How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home: The Easy Panama Recipe
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How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home: The Easy Panama Recipe
If you want to know how to make cold brew coffee at home, here is the good news: it is the single easiest way to brew great coffee, and you do not need a machine, a kettle, or any skill at all. You need coffee, water, time, and something to strain it. The result is smooth, naturally sweet, low in acidity, and keeps in your fridge for days.
I'm Juan Carlos Sosa, founder of Boquete Coffee Traders, shipping specialty coffee straight from Panama. Cold brew is my favorite way to show off a clean, fruit-forward Panama coffee in warm weather. Here is the exact ratio, the steep time, the beans to use, and the answer to the question everyone asks: how much caffeine is actually in cold brew.
Quick Recipe: Combine 1 part coarsely ground coffee to 8 parts cold water (for example, 100g coffee to 800ml water). Stir, cover, and steep in the fridge for 16 to 18 hours. Strain. Serve over ice, diluted to taste. That is it.
What You Need
No special equipment required. You can use a large jar or pitcher and a fine strainer, or a dedicated cold brew maker — here are the best cold brew makers for specialty coffee. Here is the short list: coarsely ground coffee, cold filtered water, a container with a lid, and a way to strain (a fine mesh sieve lined with a paper filter, a nut-milk bag, or a French press all work).
Step by Step: How to Make Cold Brew
1Grind your coffee coarse
Cold brew needs a coarse grind, similar to raw sugar or breadcrumbs. Too fine and your brew turns muddy and over-extracted. If you grind at home, set your grinder to its coarsest setting. Need a grinder? A quality burr grinder makes all the difference, see our guide to the best coffee grinders.
2Measure your ratio
The classic cold brew ratio is 1:8 by weight, one gram of coffee for every eight grams (millilitres) of water. This makes a strong, smooth brew you can dilute later. For a ready-to-drink batch rather than a concentrate, use 1:12. Start with 1:8 and adjust to your taste.
3Combine and stir
Add your coarse grounds to the container, pour in the cold filtered water, and stir gently to make sure all the grounds are fully saturated. Cold water is key, hot water would start a different, more acidic extraction.
4Steep 16 to 18 hours
Cover and leave it in the fridge. Cold water extracts slowly, so it needs time, 16 to 18 hours is the sweet spot for most coffees. Less than 12 and it will taste weak; much more than 24 and it can turn bitter.
5Strain well
Pour the brew through your strainer to remove the grounds. For a crystal-clear cup, strain a second time through a paper filter. Do not press or squeeze the grounds, let it drip naturally to keep the cup clean.
6Serve and store
Serve over ice. If you brewed a 1:8 concentrate, dilute roughly 1:1 with water or milk to taste. Cold brew keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks, though it is best within the first week.
The Best Coffee for Cold Brew
Cold brew mutes acidity and amplifies sweetness and body, so it rewards a clean, well-grown coffee. You do not need to use your rarest Geisha here (though you can), a smooth, balanced Panama Arabica makes outstanding cold brew at a friendly price.
Whatever you choose, freshness matters. We roast and ship made-to-order from Panama, delivered in 5 days or less, so your beans are at their best when they reach you. Browse all our Panama coffee, or for the smoothest possible cold brew, start with a washed Geisha.
How Much Caffeine Is in Cold Brew?
This is the question everyone asks, and the answer surprises people. Because cold brew is usually made as a concentrate with a high coffee-to-water ratio, the undiluted concentrate is very strong, often far more caffeinated than a regular cup. But once you dilute it to drink, a typical serving lands around 150 to 240mg per large cup, broadly similar to, and sometimes a little more than, regular hot drip coffee.
The real answer is that it depends entirely on three things: your coffee-to-water ratio, your steep time, and how much you dilute before drinking. A strong 1:8 concentrate sipped without much dilution will hit harder than a hot cup; the same brew diluted 1:1 lands close to ordinary coffee. Bean choice matters too, but all our Panama coffees are 100% Arabica, which is naturally smoother and slightly lower in caffeine than Robusta. If you want a gentler batch, use a lower ratio or dilute more; for a stronger morning jolt, dilute less.
Cold Brew vs Iced Coffee: What Is the Difference?
They are not the same thing. Iced coffee is simply hot-brewed coffee poured over ice, which means it carries the acidity and bitterness of a hot brew and gets diluted as the ice melts. Cold brew is never heated, it is steeped slowly in cold water, which produces a smoother, sweeter, less acidic cup that holds its strength. If you have only ever had iced coffee, real cold brew is a revelation.
Prefer Your Coffee Hot?
Cold brew is just one way to enjoy Panama coffee. If you would rather brew hot, we have full guides for that too: the complete guide to brewing Panama coffee, a dedicated Geisha brewing guide, and a step-by-step moka pot guide.
Questions about ratios, beans, or steep times? Just reach out. I'm always happy to help you dial in the perfect batch.