I use a Hario Mitzudash http://www.avenue18.ca/TEAPOT/Hario/cof ... feepot.htm for cold brewing. It brings out the individual flavors in each coffee unlike the Toddy brew which always has the "concentrate" flavor.

How about something cheap, like this:

http://www.avillahardware.com/storefron ... 860&dfid=1

Or, just use the French Press you probably already have!

Actually what I've done in the past is use a very coarse press pot grind in my Cafe Solo to make cold brew. I just put it in for about 10 hours in the fridge and it was quite good. I mean, I think it could have been better, maybe I should've thrown some ice cubes in there?

Matt, the owner of Manic here in Toronto, told me to just do something similar to what I just described. He does something like that for the cold brew he sells and it IS quite good. Although, he's much more of an expert at making his ratios work... I don't remember the ratio of grinds to water, but I think I may have used 100g or so in a litre of water...

I won a Toddy last spring, and have been using it for iced coffee this summer. I use a poly-felt filter instead of their papers, and grind more on the fine side. A lb. of coffee w/ 9 cups of water, let it sit 12-14 hours, and it's ready. Like others have said it's very handy to have the concentrate in the fridge ready to go. Being cold, it doesn't melt the ice as quickly, and it will last a good two weeks.

6oz. coffee, 2T half/half, 1T sugar, 1T chocolate syrup, and stir well. I have a battery operated mixer that incorporates some air and fluffs it up a bit.

mute wrote:I've been eyeballing the Hario "Cold Water Coffee Dripper" lately: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products ... e-dripper/

Looks pretty sweet. Expensive, but I might take the plunge. I typically cold brew in my french press, but I like the idea behind the drippers a lot.

It seems like more work for basically the same outcome. And then you're paying $200, as opposed to the standard $30-40 for a Toddy/Filtron/Press.

Why?

JohnB. wrote:I use a Hario Mitzudash http://www.avenue18.ca/TEAPOT/Hario/cof ... feepot.htm for cold brewing. It brings out the individual flavors in each coffee unlike the Toddy brew which always has the "concentrate" flavor.

I don't understand how this method's scientifically different from a Toddy/Filtron/Press.

It's the same thing - mix coffee ground with cold water, wait a couple hours, and filter...

If you don't want to concentrate the flavor, you just add more water.

Sounds like you need to read the Mitzudash brewing directions as that isn't how it works. I own a Toddy & used it for a couple seasons but as I said previously I don't care for the "cold brew concentrate" flavor. If you are going to dump in cream, sugar & flavorings it really doesn't mater what you use as you won't taste the coffee anyways. The brew I get with the Mitzudash is very similar to siphon brew only stronger so it stands up to ice better. Unlike the Toddy/Filtron it does not produce a concentrate & it does bring out the varietal flavors of the coffee you are using. Typically I'll make a brew using a S/O Ethiopian or Kenyan beans & drink it straight over ice.

As far as the concentrate flavor goes adding more water will dilute it but it won't bring back the varietal flavors of the coffee that that brewing method masks over.

Um... so it's magic?

If you tasted the difference between the Toddy & the Mitzudash cold brewing methods you might think so. Here's a link to the Hario brewing directions: http://www.avenue18.ca/News%20Folder/58 ... uction.pdf

One thing that isn't mentioned is that you use a drip grind as opposed to the coarse grind of the Toddy, ect. As you can see the grounds are not "mixed" into the water, the water is dripped through the grounds which remain in the filter so nothing needs to be "filtered" out afterwards. Less coffee is used, less contact with the grounds as they are not mixed into the water & there is a much shorter brewing period.

While there may not seem to be a huge difference between the Toddy & Mitzudash brewing methods the difference in the cup is night & day. If you want iced coffee that tastes like excellent siphon/drip brew the Mitzudash is the way to go.

I've never cold brewed, it sounds like it will mellow out acidity to some extent?

Thanks!