The One Product That’ll Forever Change Your Cold Brew

updated Jun 13, 2019
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

Like a lot of people, I have a small home kitchen and have to be very selective about what tools take up my limited counter, drawer, or cupboard space. I’ve been skipping the fancy cold brew systems in favor of a multi-purpose strainer and some cheesecloth that fits tidily into a drawer for my big batches of cold brew. That was until a very smart reader pointed me to a space-saving tool that has vastly improved my cold brew coffee at home.

This small upgrade is cheap, fits in a drawer, and eliminates a big step from my brewing process. And chances are some of you already have one in your kitchen. Here’s the one product that will change how you cold brew coffee this summer.

Use Your Nut Milk Bag for Cold Brew

(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

When we shared our method for big-batch cold brew, Kait W had a brilliant suggestion: “Instead of straining through the cheesecloth after the fact, try putting the grounds in the cheesecloth at the beginning and tie it with a thick string at the top, almost like a giant tea bag, then add to the water.” While I didn’t take her suggestion literally, it did remind me that I already had what was basically a giant, refillable tea bag in my kitchen already: a nut milk bag!

Here’s why a nut milk bag is a game-changer for big-batch cold brew: You can load the ground coffee into the bag, chinch it closed, and dunk the bag into a pitcher of filtered water. Let the coffee brew for 18 to 24 hours and then just pull out the nut milk bag. No straining, no awkward pouring and waiting, and hardly a chance of spilling your whole batch of cold brew all over the floor!

One word of caution: Don’t squeeze the bag too hard to wring it out over the cold brew. This can cause over extraction and add bitterness to your brew.