My technique involves steeping 2 scoops of coarsely ground coffee in 2 cups of cold water overnight.
You will need to decide how to strain the resulting mess -- I mean mass. I use a press, but you could use a coffee filter set in a strainer or similar holder, or whatever method you use for straining fresh cheese. A paper towel will work in a pinch.
In a pinch, I have used a strainer lined with a coffee filter. Place the strainer over a bowl with a spout. Put your filter in (or a double layer of cheesecloth). Allow for a teaspoon for each cup of coffee you want, plus two extra for the pot (instead of the usual one). Pour enough boiling water straight from your kettle to wt the coffee grounds. Let this sit for a minute. Then follow with the rest of the boiling water, taking care that you do not over-fill above the level of your filter so that you don't get grounds into your finished coffee. Transfer to a carafe or decorative coffee pot.
I think the best way is to make cold brewed coffee; it's less bitter than cooled hot-brewed coffee and has a fresher flavor. Combine fresh grounds and room temp water, with a 1:4 ratio of coffee grounds to water (it's really easy to just make this in a lidded mason jar). After stirring well, leave for 12 hours or overnight at room temp. Strain, and chill! You can mix up to equal parts coffee concentrate and water to make cold coffee, though I often make it stronger. :)
The stuff you've just made would be the coffee concentrate... You could totally drink it without diluting it, but you might be awake for the rest of summer.
You can make cowboy coffee. Simply put your coffee grounds in almost boiling water and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes and strain through a coffee filter. It is really delicious.
Perhaps you should make it like a french press? Use a coarse grind and soak the coffee in very hot water. Instead of plunging it after the coffee is brewed, you can pour it through a fine sieve o separate the grounds. Or, you could pour it through a coffee filter too but then you'll be missing out on the stuff that makes french press coffee so good!
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Amongst coffee connoisseurs, this is a subject that is hotly debated.
A good overview from one of my favorite suppliers and renown coffee experts:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/library/tinyjoy/august-2011-cold-brew-experimentation
My technique involves steeping 2 scoops of coarsely ground coffee in 2 cups of cold water overnight.
You will need to decide how to strain the resulting mess -- I mean mass. I use a press, but you could use a coffee filter set in a strainer or similar holder, or whatever method you use for straining fresh cheese. A paper towel will work in a pinch.
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