What is the best way to cold water brew coffee in a toddy?

The only “toddy” that I know is a drink, not a container. What are you referring to?

I absolutely do not understand the question – but as a curious coffee drinker, I look forward to the replies.

I don’t know what a “toddy” is, but my mother used to cold water brew coffee this way. After a while (several hours or overnight) she’d drain it off and put the concentrated coffee in empty liquor bottles with the corks on. Then she’d put it all in the fridge. To make coffee, she’d pour a jigger of coffee in a cup and fill it up with boiling water. Folks raved about my mom’s coffee.

Her “Toddy” if that’s what it was, was made of glass, and it was rather large. The one I just found on the internet is plastic. Plastic can harbor smells after time.

I love it, but I didn’t bother with buying a toddy maker. I just use a quart container & a strainer. Then strain again thru a coffee filter. Mine works out to a concentrate that’s about 3 parts water to 1 part concentrate for hot coffee. More like ½ & ½ for iced coffee since I allow for the ice melting.

Yes, since no heat is applied there’s much less acid & it’s very smooth while still having a strong coffee flavor.

The one most people seem to use is toddycafe.com

@snowberry Did your mom just put a handful of beans in a bowl or use ground coffee? This idea sounds very interesting. Since being in Europe, I am very disappointed in my coffee. The coffee out of machines at the train stations was better than mine and I try and I try.

As I recall, she used ground coffee (she said that a certain grind made the best cold brew). It sat in a wide bowl with the grounds in the bottom. It seemed to have maybe two layers of containers that the brew worked through as it was filtering before decanting. The coffee grounds sat on a large plate with holes in it, which had a flat paper filter. I seem to remember it was all made of glass, but maybe it was really clear plastic, but it sort of looked space age. It had a cork in the bottom so the coffee could drain right out when it finished brewing.

The one recommended by the folks at Cooks Illustrated mag is called the Hourglass Coffee Maker.

They do extensive testing on all aspects of food, recipes, and various pieces of related kitchen equipment and, according to them, this really cuts down on the acidity as well as the caffeine levels of coffee.

Depending upon how strong you prefer your coffee, the steeping time is between 12–72 hours.

www.hourglasscoffee.com

I grind my beans fresh, just slightly rougher than regular grind (makes straining easier too.) About 24 hours, give or take.

Wow you guys have just reinvented the wheel for me. Thanks!

So @netgrrl You put coffee grounds in water in a quart sealer? I’m going to try it but I’d like to not spend money!

I started out with a glass juice container but I broke it. After that I just used a plastic drink container. Only use it to brew coffee. Wash it w bleach occassionally to get rid of stains.

I’ve had coffee brewed in a toddy. No thanks.

@netgrrl How much ground coffee do you put in a quart container?

The accepted amt is a lb of ground coffee in a quart container, I think. I found by experimentation I could use more like ¾ of a lb & I was quite happy with it.

Well just to update, I tried this last night. I didn’t get to read @netgrrl‘s response before I made my brew, so I ended up using ½ cup of ground coffee in 1.5 quarts of water. I left it over night in a plastic container in the fridge. I filtered it this morning using a plastic mesh filter (don’t have any paper filters). The result was delicious, but a bit cloudy and nowhere near strong enough for me. You could drink it neat without diluting, so would be great for iced coffee but personally I like it hot. Next time I would use more coffee and leave it for longer to make it more like a concentrate, and I’m going to buy some paper filters to reduce the cloudiness.

Otherwise I really like it! A smooth, yet rich and almost chocolaty flavour. You definitely don’t need to spend the money on a toddy (although I would love to compare my home made brew with a toddy brew, just out of interest). As for reduced caffeine content, I’m not so sure – my heart’s still pounding like a jack hammer!

So does this method use more or less coffee?

Definitely less, as the resulting concentrate goes pretty far and can be kept in the fridge for up to six weeks.

I only have coffee beans so am definitely going to buy some ground next time I’m out.

Mine doesn’t steep in the fridge – I leave it for 24 hrs on the kitchen counter, with the cover or a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the jug. Recipes I’ve read leave it out well. I’d think staying kn the fridge would slow the steeping process.

But you’re right – it does last a long time in the fridge. I’ve never tested 6 weeks, but only because I run out before then.

I have thought about making coffee ice cubes and storing them in the freezer.

@netgrrl That makes sense. I followed a recipe online for iced coffee so that’s probably why it specified putting it in the fridge. I wasn’t sure whether to or not, but I’ll take it out now that you’ve added your thoughts. Thanks!