Immersion Methods for Making Cold Brew Coffee at Home

Love cold brew coffee? Then this guide to three Immersion methods will come in handy, enjoy! Cold brew coffee used to be something just a few people did to look different. Now, it has become so mainstream that even health workers recommend it to coffee lovers if their stomach can’t handle excessive acids. All that is because immersion methods are one of the easiest brewing methods for cold brew coffee.

Cold brew coffee used to be something just a few people had and got themselves labeled as weird. Now, it has become so mainstream that even health workers recommend it to people who love coffee if their stomachs cannot handle excessive acids for some reason. Also, note that immersion is one of the easiest brewing methods for cold brew coffee.

Why? Because it is easy and very flexible.

Because the immersion methods are so easy, they can be done at home without too much fussing around. You don’t even need expensive or complicated equipment to get an excellent brew from your coffee grounds.

Making cold brew coffee Using the immersion methods

Involves soaking coarsely ground coffee in cold water for at least 12 hours.

After the brewing period, you pass the mixture through a filter to remove the grounds and other sediments. And it doesn’t have to be a sophisticated filter too. Any kind of clean Filter that would allow water to pass through it is good enough.

As earlier stated, there are several ways to make cold brew coffee this way. Those three immersion methods I will explain later. First, though, let’s look at why this method is increasingly becoming people’s first choice.

Here’s a beautiful video from GOAT STORY on How to make immersion coffee:

Benefits of Immersion cold brew coffee

1. The resulting beverage is smooth-tasting and satisfying and unlike iced coffee, you don’t get a watered-down drink.
2. Immersion cold brew brings out most of the fruity, chocolate, or floral flavors.
3. It is perfect for people who hate the bitter taste of hot-brewed coffee. Cold brew is comparatively mellow.
4. It contains less acid than regular coffee. Some reports even claim immersion cold brew coffee contains up to 70% less acid.

This is awesome for people with stomach ulcers and other health problems that preclude the ingestion of acidic food and drinks

Three easy ways to make cold brew coffee using immersion techniques

Whenever there is something new to try coffee-wise, I like to do it as soon as I hear about it. With cold brew, it can take a while tho, because cold brew coffee brew can be a long process, not complicated, just a long one.

It is worth mentioning that your coffee beans are the most important aspect of coffee making. That fact cannot be overstated. So make sure you get the and most suitable coffee beans for cold brewing.

And do grind the beans to a coarse texture. It is the good way to extract the range of flavors using immersion methods.

1. Mason Jar immersion technique

A glass container would do here, but it is a safe bet everybody has a Mason jar somewhere at home. If not, you can get one that is specifically designed for brewing from Amazon. Simply put your coarse coffee beans in the jar and fill it with water. Then cover it with the lid and allow it to brew for at least 12 hours.

Then filter the mixture with a coffee paper filter. You can filter more than once to remove the sediments completely. Some people like a bit of the coffee sediments. So they filter only once. Though this is very easy to do, the paper filter does remove some of the oils. This makes the brew a little bit lighter.

Check Price On Amazon

2. Filter bag / Coffee Sock Method

This immersion method is almost the same as the Mason jar method. The significant difference is the ground coffee doesn’t come into direct contact with the water. The grounds are placed inside the filter bag or coffee sock before placing them inside the jar of water. After at least 12 hours of brewing, you remove the filter bag or coffee sock. What remains in the jar is your brew. The one upside of this method is the cleaning up after brewing. That could take a while, and you need to wash up the bag or sock after every brewing. It is advisable to clean your filters with boiling water at least periodically. The coffee socks and coffee filter bags are available online. You can also get them in neighborhood stores and malls.

Check Price On Amazon

3. French Press Immersion method

The French press, known by several names, is a simple coffee brewer that is excellent if you want a simple machine that is compatible with the immersion method. It is a glass jug with a filter attached to the lid. The filter is connected to a plunger and never comes in contact with the coffee-water mixture until after the brewing. Simply place your coarse coffee grounds in the container and pour water over it. Then cover it securely with the lid, making sure it is airtight. Leave it for at least 12 hours to brew. After 12 hours, carefully and slowly press down on the plunger. As it goes down the jar, the brew is filtered out. Stop when you meet a bit of resistance. You don’t want to force some of the coffee through the filter. Next, open the lid and pour your brew into a mug. You may have to do that slowly so that some of the sediments that escaped the filter wouldn’t get into your mug.

Using a French press comes with one major advantage. Because the French press uses a steel filter, the oils are preserved in your brew giving your coffee the complete range of flavor. However, cleaning up is not going to be easy though.

Check Price On Amazon

Closing Thoughts

No matter which of the immersion methods for cold brew coffee you chose would ultimately depend on convenience. But you would get to enjoy the cold brew you wanted.

The brew concentrate can be stored in a fridge for up to 2 weeks. When you want a cup of coffee, dilute half a cup with an equal amount of water and you’ve got yourself a cup of perfectly, and – more importantly – self-brewed coffee. Cheers!

And if you are interested in some practical experiments, the Seattle Coffee Gear has made the comparison video of Drip Vs. Immersion Cold brew methods. Have fun!