Cold brew recipe for five 8 oz glasses: about 99 g of coarse ground coffee to 789 g of cold water (a 1:8 concentrate). Steep 12 to 18 hours in the fridge or on the counter, strain, then dilute 1:1 with water or milk over ice.
The difference in one sentence
Iced coffee uses heat and a few minutes to extract the coffee; cold brew uses time instead of heat. Everything else, the taste, the convenience, how long it keeps, follows from that one choice.
Hot water pulls flavor out of coffee quickly, including the bright, fruity, sometimes sharp compounds that make a hot cup lively. Cold water extracts much more slowly and pulls out less of those, which is why cold brew needs so many hours and why it tastes softer.
That also explains the practical differences. Iced coffee is a single serving you make on demand. Cold brew is a batch you make ahead, and because it was never hot, it does not develop the stale, cooked taste that chilled hot coffee picks up in the fridge.
Side by side
| Iced coffee | Cold brew | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Brewed hot, then cooled, ideally directly onto ice | Coarse grounds steeped in cold or room temperature water, then strained |
| Brew time | 3 to 5 minutes | 12 to 18 hours |
| Typical ratio | 1:15, counting the ice as water | 1:8 concentrate, diluted about 1:1 |
| Grind | Medium to medium fine | Coarse, like a French press |
| Taste | Bright, aromatic, closer to a hot cup | Smooth, round, heavier, chocolatey with darker roasts |
| Acidity, in plain terms | Tastes brighter and tangier | Tastes mellower and less tangy |
| Caffeine | Depends on the ratio | Depends on the ratio and how much you dilute it |
| Keeps in the fridge | Best fresh, fades within a day or two | Concentrate holds up well for several days, generally up to about a week |
| Equipment | Any hot brewer plus ice | A jar or pitcher and a filter |
| Planning ahead | None | Start the night before |
When people say cold brew is "less acidic", they usually mean it tastes less sharp and sour, and that is what we mean here too. It is a description of flavor, not a claim about how it affects your body.
What about caffeine?
You will see confident claims that one has much more caffeine than the other. The honest answer is that it depends almost entirely on the recipe.
- Cold brew concentrate is made with a lot of coffee, often 1:8 or stronger, so undiluted it is potent. Once you dilute it 1:1, it lands closer to a regular cup.
- Iced coffee brewed at 1:15 is about the same strength as a normal hot cup, just colder.
- Cafe cold brew may be served stronger or weaker than either, depending on the shop's recipe and how much ice goes in.
The practical takeaway: if you want a stronger drink, use more coffee or dilute less. The method matters far less than the ratio.
How to make each
Iced coffee, brewed onto ice
For one tall glass, put 180 g of ice in your carafe, then brew 30 g of coffee with 270 g of hot water directly over it. Grind slightly finer than usual. Swirl until the ice is mostly melted and pour over fresh ice. Full details, including the drip machine version, are in our iced coffee guide.
Cold brew concentrate
- Combine 100 g of coarse ground coffee with 800 g of cold water in a jar or pitcher. That is about 1 and 1/4 cups of coffee to 3 and 1/3 cups of water.
- Stir so every ground is wet.
- Cover and steep 12 to 18 hours. In the fridge, go toward 18. On the counter, 12 to 14 is usually enough.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer, then again through a paper coffee filter for a cleaner cup.
- Serve 1:1 with water or milk over ice, and adjust to taste.
Mistakes that make both taste worse
Whichever you choose, a few habits account for most bad glasses of cold coffee.
- Pouring regular strength hot coffee over ice. This is neither method. The ice melts into it and the result is weak and watery. Brew double strength onto ice, or make cold brew.
- Grinding cold brew too fine. Fine grounds over many hours give a bitter, muddy concentrate that is hard to strain. Cold brew wants a coarse, French press grind.
- Serving concentrate undiluted by accident. A 1:8 concentrate is meant to be cut with water or milk. Straight, it is intense, and much stronger than a normal cup.
- Keeping iced coffee too long. Hot brewed coffee that has been chilled loses aroma quickly. Make it fresh, or switch to cold brew if you need it to last.
- Stirring granulated sugar into a cold drink. It will not dissolve. Use simple syrup, or sweeten iced coffee while it is still hot.
When to choose which
Choose iced coffee when
- You want a cold drink right now and did not plan ahead.
- You like bright, lively coffee and want the iced version to taste like your hot cup.
- You are making one or two servings at a time.
Choose cold brew when
- You want a week's worth of iced coffee ready in the fridge.
- You prefer smooth, low bitterness coffee, or you usually add milk.
- You are hosting and want a pitcher everyone can pour from.
- You like darker, chocolatey flavors. Cold brew rewards medium dark and dark roasts.
A good routine for a New Jersey summer: keep a jar of cold brew concentrate in the fridge for busy mornings, and brew a glass onto ice on weekends when you have five extra minutes and want something brighter.