I haven’t made cold brew since the days of COVID social distancing/isolation, when I spent all my money on kitchen tools I used on repeat for a year and then never used again (see: a mint green slow juicer… RIP). This week, I decided to break the drought and try my hand at a new cold brew.

You can make cold brew using tools you already have at home such as a pitcher and fine mesh strainer, but I decided to spring for something different. I got this coffee and tea pitcher off Amazon last month and I don’t regret it. I first used it to make hibiscus iced tea, because I love keeping a pitcher of tea in the fridge during the summer months. Once it cooled down a little, I used it to make a cold brew.

To make this cold brew, I ground up some Onyx coffee beans very coarsely and stuffed them all in the mesh filter. I put about six cups of filtered water in my glass pitcher, threw in 20 cardamon pods, then plunged my filter in. Nothing happened. I panicked a little, because I’m used to seeing coffee or tea automatically diffuse (think of dropping food dye into liquid…it spreads right away), but then I realized it was all part of the process. Cold brew is a marathon, not a sprint.

About thirty minutes into the brewing, I started regretting not adding cinnamon to the mix. So I unscrewed the lid, which is conveniently attached to the filter, so you can easily take it in and out of the pitcher. I threw in 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and sealed everything up again. By plunging the filter in the water again, it made more coffee spread through the water, which reassured me. I seemed to be on the right track.

Cold brew is supposed to sit on the counter for 12-16 hours (14 is the sweet spot), so I went to bed and said I’d check on it in the morning before work. Things looked pretty good when I went over to see it on my counter. Still, I wondered how good it would actually be. “This is either going to be great or disgusting,” I said to myself.

Spoiler: It was really, really good. So good, in fact, that I couldn’t believe it. It tasted as delicious, if not better, than the canned cold brew I got from a specialty coffee shop in town. It was way better than the cold brew of 2020, which I only have a vague recollection of and caused me to give away my old cold brew pitcher. I impressed myself, which is a great way to start a Monday.

I had some of the cold brew this morning with a splash of 2% milk. It was spicy, slightly sweet, fragrant, and refreshing. I can’t wait to drink the rest of the pitcher this week.

Until then, I’ll leave you with this song and the recipe. I’m adapting it for tools you have at home, but honestly, I’d recommend getting the pitcher if you can. Life is hard enough– make it slightly less complicated with a multi-use pitcher.

Cardamom Cold Brew

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups coffee beans, coarsely ground (I did the 30 setting on my Baratza grinder)
6 cups filtered water
15-20 whole cardamom pods
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

Stuff the coffee grounds into the basket of your glass pitcher, or put them into a small bowl. In large pitcher, pour in the filtered water and throw in the cardamom pods and ground cinnamon. If you’re using tools at home, throw your coffee straight into the water mixture and seal the top with a lid or some saran wrap. If you’re using the glass pitcher, plunge in the filter with the coffee grounds and screw the lid on until it’s tight.

Let the mixture sit on your counter for 12-16 hours. I like to put mine there in the late afternoon and check on it the next morning. If you’re using the first method, strain the mixture a couple times through a fine mesh sieve until you have your finished cold brew. If you’re using the glass pitcher, just take out the filter basket, fish out the cardamom pods, which will all be floating near the top, and screw back on the lid. Store in the fridge. Serve over ice, maybe with a splash of milk. Enjoy!