Free Cold Brew Dilution Calculator
Dial in cold brew concentrate strength: calculate precise water, milk, and cream additions for ready-to-drink iced coffee and lattes.
☕ Concentrate & Serving Setup
🥛 Dilution & Serving Yield
Recommended Tools & Equipment
Tested hardware and components for high reliability
The Chemistry of Cold Brew Extraction
Brewing coffee with room temperature or chilled water (18 to 24 hours immersion) extracts significantly fewer chlorogenic acids, resulting in a cup with up to 65% lower perceived acidity and prominent chocolate, nutty, and caramel flavor notes.
Concentrate vs Ready-to-Drink
Brewing at 1:5 allows you to store a compact jar in your refrigerator that stays fresh for up to 14 days without oxidation. When ready to drink, simply add cold water, oat milk, or pour over dense ice cubes.
Factoring Ice Melt
A standard tumbler filled with ice cubes will melt approximately 2 to 3 fluid ounces (60-90 ml) of water into your drink over 20 minutes. If you dilute too heavily in advance, your beverage will taste thin and watery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cold brew coffee have more caffeine than drip coffee?
Ounce for ounce of brewed liquid, cold brew concentrate contains nearly double the caffeine of standard drip coffee due to the high coffee-to-water ratio (1:5 vs 1:16). However, once diluted 1:1 with water or milk, the caffeine per 8oz cup is comparable (~140-180 mg).
What grind size should I use for cold brew?
Always use an extra coarse grind (coarse kosher salt consistency). Fine grinds create excessive silt that clogs filters and causes over-extracted, bitter, muddy cold brew.
Should I steep cold brew in the fridge or on the counter?
Steeping on the counter at room temperature (around 20°C / 68°F) for 16 to 18 hours produces richer extraction. Steeping inside the refrigerator slows molecular extraction, requiring 20 to 24 hours.