Decaf Cold Brew Iced Coffee

Have you tried cold brew coffee? I prefer it to regular “brewed” iced coffee because it’s smoother and less acidic. It’s become super popular and is now ubiquitous at coffee shops, grocery stores, and even fast food outlets. But if you’re looking for decaffeinated cold brew, you’re out of luck. Most national coffee shops (Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Caribou) do not make or sell it. Your BEST option is to make decaf cold brew at home.  The good news is that it’s super easy to make decaf cold brew iced coffee with just two ingredients and a few supplies.

Cold brew coffee is different than iced coffee. Iced coffee is hot coffee that’s been brewed strongly and poured over ice (or hot coffee that’s been refrigerated) whereas cold brew coffee never touches hot water.

Instead, coarse coffee grounds are steeped in cold water for anywhere from 12-24 hours to create a cold brew concentrate that’s less acidic, less bitter, and much smoother than iced coffee. Cold brew coffee concentrate is super strong, and needs some water or milk added (usually two or three parts water or milk to one part cold brew).

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Making Decaf Cold Brew Iced Coffee at Home

All you need to whip up a batch of decaf cold brew is coffee beans and a container to steep and strain the mixture:

1. Decaffeinated coffee beans. I prefer Starbucks Decaf Espresso but you can use any decaf coffee that you choose. Make sure that you get it coarsely ground. You do not want the “fine ground” that you would use if you were brewing it. Of course, you can also use caffeinated beans if you prefer.
2. You can make cold brew using a mesh sieve or cheesecloth, but recently, my son introduced me to the OXO Cold Brew System and it’s a huge improvement over the pitcher I was previously using. No wonder it’s so well rated! It comes in either a 16 ounce compact size or a 32 ounce size. (Don’t forget you’re making coffee concentrate – not drinkable coffee. I love that the cleanup is so easy and that the cold brew is stored in glass rather than plastic. There are also mason jar options available on Amazon. Just search for “cold brew pitcher.”
3. Regardless of the vessel, the process of making cold brew is the same. You add your ground coffee (regular or decaf), cover it with water, and let it sit on the counter for 12 – 24 hours. After 24 hours you either drain the water (with the Oxo system) or remove the insert (with a pitcher) and your cold brew concentrate is ready to drink. Store it in the refrigerator (but you can drink it hot or cold.)

Try this healthy recipe and let me know what you think. Be sure to tag #grownupdish or @grownup_dish on Instagram so I can share your posts.

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Decaf Cold Brew Iced Coffee

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• Author: jzmcbride
• Total Time: 12 hours 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 quart 1x

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Description

Cold brew coffee is all the rage, but if you want a decaffeinated version you’ll have to make it yourself. Make this easy decaf cold brew iced coffee at home with just two simple ingredients. It’s rich, smooth, low-acid, calorie-free and it won’t give you the caffeine jitters.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups coarsely ground medium or dark roast coffee. I like Starbucks Decaf Espresso.
• 1 quart cold water
• cold brew pitcher OR any 1 quart container, plus a fine mesh sieve, cheesecloth or coffee filter

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Instructions

1. Use about 4 ounces (1 – 1 1/2 cups) of coarsely ground coffee beans. Pour the grounds into your container and add a quart of water.
2. Put the lid on the container and place it in your refrigerator. Allow the coffee to steep for 12 to 24 hours. The longer it steeps, the stronger your coffee concentrate will be.
3. After the 12 to 24 hours steeping time, strain the mixture through cheesecloth or a coffee filter. (If you’re using a cold brew pitcher, you’ll just remove the insert.) Discard the used coffee grounds.
4. When cold brew concentrate is ready, mix with 1-2 parts cold water or milk and enjoy!
    
    

Notes

Coffee brewed this way may be stronger then you are used to. Try it straight and then dilute the coffee to your taste with water, ice, milk/cream or non-dairy milk (almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, etc.)

I like the Oxo Cold Brew system. It comes in either a 16 ounce compact size or a 32 ounce size.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 hours
• Category: recipe
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 0
• Sugar: 0
• Sodium: 0
• Fat: 0
• Saturated Fat: 0
• Unsaturated Fat: 0
• Trans Fat: 0