<p>First, make sure to study <a href="https://coffee.stackexchange.com/q/400/277">What do I need to start cold-brewing</a>. But since concentrate is not discussed there, I don't think your question is a duplicate. Your French press concentrate could last a couple days, depending on the consumption.</p>

<p>Assuming you divide the volume of the French press by 5, you would need 1 part of ground coffee (the usual coarse grind you use in the press; extraction is weaker at low temperatures but the time makes up for it even with coarse grind) and 4 parts of fresh room-temperature water, which you gently mix and stir. The coffee should sit for about 12-16 hours at room temperature. Then plunge, and here is the concentrate. To dilute, use another 8 parts of cold water or milk (or better, start with 5-6 parts and taste to determine whether you want it still thinner).</p>

<p>Here's my <a href="http://imbibemagazine.com/Iced-Coffee-How-To/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">favourite article</a> that discusses dripping methods as well.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-15T15:09:56.553Z
Wow, that's a lot of coffee! Seems like a good system / rule-of-thumb. Would you clarify a few things? Do you leave this to brew at room temperature (vice fridge)? Do you recommend the same coarseness of grind as you would use for regular French press? With that many grounds, it seems like you won't be able to press the plunger down very far. Do you think you're getting full extraction/yield?
hoc_age
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T15:13:25.620Z
@hoc_age: added details but for the last one. I didn't think about it before, thanks! Right, maybe this way some grounds get wasted. A report on reducing coffee proportion is welcome.
Ivan Kapitonov
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-01-10T13:39:19.607Z
I use the 1/5 proportions too, but I drink the resulting liquid as-is. If you're from Europe you may want to taste the 1/5 "concentrate" before you dilute it - you might find it's already just right for you and doesn't need any more water.
Don Joe
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-14T13:53:46.097Z
Is the 4:1 ratio by weight or volume?
Ray Butterworth
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-30T12:58:00.580Z
@RayButterworth Weight. It's always weight, with coffee beans you can't rely on volume.
Ivan Kapitonov
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-15T08:14:47.113Z
2015-11-12T14:34:55.760Z
2017-04-13T12:51:53.733Z
Ivan Kapitonov
<p>The standard recommended ratios for cold brew are: </p>

<p><code>
|   Roaster      | oz Coffee | oz water |   time   | ratio | 
|----------------------------------------------------------| 
|Stumptown       | 12oz      | 56oz     | 16 hours | .214  | 
|Blue Bottle     | 16oz      | 67.6oz   | 12 hour  | .236  | 
|Ritual          | 4oz       | 35.2oz   | 18 hours | .113  | 
|Intelligentsia  | 8oz       | 56oz     | 12 hours | .142  |
</code></p>

<p>These recipes vary in concentration - the lower ~0.1 recipes are designed to be consumed without dilution, while the ~0.2 recipes are designed to be consumed in a 1:2 cold brew concentrate to water dilution. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-24T21:18:33.350Z
2015-11-24T21:18:33.350Z
JayCo
<p>Simple French Press cold brew:</p>
<p>Same amount of coffee you like for hot French Press.</p>
<p>Fill with water.</p>
<p>Park in the fridge overnight (or 24 hours, doesn't seem to make a huge difference, and it may be easier to just clean it when you drink it and immediately refill and put back in fridge.</p>
<p>Press the piston and drink. Adjust coffee amount if desired for next batch.</p>
<p>Not concentrate. <em>Concentrate is a pain in the rear and wastes coffee (IMHO.)</em></p>
<p>Same method works with a bottle/jug/jar for the grounds and water and any drip filter (Chemex, pour-over or any funnel with a filter in it, hot drip machine with the lid up) for the filtering; includes the ability to have a paper filter if you think that might be better for you. Also doesn't require a French Press if you don't have one and want to experiment with cold brew starting from some other hot brew method.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-14T13:13:19.227Z
2022-08-14T13:13:19.227Z
Ecnerwal
<p><strong>17:1</strong> water to coffee ratio (by weight) for regular coffee</p>

<p><strong>4:1</strong> ratio for cold brew</p>

<p>The extraction will also be impacted by things like grind size, water temp &amp; dwell time so in order to get a "golden cup." </p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/DYFQJ.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/DYFQJ.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Image from <a href="http://scaa.org/" rel="noreferrer">SCAA</a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-01T13:09:02.997Z
2017-04-25T11:01:24.853Z
2017-04-25T11:01:24.853Z
Indzi
<p>I was interested today in making some cold brew. I have a french press so I'd like to use that.</p>

<p>What is your recommended brewing time?
Does this make a concentrate?
What ratio do you use later to dilute that concentrate?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-16T16:44:27.437Z
Hi Nate! The ratios, brewing times, and other techniques for French press cold brew can vary greatly depending on personal preference. Can you give us some more detail on what your ideal result would be?
hairboat
<french-press><cold-brew>
What's the recommended coffee to water ratio for cold brew?
Nate
# What's the recommended coffee to water ratio for cold brew?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-02-15)

I was interested today in making some cold brew. I have a french press so I'd like to use that.

What is your recommended brewing time?
Does this make a concentrate?
What ratio do you use later to dilute that concentrate?

**Tags:** french-press, cold-brew

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hi username_0! The ratios, brewing times, and other techniques for French press cold brew can vary greatly depending on personal preference. Can you give us some more detail on what your ideal result would be?  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-02-15. Score: 9

First, make sure to study [What do I need to start cold-brewing](https://coffee.stackexchange.com/q/400/277). But since concentrate is not discussed there, I don't think your question is a duplicate. Your French press concentrate could last a couple days, depending on the consumption.

Assuming you divide the volume of the French press by 5, you would need 1 part of ground coffee (the usual coarse grind you use in the press; extraction is weaker at low temperatures but the time makes up for it even with coarse grind) and 4 parts of fresh room-temperature water, which you gently mix and stir. The coffee should sit for about 12-16 hours at room temperature. Then plunge, and here is the concentrate. To dilute, use another 8 parts of cold water or milk (or better, start with 5-6 parts and taste to determine whether you want it still thinner).

Here's my [favourite article](http://imbibemagazine.com/Iced-Coffee-How-To/) that discusses dripping methods as well.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Wow, that's a lot of coffee! Seems like a good system / rule-of-thumb. Would you clarify a few things? Do you leave this to brew at room temperature (vice fridge)? Do you recommend the same coarseness of grind as you would use for regular French press? With that many grounds, it seems like you won't be able to press the plunger down very far. Do you think you're getting full extraction/yield?  
> **username_2**: @username_3: added details but for the last one. I didn't think about it before, thanks! Right, maybe this way some grounds get wasted. A report on reducing coffee proportion is welcome.  
> **username_4**: I use the 1/5 proportions too, but I drink the resulting liquid as-is. If you're from Europe you may want to taste the 1/5 "concentrate" before you dilute it - you might find it's already just right for you and doesn't need any more water.  
> **username_5**: Is the 4:1 ratio by weight or volume?  
> **username_2**: @RayButterworth Weight. It's always weight, with coffee beans you can't rely on volume.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2015-11-24. Score: 5

The standard recommended ratios for cold brew are:

`| Roaster | oz Coffee | oz water | time | ratio |
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|Stumptown | 12oz | 56oz | 16 hours | .214 |
|Blue Bottle | 16oz | 67.6oz | 12 hour | .236 |
|Ritual | 4oz | 35.2oz | 18 hours | .113 |
|Intelligentsia | 8oz | 56oz | 12 hours | .142 |`

These recipes vary in concentration - the lower ~0.1 recipes are designed to be consumed without dilution, while the ~0.2 recipes are designed to be consumed in a 1:2 cold brew concentrate to water dilution.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2017-03-01. Score: 5

**17:1** water to coffee ratio (by weight) for regular coffee

**4:1** ratio for cold brew

The extraction will also be impacted by things like grind size, water temp & dwell time so in order to get a "golden cup."

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/DYFQJ.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/DYFQJ.png)

> Image from [SCAA](http://scaa.org/)


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2022-08-14. Score: 0

Simple French Press cold brew:

Same amount of coffee you like for hot French Press.

Fill with water.

Park in the fridge overnight (or 24 hours, doesn't seem to make a huge difference, and it may be easier to just clean it when you drink it and immediately refill and put back in fridge.

Press the piston and drink. Adjust coffee amount if desired for next batch.

Not concentrate. *Concentrate is a pain in the rear and wastes coffee (IMHO.)*

Same method works with a bottle/jug/jar for the grounds and water and any drip filter (Chemex, pour-over or any funnel with a filter in it, hot drip machine with the lid up) for the filtering; includes the ability to have a paper filter if you think that might be better for you. Also doesn't require a French Press if you don't have one and want to experiment with cold brew starting from some other hot brew method.


---

