DIY Cold Brew Coffee

As most parents will admit, coffee is a god we worship with a love/hate relationship. I went years without coffee but the moment I had kids coffee wormed its way back into my life. 

I am a lover of iced coffee. Hot coffee just doesn't do it for me; I find it pretty bitter. Plus hot drinks suck in the summer. 

For a long while I would make a pot of hot coffee and then cool it and keep it in the fridge but it was still bitter. So then I started buying iced coffee in the dairy section of the store. Expensive and has a bunch of ingredients I would rather avoid. 

Then I found out you can cold brew your own. This solves several issues - for starters you can pick any flavor you like and are not limited by what is in the dairy section. You also control the ingredients and strength. Oh, and it's way cheaper. 

So here is how I make mine:

Obtain a large glass container - I like my giant Ball canning jar. I got it at Target and it holds over six cups. 

Get your coffee - I buy pre-ground. Word to the wise, do NOT buy a coffee with any artificial or "fun" flavors. It tastes awful with this method. 

In my case, it is about a 1:5 or 1:6 ratio of coffee:water. I put in a cup of coffee and fill my jar to the top with COLD water - about five or six cups. 

Let sit in the fridge over night. 8-16 hours. 

In the morning, place a small sieve over a large bowl and put a coffee filter in it as well for good measure. Slowly drain the coffee and throw out the grounds. Put the coffee back in your  jar and return it to fridge. 

Add coffee to a glass and flavor to your liking. I love some vanilla almond milk in mine, over ice.

I have seen some instructions use a sort of coffee "tea bag" - making a bag out of the filters and putting the grounds inside it. Personally, I don't see the point in messing with all that, but if you try it and have a good method post it in the comments!