If you live up north, you may not be craving a cold brew this time of year. Down south in Texas, though, I'll tell you that things are quite different. Temperatures are already hitting 80 degrees! But when I want to hang onto that January cool for just a bit longer, I make a French pressed cold brew coffee with a little sea salt and caramel.
If you've tried making your own cold brew coffee, chances are it came from a recipe inspired by a popular New York Times article published almost 5 years ago. It's a fantastic recipe, and one that inspires this very post, but why not make things easier by introducing a French press into the equation?
That's the French press my wife picked up last year, in the burnt orange shade of her Alma Mater. She's always thinking about multi-functionality and this French press / coffee mug crossover is just the kind of thing she buys on impulse. You could even take this one with you to the office!
I work from home, so the on-the-go benefits of that particular French press / coffee mug-a-jig are lost on me. But what isn't lost on me are cold brew French press possibilities...
...possibilities that don't require transferring liquids to another vessel, or covering jars with saran wrap, or breaking out multiple filters. Possibilities of a method that simply requires "Whhhhhirr!!!", "Drip, Drip, Drop!" and "Whoooosh!" — the sounds of grinding coffee, adding water, and opening a refrigerator door.
You'll need to put in a little forethought for a cold brew coffee, but it's worth it — particularly because I sneak in some milk caramel, a treat I pick up from a local farm that caramelizes some of their cow milk.
I then top it all off with a pinch of sea salt, because who doesn't love a salted caramel? It's morning treat I'm enjoying a lot of these days. Have you been enjoying the delights of cold brew coffee lately too?
What flavorings do you like to add?
Related:
• Help Me Make Stronger Cold-Brew Coffee!
• The Toddy Take on Iced Coffee
• Japanese Iced Coffee Method: Better Than Cold Brewing?
(Images: Chris Perez)
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I cold-brew coffee in my french press every week! It's actually the only kind of coffee I can drink as regular brewed coffee messes with my stomach (at the ripe old age of 24). When I want it hot, I warm my milk and add the cold-brew to it and when I want it cold, it's ready to go! One french-press lasts me a week as its fairly concentrated. The salted caramel is a new idea to me though and I love it!
It's like love in a cup, especially with salted caramel! I drink iced year-round (even in Alberta).
I've been making this since the summer! I also work from home in an apartment with free heat, so I am still happily drinking this every morning even in the middle of winter! I infuse mine with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg: http://the-cooking-of-joy.blogspot.com/2012/10/magical-cold-brew-coffee.html
I always use a french press for cold brew, basically not sure how else to separate coffee grinds from coffee easily...so I'm way more interested in the milk caramel. That looks amazing.
We have a grind n brew' that is pretty amazing. I also roast my own beans :p After watching a few documentaries about coffee I feel a little torn. I have hand grinders, and a chemex set up, but truly beautiful coffee is supposed to steep "four minutes exactly." Every now and then I cold brew but I think I finally need to get a french press! I bet it would work for loose tea too.
I do cold brew in my french press, and i've done hot and iced tea in there, too! I usually just set it up at dinner time, and my first serving is ready by morning.. lasts me about 3 days - maybe my press is smaller? I can't drink hot - and am too lazy to deal with setting up hot press in the morning anyway - and hate when coffee shops put so much ice in the cup, especially in this weather... so coldbrew is the perfect solution.
I bounce between half and half, great organic milk, or trader joe's organic sweetened condensed (in a squeeze bottle!), but some of these fancy ideas sound great, too!
i love cold brew and i love lucky layla farms! they have the best dairy products!
Love my cold brew. I tend to make it a batch at a time in my french press (or a mason jar - depending on my mood) and keep it in the fridge for when I'm craving that iced coffee. Never thought to add salted caramel or sweetened condensed milk. Will have to try that in a month or so.