Cold Brew Coffee Grind Size, Ratio, and Time: A Comprehensive Guide to Making Cold Brew and Understanding the Differences Between Cold Drip and Cold Brew

Lately, a lot of friends have been asking about cold brew coffee, so FrontStreet Coffee is taking the opportunity to talk "cold brew."

Cold brew is fundamentally different from regular hot-water coffee: it's coffee extracted by steeping — or dripping — grounds in cold water over a long period. Cold brew and cold drip are the two most common forms. These days, though, "cold brew" is often used narrowly to mean immersion cold brew, as distinct from cold drip — a distinction rooted in translation: "Cold Brew Coffee" versus "Cold Drip Coffee," also known as "Dutch Coffee."

When we brew pour-over, we obsess over water temperature because it drives extraction efficiency. Cold water extracts very slowly, so to reach a good concentration you must extend the extraction time. That's why cold brew takes so long to make — typically 12 hours or more.

Characteristics of Cold Brew Coffee

The defining difference from hot coffee is that long extraction: more water-soluble flavor compounds end up in the cup, giving a richer taste and a mellower texture. The whole low-temperature process also extends shelf life — cold brew generally keeps for 3-5 days.

Coffee Bean Selection for Cold Brew

As for which beans to use, FrontStreet Coffee recommends medium-light roasted single origins — the resulting cold brew is refreshing and delicious, perfect for summer.

Some friends want to know whether a particular coffee will work for cold brew, or ask us to recommend beans for cold drip. The simplest way to think about it is the relationship between bean flavor and cold brew itself.

Those flavor notes on a coffee bag are what the roaster tasted at cupping — meaning that whatever the extraction method, the coffee will carry those flavors. Cold brew is a preparation that highlights certain traits, such as rich fermented notes.

So whether you brew it as pour-over or cold brew, just pick single-origin beans whose label descriptions match your preferences — a bean's inherent flavor never conflicts with cold extraction.

"If you like distinct acidity and a refreshing feel, choose washed light roasts — FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe, FrontStreet Coffee's Guatemala Flora, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya. If you prefer fruity, honeyed sweetness, go for natural or anaerobic light roasts — FrontStreet Coffee's Coffee Queen, FrontStreet Coffee's Giant Rock Estate Blueberry, FrontStreet Coffee's Rose Valley. If you love deep fermentation and wine aromas, try FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry, FrontStreet Coffee's Lychee Orchid, FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Baha, FrontStreet Coffee's Mozart, or FrontStreet Coffee's Colombia Flower Moon Night..."

Can Dark Roasted Coffee Be Used for Cold Brew?

Can medium-dark and dark roasts work for cold brew? Not necessarily forbidden — but most people can't accept bitter iced coffee, just as nobody voluntarily drinks herbal tea cold, so it's not recommended. That said, FrontStreet Coffee once tasted a cold brew made with medium-roast Yunnan beans: after proper storage and seven days in the fridge, the texture was mellow and the wine-like fermented character remarkably strong. So non-acidic coffees aren't incapable of making cold brew — they're just hard to make delicious with it.

Cold Brew Coffee Making Methods

The method itself is simple: master a few key parameters and you'll make delicious iced coffee. Cold extraction splits into immersion (cold brew) and drip (cold drip); FrontStreet Coffee has covered cold drip in detail elsewhere, so we won't repeat it here.

The equipment is minimal — all you need is a 600ml container. "Will a mineral water bottle work?" "Of course — as long as you don't mind the looks!" The parameters that matter are grind size, ratio, and time. Cold brew wants a grind slightly finer than pour-over: roughly the coarseness where 85% passes through a #20 sieve.

The coffee-to-water ratio is generally 1:12, adjustable to taste. In a 600ml container, that's about 40g of grounds to 480ml of cold water.

Steep for 12-24 hours — the longer, the stronger. Just combine grounds and water in the bottle, shake gently to wet all the grounds, and refrigerate (5-10°C) for 12-24 hours.

Finally, filter. Use filter paper (or cloth) to separate the grounds from the liquid, and it's ready to drink — though resting it in the fridge for another 4 hours brings out even better aroma. Patience pays.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Cold brew amplifies floral and fruit tones while dialing down wood and roast notes, so FrontStreet Coffee's own beans are a natural fit. The FrontStreet Natural Guji Huakui from Ethiopia is the go-to for floral iced coffee: a natural-process lot from Sidama (2250-2350m) that, steeped cold, unfolds magnolia, creamy strawberry, dried mango, guava, and black tea. For a full juice experience, the FrontStreet Kenya "Cherry Tomato" from Thika — SL28 and SL34 grown at 1550-1750m, K72 double-washed, roasted light-medium — shows off cherry tomato, pear, black plum, and dried dark plum acidity at low temperatures, with low bitterness and a long, fragrant finish over ice.

If your taste runs to fermentation and wine notes, the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Gesha blend — Panama Gesha's rose and orange paired with Costa Rica honey-process grape, dried blueberry, and strawberry-candy sweetness — cold brews into something almost wine-like when given a short extra fermentation. And since cold brew consumes more grounds than pour-over, the budget-friendly washed FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding is the smart everyday choice: clean, bright berry and honey sweetness from a bean that handles pour-over, siphon, French press, and cold brew with equal ease.