How long should cold brew concentrate steep?

12 to 24 hours at room temperature or in the fridge. Most people land on 16-18 hours as the sweet spot: long enough for full extraction, short enough to avoid over-extraction and bitterness. Taste it at 12 hours and again at 18 if you're dialing in your own preference.

What is the ratio for cold brew concentrate?

A 1:4 coffee-to-water ratio by weight is the standard starting point for a strong, sippable concentrate, for example 1 pound of coarse-ground coffee to 4 quarts of water in a Toddy system. Some people prefer 1:5 for a slightly lighter concentrate that still holds up to dilution.

How do you dilute cold brew concentrate?

Start with a 1:1 ratio of concentrate to water or milk over ice and adjust from there. Some people prefer it stronger at 2:1 concentrate to water, others like it closer to 1:2 for a milder cup. There's no wrong answer, it's a matter of taste.

How long does cold brew concentrate last in the fridge?

About 1 to 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The concentrate's low acidity actually helps it keep longer than regular brewed coffee, but flavor is best in the first 7-10 days.

Can I make cold brew concentrate without special equipment?

Yes, a large mason jar and a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth work fine for small batches. A dedicated immersion brewer like a Toddy just makes filtering easier and lets you scale up to larger batches without babysitting multiple jars.

Cold Brew Concentrate Recipe (Easy 1:4 Ratio)

Cold brew concentrate is just cold brew coffee made strong on purpose, so you can water it down later instead of drinking a full-strength batch every time. It’s the same idea behind those bottles of concentrate you see at the grocery store, except homemade costs a fraction of the price and you control exactly how strong it turns out. Once you’ve made a batch or two, this becomes one of those recipes you don’t really need to look up again.

What you’ll need

This recipe scales up or down easily, but here’s a standard batch that fits most home brewers, including a Toddy Cold Brew System:

1 cup (about 3.5 oz) coarsely ground coffee — medium or dark roast holds up best to a long steep
4 cups cold, filtered water
A large jar, pitcher, or immersion cold brew maker
A fine mesh strainer or paper filter, if you’re not using a dedicated brewer
Cheesecloth (optional, for a cleaner strain with a jar setup)

The ratio here is 1:4, coffee to water by volume, which is a reasonable approximation of the 1:4 by-weight ratio most guides recommend. If you have a kitchen scale, weighing the coffee gives you more consistent results batch to batch.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Grind your coffee coarse

Aim for a texture like coarse sea salt or breadcrumbs. This matters more than people expect. Too fine and you’ll get a muddy, over-extracted concentrate with a slow, clogged filter. Too coarse and the flavor comes out thin. If you’re buying pre-ground coffee, look for a bag labeled specifically for cold brew.

2. Combine coffee and water

Add the grounds to your container first, then pour the water over them slowly so every bit of coffee gets wet. Give it a gentle stir to make sure there are no dry clumps sitting at the bottom or floating on top.

3. Let it steep

Cover the container and leave it alone for 12 to 24 hours. Room temperature works and extracts a bit faster; the fridge works too and extracts more slowly. Most people find 16 to 18 hours gives the best balance of strength and smoothness. There’s no need to stir or check on it during this time.

4. Filter out the grounds

If you’re using an immersion brewer, this step is usually just opening a valve or releasing a plug and letting the concentrate drain through the built-in filter. With a jar setup, pour the whole batch through a strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean container, and let it drip through on its own rather than pressing on the grounds, which pushes sediment through.

5. Store and serve

Move the finished concentrate to an airtight container and refrigerate. It keeps well for one to two weeks. To drink, mix it with water or milk starting at a 1:1 ratio over ice, then adjust up or down until it matches how strong you like your coffee.

Tips for a better batch

Use filtered water. Since cold brew steeps so much longer than a hot cup, off flavors in tap water come through more noticeably.
Don’t skip the coarse grind. It’s the single most common mistake, and the easiest one to fix.
Label your container with the date. It’s easy to lose track of how long concentrate has been in the fridge.
Scale it up. Once you know you like the ratio, doubling or tripling the batch just means a bigger container and the same steep time.

If you’re making concentrate more than once a week, a dedicated immersion brewer saves a real amount of hassle over jars and strainers. Our full Toddy Cold Brew System review covers whether it’s worth the upgrade.