I like coffee, but I like low acid and lots of flavor. I also don’t like burning my tongue to get my caffeine fix. That’s where the cold brew comes in. When the world went to crap and I got stuck in the forever loop Groundhog Day of working from home, I decided to start making my own cold brew. Turns out that it’s really easy, tastes great, and doesn’t cost nearly as much as a cup of Starbucks.

You will need:

• 64 oz. container
• coffee
• filtered water
• mesh bags

The container can be anything. Mason jars are good or anything that is air tight is best. The coffee can be any kind you want, but the “coarse ground” kind is better for slow cold brewing. You can also experiment with grinding whole beans. Filtered or distilled water is best, but if you want to use tap water, you can, as long as your tap water doesn’t smell like ass.

Fill up a mesh bag about half way with your coffee grounds. For me, this is about 5-6 tablespoons, but it’s not an exact science. Tie off the bag so the grounds stay inside. Place the mesh bag at the bottom of your container and pour your water over it to fill the container almost to the top. Close/seal the container and place it in your fridge. Wait 24 hours, then take out the mesh bag. Now, you have cold brew concentrate! You can add ice and creamer to zing it up. If it is too strong, add water to bring it down to your level, pansy.

One final note: this is my method after playing around with all the variables and getting to a final result I’m happy with. If you add more coffee grounds, it will end up being stronger and need to be diluted more. But you could add more grounds and then brew it for 12 hours instead of 24, if you need it faster. I usually check the color of the brew and if it is a light amber, I know it needs more time. I prefer a dark amber, but I also like to be jolted awake in the morning.