Make Cold Brew Coffee in a Mason Jar

Have you joined the cold brew revolution? Steeping coffee in cold water for a long time instead of brewing it with hot water in the traditional way makes for a smooth and less bitter drink and allows the coffee's flavors to really come through, and it's much better for making iced coffee that pouring hot coffee over ice. All you need to make it is a large mason or other jar, coffee, and time. What you'll end up with is a jar of cold brew coffee concentrate that you'll dilute with water or milk to make hot or cold coffee drinks.

Here's what you'll need:

• 32-oz mason jar with lid
• 4 oz coarse ground coffee of your choice
• 3 cups room temperature water
• A strainer
• Paper coffee filters or cheesecloth

Here's how to make it:

• Pour coffee grounds into your mason jar.
• Pour 2 cups of water into the jar and stir to mix in the coffee, then add the rest of the water.
• Fasten the lid and place the jar in your refrigerator to steep for 12 to 24 hours. The steeping time will vary depending on how strong you want the coffee to be. A longer steep time will yield stronger coffee.
• After steeping, place a strainer over a large bowl or measuring cup. Line the strainer with a coffee filter and pour over the cold brew coffee to remove the grounds. Rinse out your mason jar and pour the strained coffee concentrate back in.

You'll end up with 2 to 3 cups of cold brew coffee concentrate. To serve, you'll want to dilute your cold brew concentrate with water, milk, oat milk, etc. Taste it first to assess its strength and then dilute accordingly. The longer the coffee steeps, the stronger it will be. We noticed a definite difference in strength between 12- and 24-hour brews and recommend that you go for 24 hours if you can. Dilute and reheat it to make hot coffee or pour it over ice to make iced coffee.