooth flavor.
Looking for an easy way to make cold brew coffee? Try French Press Cold Brew! This simple method uses a coffee tool you already have for a mess-free way to make your favorite cold coffee. We are huge fans of the smooth flavor of cold brew around here, but it can be a little messy. The French press contains the mess and makes for an easy brewing process. Here’s how it’s done!
What is cold brew? Why use a French press?
What is cold brew? Cold brew coffee is coffee made by soaking the grounds in water at cool temperatures. It’s different from drip or brewed coffee that’s made by percolating hot water over coffee grounds in a filter. What makes it unique? It’s got a silky smooth flavor that’s perfect for iced coffee.
Why make cold brew coffee in a French Press? The advantage of this method is that it’s slightly cleaner and easier than a traditional cold brew coffee method. The French press makes the coffee easy to strain: just plunge and drink! You’ll need a slightly different ratio from the traditional method, so make sure to follow the recipe below.
Best coffee for cold brew
What’s the best coffee for French press cold brew? Dark roast coffee. Light and medium roast are great for pour over coffee, but cold brew tastes the best with dark roast coffee. It gives it just the right bitter, rich finish. Some brands recommend: Starbucks Espresso Roast or Intelligentsia Black Cat.
Equipment you need
French press cold brew requires only a few tools, most of which you probably already have. Here’s what you’ll need:
- French press coffee maker: The Bodum brand has been making this coffee tool since the 1940’s. We use this Bodum 34-ounce (1 liter) French Press.
- Coffee grinder or mill: You’ll need to grind the coffee to a medium coarse grind (or buy pre-ground coffee). We use this Bodum electric burr grinder. Cold brew is easiest with an electric grinder because it uses lots of coffee at once. This handheld coffee mill also does the trick, it just takes much longer.
- Filtered water: Filtered water has the best flavor; we use this water filter pitcher. Or skip if you don’t have a filter.
The cold brew French press ratio
Here’s the most important thing about French press cold brew, if you’re used to making cold brew with the standard method. The French press ratio is different from the standard cold brew ratio! You’ll need more coffee when you brew in a French press to get the same strength in cold brew concentrate. Here’s what to know:
- Grounds to water ratio: 1:6 by weight. In grams, this is 140 grams coffee to 840 grams water. In cups, this means 2 cups coffee grounds and 3 ½ cups of water.
- Cold brew concentrate to water ratio: 1:1. When you French press cold brew, you’ll end up a pitcher of concentrate. To drink the finished brew, use a ratio of 1:1. In other words, fill your glass with 1 part concentrate and 1 part water (or milk).
How to make cold brew in a French press
Cold brew coffee is a very easy and forgiving method. The hardest part? Waiting the 24 hours you need for the coffee to brew. Here’s how to make cold brew in a French press (or jump to the recipe):
- Grind the coffee: Grind 140 grams (2 cups) coffee beans to a medium coarse grind.
- Mix coffee grounds and water: Add the coffee grounds and 3 ½ cups filtered water to the French press. Stir several times with a spoon.
- Refrigerate 24 hours: Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate for 24 hours. (You can cover it with the top but the plunger must be up, making it difficult to fit in most refrigerators.)
- Plunge and strain: Place the lid on the French press and slowly press the plunger all the way down. Pour the cold brew concentrate into a large glass jar or pitcher.
- Serve: To serve, dilute ½ cup cold brew with ½ cup water or milk. If serving with ice, use the ice with ½ cup cold brew concentrate with ¼ cup water.
More with a French press
There are lots of things you can make with a French press: coffee, tea, espresso, and more! Here are our top ways to use it:
- Coffee: Make a perfect pot of French press coffee
- Espresso: French press espresso is great for a strong shot, or espresso drinks
- Tea: Who needs a tea pot? Try French press tea.
- Iced coffee: Try deliciously simple French press iced coffee.
- Frothed milk: You can use a French press to froth milk for lattes!
French Press Cold Brew
An easy way to make coffee? French press cold brew! Here’s how to make cold brew in a French press and the ratio for the best smooth flavor.
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours
- Yield: 2 ½ cups concentrate (5 servings) 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Cold Brew
- Cuisine: Coffee
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups dark roast coffee (140 grams), ground to a medium coarse grind
- 3 ½ cups (840 grams) filtered water*
- 8-cup / 34-ounce (1 liter) French Press
Instructions
- Grind the coffee: Grind the coffee to a medium coarse grind.
- Mix coffee grounds and water: Add the coffee grounds and water to the French press. Stir several times with a spoon.
- Refrigerate 24 hours: Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate for 24 hours. (You can cover it with the top but the plunger must be up, making it difficult to fit in most refrigerators.)
- Plunge and strain: Place the lid on the French press and slowly press the plunger all the way down. Pour the cold brew concentrate into a large glass jar or pitcher. Store refrigerated up to 1 week.
- Serve: To serve, dilute ½ cup cold brew with ½ cup water or milk. If serving with ice, use the ice with ½ cup cold brew concentrate with ¼ cup water.
Notes
*Filtered water makes the best flavor; we use this water filter pitcher.
I wish all the french press recipes weren’t as ignorant to the people with the small ones do I simply just cut the recipe In half! Cause I only got a 4 cup french press
Yes!
Hi y’all. Sipping on my first batch of cold brew coffee. It tastes great! Just like the fancy coffee shops cold brew. I used already ground medium roast coffee. A bag of black rifle was given to me so I was keen to use it up. Normally I do grind my own beans for expresso. I found the ratios to be spot on. I used a measuring cup on a scale. Set for grams. The only down side to using the French press is I found it hard to push down the ground coffee.
There’s an error in the 1:6 ratio part.
It says cups instead of tablespoons.
Cups is correct!
Hi! Does anyone know the caffeine content in this?
I’m not sure, sorry!
Hi! I’m confused with the measurements for the coffee. You say first 2 cups/140g coffee GROUNDS but in the next section it is 2 cups/140g coffee BEANS to grind. Are these equaled to the same? After grinding, wouldn’t the beans become smaller in the measuring cup, thus less than the 2 cups? I bought my coffee and had it course ground at the store, so I can’t compare the beans measurements to the ground measurements. I’m just wondering if I’m scooping in way too much coffee grounds. Thanks!
Hi! Oddly enough, coarse ground coffee weighs the same as the whole bean!
Hi! I used the 2:3.5 ratio and ended up with less than a 1/2 cup of cold brew and
2 cups of soaked ground coffee. Could I add more water and let soak overnight again?
You could try! We definitely had over 2 cups of liquid after straining.
Why is the ratio different to make cold brew in a french press? It’s all just ground coffee and water, no?
thanks,
Sue
This recipe makes a very strong cold brew concentrate like you’d buy a the store.
Hi guys, something is wrong with the ratio calculation on this page. You say 1:6 coffee:water which 140g:840g is. But the cup ratio of 2 : 3.5 is way off (should be 2:12).
Also you’ve said you need more coffee than the normal cold brew method of 1:4, but 1:6 is less coffee for each unit of water.
Having said all that I’m still going to try the french press method, thanks for the idea.
Hi! The 1:6 ratio only works by weight. The 2:3.5 is what we prefer for volume measurements to get a nice strong cup of coffee.
Let us know if you have any questions!
How long does the concentrate keep in the fridge for?? Could you make ahead for a couple days? Thanks!!!
Good question! You can store refrigerated up to 1 week. We updated the recipe: thank you!
I came here to ask the exact same question. Thank you. 😁