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This Toddy Cold Brew Coffee uses a patented system, using regular coffee beans to create a super smooth, less acidic coffee. Add milk, cream, sweetener, and/or water to make a perfect cold coffee or even a cup of hot coffee!

Try our Pumpkin Foam Cold Brew next!

Overhead view of a glass of cold brew coffee with coffee cubes.

Best Cold Brew

Summer is here, y’all! Here in Texas, our a/c is running 24/7, the pool is finally warm enough to swim, and our yard looks like a nursery (thanks to my hubby). I can see that 99-degree weather is on the horizon (YIKES), and while I don’t love the extreme heat, I’m preparing myself. When the weather is warm, we live on iced coffees.

My fabulous sister, Shari, owned a coffee shop back in the day and used a larger version of this Toddy Cold Brew System for the iced coffees she served to her customers. She then convinced her sisters and brothers into buying one of these smaller miracle contraptions and converted most of us into falling in love with coffee.

Every single one of my siblings (six counting me) has it now, as well as many friends that I’ve shared this love with. There are other brewing systems, but this one is still going strong after years of use.

If you’re more of a latte person, have a coffee date with one of these – Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Cozy Caramel Lattes, or Homemade Eggnog Lattes! So much yum.

Overhead shot of the Toddy maker with coffee ground soaking.

What is cold brew coffee?

Cold Brew Coffee uses time to replace heat. Coarse coffee beans are brewed with cold water over a 12 to 24-hour brew time. Once the coffee steeps, you end up with a very strong coffee concentrate that you cut with water or milk, at about a 50 percent ratio, or to taste.

Cold water brewing extracts the delicious flavor compounds from coffee beans but leaves behind certain oils and fatty acids that are present in hot-brewed coffee. The flavor is thus rounder, and less bitter using the toddy system.

You could also use this cold brew to make a HOT cup of coffee. Just add water instead of milk, heat up in the microwave, and then add a touch of cream or milk.

What are the benefits of making Cold Brew Coffee?

The coffee is less acidic (and easier on sensitive stomachs). In fact, it is 67 percent less acidic than coffee made with hot brew methods.
It uses regular coffee beans – that are coarsely ground, and yields a smoother (and less bitter) coffee taste.
The system is super inexpensive. The cost of the system is cheap compared to most, and making your own coffee is far more cost-effective than stopping at a coffee shop each day. The reusable filter is also a great way to save money while using the toddy brewing system.
It’s easy to make. It takes a mere five minutes to get your coffee steeping.
The Toddy cold brew coffee system takes little space to store and is lightweight. If you aren’t using this coffee system, you can store the carafe inside the actual Coffee Maker. AND BTW, we pack our Toddy Maker when we travel and use a pitcher at the Airbnb.
The brewed coffee lasts 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator, although ours never lasts that long. 🙂

Purchasing Coffee for Cold Brew

Remember to buy coffee beans (whatever kind you like) using a COARSE grind. This is important. For best results, I do these two things.

For the coffee cubes – I usually go to a store where I can grind the beans myself, like World Market.
For the cold brew – I prefer to buy better-tasting beans from a local coffee shop or roaster.

My hand holding a cup of cold brew coffee.

Why We Love Drinking Cold Brew:

We are serious cold brew lovers. In fact, we drink it year-round now. In the cooler months, we start with a Nespresso and then have a second cup of cold-brewed coffee using this simple system.
Less acid. As I mentioned, using this brewing method results in less acid coffee. As we get older, our sensitivities have increased and so this is MUCH easier on the tummy.
Easy to Take Along on Trips. We’re travel lovers too, so we PACK our Toddy maker (and oftentimes, some ground coffee) and enjoy delicious iced coffees on the beach. This is a great system to pack because it’s lightweight and you can stuff your socks in it to save room. LOL!
My inner barista is set free! I’ve always wanted to work in a coffee shop so this is 10/10.

How to make the best Cold Brew Coffee at home:

Step 1
Prep Toddy. Take the Toddy Maker, place the rubber stopper tightly in the bottom, and secure the felt filter.

Step 2
Fill with water and coarse coffee. Pour four cups of cold, filtered water in Toddy Maker, followed by two cups of COARSE coffee grounds. Then add two more cups of water, followed by two more cups of grounds, and then two more cups of water. The topmost grounds should appear to be wet.

Step 3
Steep. Place the mixture in a quiet corner of your kitchen to steep at room temperature, for between 12-24 hours.

Step 4
Strain coffee. Carefully pull the stopper from the bottom of Toddy Maker, holding it directly over the glass decanter. Set it on the carafe until the coffee is finished dripping. You may need to watch as it fills up to prevent it from over-filling. If you add more than eight cups of water, you’ll need to set the coffee over an additional container.

The toddy maker with a drizzle of coffee going into a carafe.

The Toddy maker brewing cold brew in a carafe.

Step 5
Chill. Refrigerate the brewed coffee until ready to serve. The cold brew can be kept for 2-3 weeks.

Step 6
Clean Toddy Maker. To clean the Toddy Maker, empty the grounds into the garbage, remove the filter, and rinse well. You can run the container through the dishwasher or wash by hand.

OPTIONAL: The toddy® cold brew system now includes paper filters that are purchased separately. These make clean-up easier but are not required to make great cold brew.

Overhead view of a glass of cold brew with coffee cubes.

How to make Cold Brew Ice Cubes:

The latest, greatest cold brews happening here, include cold brew ice cubes. We Southerners have to battle some extreme heat for several months in the summer, and there is nothing worse than watered-down coffees. These cubes are basically saving us, y’all!

Fill ice cube trays. Pour coffee into the ice cube trays.
Freeze. Place trays in the freezer until solid, about 12 hours.
Remove cubes. Remove the cubes to a separate container and store them in your freezer.

How to Make a Cup of Iced Coffee:

Wake up. 🙂
Fill your glass with coffee ice cubes.
Pour cold brew concentrate into your glass, to about halfway full.
Add a little sweetener – syrups, honey, sugar, or your choice of sweetener.
Add milk or cream to the top of the glass.
Sip your super-smooth coffee with someone you love!

A glass of coffee cubes with cold brew on top.

What to enjoy WITH your cold brew beverages:

Moist Banana Muffins – One of our favorite one-bowl recipes – pictured below!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins – Because I believe you should enjoy pumpkin ALL year long.
Chocolate Chip Scones – Mike’s favorite, and I like to keep them in the freezer for weekend coffee dates.
Chocolate Sourdough Bread – The yummiest sourdough bread!

Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)

xoxo ~Sue