Cold brew concentration is overrated, I actually prefer a weaker ratio

I made cold brew for years doing the standard 1:8 ratio everyone raves about. Last month I accidentally did 1:12 because I misread my notes and honestly? It tasted way better. Smoother, less acidic, and I actually got the flavor notes the beans were supposed to have instead of just bitter mud. Anyone else experiment with weird ratios that worked out?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethanderson1mo ago

The stronger ratios always seemed like a flex to me, like people just want to prove they can handle something intense. But you're not really tasting the coffee at that point, you're tasting extraction bitterness. I switched to a 1:10 and started adding a pinch of salt to cut the acid even more. That was the real game changer for me, the salt lets you go even lighter on the ratio because you don't need the strong brew to overpower the sour notes. The lighter strength also means you can actually drink it black without wanting to add milk or sugar to cover up the mistakes.

derek_dixon781mo ago

The salt thing is interesting but have you tried a tiny bit of baking soda instead? It neutralizes the acid chemically instead of just masking it like salt does. Tastes way cleaner in my experience.