How To Make Coffee Concentrate to Serve Hot Coffee to a Crowd

Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong
Anjali Prasertong is a writer and public health dietitian focused on food systems, racial equity, and nutrition. Originally from Los Angeles, she has taught English in rural Japan, worked as a private chef in Malibu, and led an innovative city-funded corner store program in New Orleans that increased fresh food access in low-income neighborhoods. She was previously a contributing editor for The Kitchn, and currently lives in Denver with her husband and two kids.
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updated Sep 20, 2022
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When I decided to throw a How To Make Coffee Concentrate to Serve Hot Coffee to a Crowd

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

How Do You Make Coffee Concentrate?

Making a coffee concentrate doesn’t require any special equipment, just a big bowl or pitcher to hold the grounds and water while they steep, and a filter-lined strainer to drain the resulting liquid.

I was concerned that the cold concentrate, which is kept in the refrigerator, would make the resulting cup of coffee lukewarm, so I tweaked my usual recipe to make it slightly more potent. This meant I could dilute the concentrate with two parts hot water, instead of using a 1:1 ratio. Not only did this result in a hotter cup of coffee, it was one I found even more rich and flavorful.

Looking for a concentrate for iced coffee? Try our cold brew concentrate recipe.

How To Make Coffee Concentrate to Serve Hot Coffee to a Crowd
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

How Do You Heat Coffee Concentrate?

I made the concentrate a couple days before the party, so all I had to do on the morning of the brunch was bring some water to boil and combine it with the concentrate in a thermal carafe.

When I mentioned how I had made the coffee midway through the party, all of the guests were surprised, and the die-hard Chemex and Aeropress fans in particular were asking for instructions. I am assuming they, like me, hate to trade the great taste of their morning coffee for a less time-intensive but inferior-tasting method when making coffee for a crowd. And with this method, we don’t have to.

  • Steep the coffee overnight. Place the ground coffee in a large bowl or pitcher .
  • Cover with 6 cups cold or room temperature water. Stir to make sure all the grounds are wet.
  • Cover with a tea towel and let sit on the counter for 24 hours.
  • Strain the coffee concentrate. Place the sieve in the other large bowl or pitcher. Wet the coffee filter and use it to line the sieve. (I use an unfolded Chemex filter paper in these photos. A large filter for urn-style coffee makers would also work.) Carefully pour the coffee and grounds into the sieve, stopping whenever it gets too full. Let sit undisturbed until there is no more liquid dripping through the sieve, which can take 30 to 45 minutes. You will have about 1 quart liquid.
  • Transfer the concentrate to a covered container. Discard or compost the grounds. Pour the strained coffee concentrate into a covered container for storage.
  • Dilute the concentrate with 2 parts boiling water. When you’re ready to make coffee, bring the appropriate amount of water to a boil. I like the ratio of 1 part concentrate to 2 parts water, but you can experiment to see what tastes best to you. Pour the concentrate into a carafe or thermos. 
  • Slowly add the hot water and serve.

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