Making cold brew coffee takes a bit of time and planning ahead, but it’s all worth it since you can make batches in advance. Store it, then easily customize a cup with milk or sweeteners of choice quickly in the mornings.

There are a few methods to making cold brew coffee.

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One way I recommend making cold brew coffee is with a French press because it’s something a lot of coffee drinkers already have at home, it’s easy to clean up and you don’t need to buy any extra tools – there’s already a filter built in.

(Click here to go directly to the steps.)

Cold brew vs iced coffee

You may have heard cold brew and iced coffee used interchangeably. They are both cold coffees but are not made in the same way.

Iced coffee is made by brewing hot coffee in whatever your preferred method is and adding ice to it. Whether it’s with a Keurig (one of the fastest ways to make iced coffee), moka pot, Chemex or electric drip coffee maker, adding ice to a hot brewed cup of coffee will result in a cup of iced coffee. When I make my iced coffee, I prefer adding coffee ice cubes so the coffee won’t dilute.

Meanwhile, cold brew coffee is brewed by steeping coarsely ground coffee in room temperature water for at least 12 hours. You can also let it steep in the fridge so you don’t have to add ice to make it cold (I do this when I make cold brew coffee with a Primula.)

There are a few methods to make cold brew coffee. One of the fastest and easiest is with a French press.

What is a French press?

You have options when you want to brew a cup of coffee.

These options can be broken down into a few categories. There’s drip coffee, which is when hot water passes through the coffee grounds and drips into the cup to make coffee. Then there’s immersion brewing, which is when coffee grounds are immersed in water and then filtered. The French press is an example of immersion brewing.

A French press, also known as a cafetière is made of two parts, the glass beaker and the plunger. Coffee is made with a French press, by pouring coffee ground into the glass beaker, adding hot water, letting the coffee ground sit for a few minutes in the water (for cold brew, the time is a lot longer), then pressing the plunger down to press the coffee ground down and allow the water to filter out.

French presses come in various sizes. One of the most popular brands of French presses is Bodum, maker of the iconic Bodum Chambord named after the French castle Chambord, who’s towers were the inspiration for the name (they look like French presses, sort of.)

For this guide, I used a Bodum Brazil French press that can make up to one liter or 8 cups of coffee, which allows for plenty of space for the cold brew coffee to steep.

How to make French press cold brew coffee

You’ll need plenty of time but just a few tools and ingredients.

French press cold brew coffee ingredients

1 cup freshly ground coffee (I recommend Blue Bottle’s Three Africas)
2 cups water
French press (I use one from Bodum)

I use a Hario burr grinder to grind whole coffee beans coarsely. Typically the larger the coarse grind, the more time is needed to brew and extract the flavors from the beans.

There isn’t a specific coffee bean just for cold brew. You can use any coffee bean. One of my favorites for cold brew coffee is Three Africas from Blue Bottle. Or one that I like that you can get off Amazon is Coffee Bros Cold Brew Coffee Blend.