Cold-brewed coffee is one of the best ways to enjoy your caffeine break. Thanks to its lower acidity level and intense aroma, you can spice up this beverage at any moment with either dairy or vegetable-based milk, syrups, and whipped cream.
Most importantly, once stored in a bottle, your delicious cold brew coffee can last for many days in your fridge. If you love cold brew too, and you want to enjoy it anytime you need a break, here you will find all the best tips to store your supply of cold-brewed coffee.
The Cold Brew Process In A Few Steps
The brewing process has a significant impact on the overall taste of your coffee. Similarly, the storing process also plays a major role in preserving your drink’s aroma. For example, you should always use a glass bottle with a lid that can be sealed shut.
How Long Can I Keep My Cold Brew in The Fridge?
“Black” cold brew coffee, with no additional ingredients, can be kept in your fridge for as long as two weeks. It is important to store it in a resealable cap and check if its aroma is still intact every time you drink it.
Nevertheless, if you dilute your cold brew with milk, flavoring, or creamer, your drink’s lifespan will decrease significantly. For example, milk usually spoils after a few days. If you are spicing your coffee up with additional ingredients, you should always read their label to check how long they are supposed to be kept in the fridge.
It is also important to mention that homemade cold brew is completely preservative-free, meaning that you cannot expect it to last for as long as your average ready-to-drink beverage would.
Things to Consider Before Bottling Your Cold Brew
Before you start bottling your cold brew, you should first ask yourself when and where you intend to drink it.
Some bottles and materials are made to preserve drinks’ flavor and keep them fresh for longer. However, if you wish to bring your cold brew with you, you may need a more practical solution.
How to Choose the Right Bottles
Glass or plastic, that is the question. The material of your bottle may alter your cold brew taste, especially if you added milk or other sugar-based syrups.
Plastic bottles are usually cheaper, and they don’t break, so you can potentially reuse them every time you brew some fresh coffee. On the other hand, these bottles are often made of various chemicals, such as the acetaldehyde lining, which can increase the possibility of leaching or make your coffee lose its flavor. Besides, plastic has a more CO2-permeable film, which can impact your beverage’s freshness if you added any dairy-based ingredients.
Glass is surely a more breakable and expensive material. However, it is free from chemicals, such as BPA and polycarbonate, leading to leaching. Most importantly, glass is always a healthier option for all types of drinks and doesn’t affect the taste of your cold brew, regardless of any additional flavoring you may have used.
If you are looking for a way to bring your cold brew coffee with you for a picnic or a long day at work, then plastic is definitely your solution on the go. Otherwise, if you wish to store your coffee in your fridge for more days to enjoy in the coziness of your house, then the glass is the best, long-lasting alternative, which will preserve all your cold brew’s aroma.
The Process of Bottling Cold Brew Coffee?
If you are bottling large quantities of cold brew, you can use a glass bottle with a cheesecloth strapped over its mouth. This will seal the coffee perfectly, preserving its aroma for many days. Besides, the cloth will help you strain your drink during the brewing process and make it less concentrated.
If your cold brew doesn’t contain any dairy-based additional ingredients (for example, cream or syrup), you can also use a French press baker. Otherwise, if you added milk to your coffee, you can pour the beverage straight into a mason jar. Don’t forget to close it with a lid, preferably secured with a rubber band.
Pots and pans are another great solution, especially if you have a huge amount of coffee to stockpile. However, sometimes they don’t come with a proper sealable lid, which means that you won’t be able to store your drink for long.
Further Ways to Store Your Cold Brew Coffee
If you’ve just made too much coffee and you want to store it for at least a few days instead of wasting it, there are some pretty good “last-minute” solutions that you can try.
For example, you can use a teapot (which will then become a coffee pot). Be aware that your coffee’s aroma will spoil pretty soon and that you will need to clean the teapot very well after using it.
Ziplock bags are your very last resort option, although they may be a great idea if you want to freeze your coffee and use it as an ingredient for your recipes.
Last but not least, you can use a soda bottle. If you don’t have the original tap anymore, you can top it with some plastic wrap. Keep in mind that this will work only for small amounts of coffee and preserve the drink only for a few hours.
Bottling and Storing Cold Brew Coffee: A Last Piece of Advice
Cold brew coffee is one of the favorite beverages of many coffee enthusiasts. By making your own cold brew at home, you can save a lot of money and time and prepare as much coffee as you like to share with your friends or to enjoy whenever you want to.
However, bottling your cold-brewed coffee correctly is very important to keep it fresh and smooth. Glass bottles are usually a more practical and environmentally friendly option. The expected lifespan of your coffee will depend on the ingredients you used to make it.