Does Cold Brew Coffee with Milk Taste Good? An Introduction to the Correct Ratio and Brewing Method

Opening the weather forecast on your phone, the screen is filled with 30-degree high temperatures. This time, summer and scorching heat are truly arriving! Everyone should quickly arrange all kinds of iced coffee!!!

When it comes to the most popular homemade iced coffee varieties, cold brew (cold drip) definitely ranks high. Before going to bed, brew a pot, put it in the refrigerator, and when you wake up, filter it and you can immediately drink it. It can be called "a blessing for lazy people." However, one friend sent a question: Can prepared cold brew be mixed with milk for drinking?

Through conversation, FrontStreet Coffee learned that this friend doesn't have a coffee machine at home, but the first thing every morning is to have a cup of iced coffee with milk. Among many simple coffee options, cold brew is the one she's best at making, but she doesn't know how to add milk to the brewed coffee liquid to make it taste good.

So, can you add milk to cold brew coffee?

The answer is: Of course you can! Filtered cold brew coffee is delicious, and milk is also tasty, so there's naturally no problem with enjoying the two together. Moreover, the addition of fresh milk not only softens the coarse texture that coffee grounds can produce during low-temperature extraction but also adds a touch of smoothness and creaminess to the coffee, enhancing the tasting experience.

However, to create a drink that maintains both coffee richness and milk sweetness, we need to find a harmonious balance between coffee grounds, water, and milk.

How should you add milk to cold brew coffee?

Since cold brew is made in a low-temperature environment, cold water extracts coffee grounds relatively slowly. Compared to hot water extraction, bitter substances are less likely to be released. Therefore, in terms of controlling grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and steeping time, it's not as strict as pour-over coffee. Usually, as long as you stay within an approximate range and choose the right coffee beans, you can make a delicious iced coffee with just a few simple steps.

Take FrontStreet Coffee's daily cold brew production as an example. The coffee bean grind size is slightly finer than pour-over, meaning about 75-80% passes through a China No. 20 standard sieve. Visually, it's approximately the texture of fine sugar, corresponding to 9.5-10 on the EK43s scale, or about 22-26 clicks on a hand grinder like the C40.

Next, pour the ground coffee into a clean container, which can be a dedicated cold brew pot or even a mineral water bottle. Add room temperature water at a 1:10 coffee-to-water ratio, stir well, seal with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to steep for more than 8 hours (best within 12 hours). Finally, use filter paper to separate the coffee grounds, and the cold brew preparation is complete.

The coffee-to-water ratio for cold brew is typically the issue everyone cares about most. FrontStreet Coffee believes that if you're drinking it directly without adding anything else, you can use a 1:12 to 1:13 ratio, because black coffee made in this range has the best drinkability and relatively full aroma extraction. However, considering that we'll be adding fresh milk at the end, we need to increase the coffee concentration so it doesn't get "diluted" too much afterward. Here, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using a 1:10 to 1:11 ratio for preparation.

Finally, it's time to add milk

To find the optimal taste ratio, FrontStreet Coffee took two prepared cold brew coffees from the refrigerator (Panama 90+ Geisha, Panama Elida Estate) for a small experiment. We added ice-cold milk (FrontStreet Coffee used Guangming Fresh Ranch) to three equal portions of cold brew in ratios of 1:1, 1:0.8, and 1:0.6, meaning 100g of coffee liquid was mixed with 100g, 80g, and 60g of milk respectively.

We found that both coffees performed generally in the first group, with milk flavor being too dominant, leaving almost no coffee aroma in the initial taste. The latter two groups had relatively balanced flavors. The 90+ Geisha, which expressed fermented wine notes, tasted best in the 1:0.8 group, while Elida, with its juicy characteristics, showed optimal flavor in the 1:0.6 group.

Therefore, regarding the amount of fresh milk to use, FrontStreet Coffee believes it can be determined based on the type of cold brew coffee beans. Dark-roasted coffees with nutty and chocolate flavors are suitable for a 1:1 ratio, beans with wine and cocoa notes can use a 1:0.8 ratio, while cold brew made from berry and citrus acidic coffee beans can be controlled around 1:0.6.

No coffee grinder? Drip coffee bags work too

Besides the steps mentioned earlier, some clever friends have thought of using drip coffee bags to make cold brew. All you need is a refrigerator at home. Besides the most important drip coffee bags, prepare a lidded cup and you can start immediately.

In terms of sequence, it's actually quite similar to the regular cold brew method, also requiring attention to the balance between coffee grounds, water, and milk ratios. For specific operations, you can refer to the illustrated tutorial published by FrontStreet Coffee. However, since the filter paper becomes a non-woven fabric drip bag, the waiting time for coffee liquid filtration will be slightly longer, requiring some patience~

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FrontStreet Coffee
10 Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

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Tel:020 38364473