How much coffee for cold brew depends on the strength you want: about 85 g of coarsely ground coffee per 32 oz of water makes a standard batch, according to Five Star Coffee Roasters.
Strength then comes from the steep time and the grind. The sections below set the ratio, the weight for each batch size and the clock. They sit alongside the wider guide on how to brew coffee at home.
How ratio, grind and time set strength
A cold brew recipe is a ratio plus a clock. Counter Culture notes that brew time depends on temperature and grind size, so the dose, the grind and the steep move together. Changing one is a reason to revisit the others.
Reading the ratio
Recipes write the ratio in opposite directions. INeedCoffee writes a common cold brew ratio with water first, so the larger share is the water. Counter Culture writes coffee first, and its stronger option is 1:4.5 coffee to water. Check which side comes first before you scale any recipe, or you will brew the wrong strength by a wide margin.
Why weigh instead of scoop
Grams are the safer unit. Five Star describes 1 cup (about 85 g) coarsely ground coffee, so a cup is an approximation, and grounds pack differently from bean to bean. Seven Miles shows how the weight method scales: multiply the coffee weight by 15 to get the water weight for a ready-to-drink brew, so 50 g coffee takes 750 g water.
Coffee weights by batch size
The ratios below run from drink-as-brewed to concentrate. Pick the row that matches how you plan to serve the coffee, then size the batch to your container.
| Style | Coffee to water | Weight guide | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-drink | 1:15 | 67 g coffee per litre of water | Pour straight over ice; the lightest dose here, so it suits a first batch. |
| Fridge batch | 1:8 | About 125 g coffee per liter of water | Counter Culture’s starting dose for a liter in the fridge, which it frames as a concentrate. |
| Concentrate | 1:5 | 200 g coffee per litre of water | Brew it strong so it can be thinned when serving; it also saves fridge space. |
| Much stronger | 1:4.5 | Heavier than the 1:5 row | The floor Counter Culture offers for people who want a much stronger brew. |
Ready-to-drink and concentrate figures come from Seven Miles, and the 1:8 and 1:4.5 figures from Counter Culture.
A 32 oz pitcher
For a quart-sized pitcher or jar, use about 85 g of coffee per 32 oz (1 quart) of water. INeedCoffee and Five Star both give this dose, and it is the sensible default if you are not sure how strong you like your cold brew. Stay with it until you have tasted a batch, then move up or down.
A liter in the fridge
Counter Culture puts a liter batch at around 125 g of coffee. That is a heavier dose than the 32 oz batch, so choose it when you want a firm base that holds up to ice and milk. If you plan to drink the coffee as poured, stay nearer the lighter doses in the table.
A gallon for a crowd or a week
Roasted Rooster uses 1 lb of coarsely ground coffee to 1 gallon of water. It warns that the coffee absorbs a lot of the water, so the full pound soaks up part of the gallon. Refill the gallon after removing the grounds. Check this before you buy a container, because the grounds and the water both need room.
Grind size and vessel
Grind sets how quickly the coffee gives up flavour, and a coarse grind suits the long steep. INeedCoffee recommends medium-coarse to regular coarse. Five Star’s picture is easier to hold in your head: a coarse grind similar to sea salt.
Seven Miles asks for a grinder that can produce a coarser grind than a standard espresso grinder. If your grinder is dialled in for shots, it will need to move well coarser, and the guide to Pull Perfect Espresso Shots At Home: The Practical 2026 Guide To Consistent, Café‑Quality Results – Greatnorthernbrewing shows the fine end of that dial so you know what to move away from. Reset the grinder after cold brew before pulling a shot.
Choosing a container
Counter Culture asks only for a sealable vessel. It names a mason jar as one option, and the Toddy Cold Brew System and Hario Mizudashi as purpose-built alternatives. A jar suits small batches because you can see the grounds settle and shake it once. A dedicated brewer suits you if you strain often, since the filter is built in. If your brewer has fill marks, use them: in the INeedCoffee guide, the 32 oz mark is the fill line for 1 cup of coffee.
Steep time
The guides agree on hours rather than minutes, but they differ on where to stop. Treat the range as a way to tune flavour, not as a fixed rule.
- Starting point: Counter Culture suggests about 14 hours in the fridge as a place to start, then adjusting for temperature and grind.
- Balanced cup: Five Star gives a mid-range steep for a smooth, balanced brew, which is the best single target if you want one answer.
- Lighter or bolder: Five Star puts a lighter brew at the short end of its steep range and a bold one at the long end.
- Refrigerated overnight: Roasted Rooster says approximately 16 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Room temperature: Seven Miles steeps its Toddy brew at room temperature for 20 to 24 hours.
Fridge and counter are not interchangeable: Counter Culture ties brew time to temperature, so a fridge batch and a counter batch should not share a clock. Start in the fridge near 14 hours, taste, and let the next batch decide.
Adjusting the next batch
Change one thing at a time so you know what worked. If the cup tastes thin, raise the dose toward the stronger ratio rows before you lengthen the steep. If it tastes too heavy, shorten the steep toward Five Star’s lighter-brew timing rather than cutting the coffee, which keeps the dose consistent across batches. A coarser grind from the espresso setting is a more likely cause of a weak cup than the ratio.
Straining and serving
Strain at the end of the steep, not before. Roasted Rooster recommends a cold brew filter or several layers of cheesecloth, and a filter bag is the easier choice for a gallon batch because the grounds lift out in one piece. A jar batch works well through cheesecloth set over a pitcher.
Serve a ready-to-drink batch over ice as it comes. A concentrate needs thinning before it is drinkable. If you take it milky, the recipe for Make Luxurious Coffee Creamer With Condensed Milk: Easy 3‑Ingredient Recipes & Tips (2026) – Greatnorthernbrewing gives a creamer to stir in.
Frequently asked questions
Can cold brew steep on the counter instead of in the fridge?
Yes. Cold brew can also steep on the counter, but warmer air speeds extraction, so a room-temperature batch needs its own timing rather than the fridge schedule.
Can I measure the coffee by the cup?
Yes, as a fallback. Five Star’s standard batch uses 1 cup of coarsely ground coffee, which it puts at about 85 g. The word “about” is the catch, so weigh the coffee when you want the same result every time.
What is the difference between concentrate and ready-to-drink?
Strength and how you serve it. Seven Miles gives 1:15 for ready-to-drink and about 1:5 for concentrate. Pour the first as brewed and thin the second.
