Cold Brew Concentrate

by Specialty Coffee Association for French Press 12 Cup original source (sca.coffee)

Using SCA coffee standards as its basis, this overnight recipe turns a large French press into a cold-immersion vessel. Very coarse grounds yield a low-acid, smooth concentrate with enough intensity for dilution over ice or with milk.

French Press 12 Cup 10 recipes ›

150g Coffee5.3 oz

1,200g Water42.3 oz · 1:8

20°C Temperature68 °F

18h Steep

Extra coarse Grind

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Before you start

You need

French Press 12 Cup
Scale

Notes from Specialty Coffee Association

Fruity or floral light roasts keep the chilled cup lively. Steep for 16-20h at room temperature or 18-24h under refrigeration, without pressing during extraction. Filter and refrigerate promptly, then combine equal parts concentrate and water or milk to serve.

Steps

9 steps · 2 pours

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Step 1 of 9, 300 g

Pour 300g (10.6 oz) and stir to saturate the bed.

20 °C
Step 2 of 9, 1,200 g+900

Pour the final 900g (31.7 oz) gently to 1200g (42.3 oz). Do not agitate afterwards.

Fill gently
Step 3 of 9,

Cover it.
Step 4 of 9,

Let it steep undisturbed.

16h–20h
Step 5 of 9,

Break the crust with a spoon.
Step 6 of 9,

Rest the plunger on the surface — don't press down.
Step 7 of 9,

Decant the coffee.
Step 8 of 9,

Dilute the concentrate 1:1 with cold water or milk and serve over ice.
Step 9 of 9,

Cold brew ready.

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Step 1

300 g

+300 g add water

Next 1,200 g +900 g

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More French Press 12 Cup recipes

coffee · water · temp. · time

Bloom and Break Specialty Coffee Association for beginners · 5 cups 65 g · 1,000 g · 96 °C · 12:15 Cold Brew Large Batch Specialty Coffee Association 6 cups 150 g · 900 g · 4 °C Large Cupping-Style French Press Specialty Coffee Association for beginners · 4 cups 56 g · 900 g · 93 °C · 10:15

Dark Roast Large Batch Specialty Coffee Association Dark roast · for beginners · 4 cups · free in the app 50 g · 900 g · 88 °C · 4:10 Flash Iced Batch Specialty Coffee Association Medium roast · for beginners · 6 cups 70 g · 700 g · 96 °C · 8:30 No-Press Batch James Hoffmann for beginners · 4 cups · free in the app 56 g · 900 g · 100 °C · 12:35

All 10 French Press 12 Cup recipes

More by Specialty Coffee Association

Bloom and Break French Press 12 Cup for beginners · 5 cups 65 g · 1,000 g · 96 °C · 12:15 Cold Brew Large Batch French Press 12 Cup 6 cups 150 g · 900 g · 4 °C Large Cupping-Style French Press French Press 12 Cup for beginners · 4 cups 56 g · 900 g · 93 °C · 10:15

Dark Roast Large Batch French Press 12 Cup Dark roast · for beginners · 4 cups · free in the app 50 g · 900 g · 88 °C · 4:10 Flash Iced Batch French Press 12 Cup Medium roast · for beginners · 6 cups 70 g · 700 g · 96 °C · 8:30

View all recipes by Specialty Coffee Association

Other French press models

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French Press 3 Cup Full immersion for heavier body French Press 8 Cup Full immersion for heavier body

Learn the fundamentals

French press The French press is the cleanest expression of the immersion idea: ground coffee, hot water, a metal mesh, and time. The mesh holds everything bigger than ~150 microns; everything smaller — fines and oils — passes into the cup. That single design choice is what gives the French press its character. How coffee is roasted Roasting is the chemistry that turns a green seed into something that tastes like coffee. A green bean is dense, vegetal, and sour — undrinkable in any meaningful sense. Heat applied for the right amount of time transforms it into the aromatic, brown, brewable thing on the shelf. Almost everything you taste in a finished cup was either created or shaped during the eight to fifteen minutes the bean spent inside a roaster.