When Perth starts turning up the heat, there are few things better than opening the fridge and finding a big batch of cold brew already waiting for you.

Smooth, refreshing, ridiculously easy to drink and very capable of making a 38-degree day feel slightly less offensive.

One of our favourite ways to make cold brew at home is with the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Pot.

Made by Japanese coffee equipment company Hario, the Mizudashi is beautifully simple. Coffee goes in. Water goes in. You leave it alone for a while. Excellent coffee comes out.

And if you do not own a Mizudashi, you absolutely do not need to abandon the mission.

A large jar or jug works perfectly well too. As long as it can comfortably hold your coffee and water, you can make cold brew. You will just need a strainer and some cheesecloth or a clean, rinsed Chux-style cloth to filter the coffee at the end.

WHY COLD BREW?

Because it is delicious.

That is obviously reason number one.

But cold brew also produces a very different cup of coffee to brewing something hot and simply chucking it over ice.

Instead of using hot water to extract flavour quickly, cold brew uses room temperature or cool water and gives the coffee much longer to do its thing.

The result is generally a beautifully smooth, sweet and easy drinking coffee that lets plenty of the natural flavours in the beans shine through.

It is also extremely convenient. Make a batch once and you have coffee sitting in the fridge ready whenever the need arises.

Morning coffee. Afternoon coffee. Coffee before dealing with people.

Coffee after dealing with people. Sorted.

OUR COLD BREW RECIPE

This is our starting recipe for approximately one litre of cold brew.

You can make it using a Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Pot or use the same recipe with a large jar or jug.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

90g freshly roasted coffee

1 litre filtered water at room temperature

Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Pot

Or a large jar or jug

Spoon

Kitchen scales

If using a jar or jug, you will also need a metal strainer and cheesecloth or a clean rinsed Chux style cloth.

1. GRIND YOUR COFFEE

Start with 90g of freshly roasted coffee.

Grind it to a medium coarse consistency.

You want the grounds to feel slightly coarser than table salt between your fingers.

Because the coffee is going to spend a long time in contact with the water, you do not need a particularly fine grind.

2. ADD YOUR WATER

Pour 600ml of filtered water into your Mizudashi pot.

If you are using a jar or jug, pour the water straight into that instead.

Using filtered water is always worth it when brewing coffee. Your finished cold brew is mostly water, so good water gives your coffee a much better place to start.

3. ADD THE COFFEE

Add your 90g of ground coffee to the Mizudashi mesh filter and place the filter into the pot. 

If you are using the jar or jug method, simply tip the ground coffee directly into the water. No mesh filter required.

4. ADD THE REST OF THE WATER

Slowly pour the remaining 400ml of filtered water over the coffee.

Give the coffee a gentle stir with a spoon.

You want to make sure all of the grounds are completely wet. Have a look for any sneaky dry pockets or clumps hiding underneath the surface.

If you are using a jar or jug, give the whole thing a good stir and make sure there are no coffee grounds sitting high and dry around the sides.

5. LEAVE IT ALONE

Put the lid on and leave your cold brew somewhere cool and away from direct sunlight for around 18 to 24 hours.

We generally leave ours for the full 24 hours because we like the result.

That does not mean you have to.

Coffee recipes are starting points, not legally binding contracts.

Try your first batch at 18 hours.

Try the next one at 24.

Taste both and decide which one you prefer.

6. STRAIN YOUR COLD BREW

If you are using a Mizudashi, this bit is incredibly easy.

Remove the mesh filter and discard the used coffee grounds.

Done.

If you are using a jar or jug, place a metal strainer over another clean container and line it with rinsed cheesecloth or a clean, rinsed Chux-style cloth.

Slowly pour your cold brew through the strainer to remove the coffee grounds.

Take your time here. Nobody wants gritty cold brew.

7. CHILL AND DRINK

Pop your finished cold brew into the fridge and let it chill.

Or, if patience has already left the building, pour it straight over plenty of ice and get involved immediately.

Drink it black.

Add milk.

Add alternative milk.

Sweeten it if that is your thing.

There are very few rules here.

WHAT COFFEE SHOULD YOU USE FOR COLD BREW?

This is where cold brew gets interesting.

The slower brewing process can really highlight the flavours already present in your coffee, so choose your beans based on the kind of coffee you actually enjoy drinking.

Love chocolate, nuts and caramel? Choose something with those flavours. Like Ping or Sparky. 

Prefer fruitier, brighter coffees? Try a lighter roasted single origin.

If you are planning to drink your cold brew with milk, we generally recommend choosing a coffee with enough body and sweetness to stand up to it. For us, Ping is an absolute weapon for milk-based cold brew.

Its milk chocolate and almond flavours work brilliantly over ice and play very nicely with dairy, oat, soy or almond milk.

COLD BREW IS NOT JUST FOR BREAKFAST

One of the best things about making a batch of cold brew is how versatile it is.

Obviously, you can drink it straight over ice, but you can also start causing trouble with it.

Use it in an Espresso Martini instead of freshly brewed espresso.

Add it to cocktails. Try it with tonic. Pour it over ice cream. Turn it into a coffee milkshake, or even add it to a protein shake before the gym.  

Make coffee ice cubes so your iced coffee stops becoming increasingly sad and watery as the ice melts.

Once there is a bottle of cold brew sitting in your fridge, options appear.

HOW LONG DOES COLD BREW LAST?

Once brewed and strained, keep your cold brew refrigerated in a clean, sealed container.

For the best flavour, we recommend making manageable batches and drinking them while they are still tasting fresh rather than attempting to keep one heroic batch alive indefinitely.

If you add milk, treat it like any other milk-based drink and follow the storage life of the milk you have used.

THE RECIPE AT A GLANCE

Coffee: 90g

Water: 1 litre filtered water

Grind: Medium coarse

Brew time: 18 to 24 hours

Our preference: Around 24 hours

Serve: Chilled or poured over ice

NO MIZUDASHI? NO PROBLEM.

The Hario Mizudashi makes the whole process beautifully easy, particularly because the built-in filter means there is almost no mess at the end.

But do not let a lack of fancy brewing gear stand between you and cold coffee.

Jar.

Jug.

Coffee.

Water.

Strain it tomorrow.

Cold brew achieved.

If you need a Hario Mizudashi, freshly roasted coffee or beans that absolutely slap over ice, have a look through the Grouch shop.