Coffee concentrate is a great way of making a larger amount of brewed coffee in a short amount of time, with minimal effort. While each coffee recipe will yield a brew that is stable in the refrigerator for a few days, it is best to use it as quickly as possible. This is because coffee flavor and aroma starts to diminish as volatile aromatic compounds change, while chlorogenic acids present start to sour and produce bitterness. In addition, unhealthy bacterias will start to form over a period of days.

How to make coffee concentrate

If you’ve ever wondered how to make hot coffee concentrate, we’ve got you covered with some of our favorite methods using an AeroPress.

Ingredients:

• 30 g medium-coarse ground coffee (think Chemex grind)
• 200 to 210 ml hot water (185 to 190 Fahrenheit)

Instructions:

1. Place 30 grams of ground coffee into an AeroPress
2. Starting your timer, pour 120 grams of hot water over coffee, stir rapidly until the timer reaches 40 second
3. At 1:00, flip and plunge for 20 seconds into your clean cup
4. Add 80 grams of water immediately and taste
5. Add 5 to 10 more grams at a time until your cup is the desired strength

How to make iced coffee concentrate

Who says you have to go to your local coffee shop to get the perfect cup of iced coffee? While the cold brew method of making iced coffee concentrate takes a bit of patience, it’s possible to learn how to make iced coffee using both hot water and ice. Just replace the hot water from step four (above) with 80 grams of ice.

This flash-brewed iced coffee concentrate will deliver a brighter and more refined cup compared to cold brew coffee concentrate. You can also make your concentrate ahead of time and add ice when you're ready to drink.

Coffee recommendations for making coffee concentrate

While brewing concentrates won’t necessarily yield the most complex cup of coffee, we’ve picked out our favorite beans for both hot coffee and iced coffee concentrates.

Onyx’s Kenya Gachatha OT-18 is a delightfully complex cup with a base of floral black tea, wildflower honey sweetness, tart stone fruit, and a lingering brown sugar finish that’s the perfect choice for iced coffee concentrate.

Broadsheet’s Finca Buenos Aires is smooth and full bodied with brown sugar sweetness and a lingering taste of tart cherry that’s as expressive as it is approachable.

Portland’s Guatemala is a deep and chocolaty cup with hints of brown sugar and molasses that make this a versatile choice for hot and cold coffee concentrates.

For those who travel a little closer to the sun, Gimme! Darkness has notes of bittersweet chocolate, toasted cacao, and dark sugars that are as deeply satisfying with or without your choice of milk.

Now that you know how to make coffee concentrate, you no longer need to make a trip to the coffee shop down the street every time you want to get a delicious brew. Discover your favorite coffee recipe and begin making hot coffee and cold brew concentrate from the comfort of your own kitchen.