My Morning Delight: A French Press Cold Brew

Chris Perez
Chris Perez
Chris is creative director of Left Right Media branding and marketing agency in Austin. As a photographer and former engineer, Chris enjoys covering topics at the intersection of art and science.
published Feb 7, 2013
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(Image credit: Chris Perez)

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?

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

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…

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

…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.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

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?

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

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)