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Cold Brew Ratio

Free Cold Brew Ratio calculator with clear step-by-step results.

About Cold Brew Ratio

Cold brew is usually made as a concentrate and cut before serving, so there are two ratios to keep straight: the steeping ratio that sets the dose, and the dilution that determines what ends up in the glass. Grounds retain slightly more water in a long cold steep, which is why recovered concentrate is well below the water added.

Formulas

Steeping dose

Coffee grams = steeping water / concentrate ratio denominator

Served volume

Served = recovered concentrate x (1 + dilution parts)

Worked example

With the default values below, Cold Brew Ratio returns Coarse-ground coffee needed of 200.0. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Steeping waterminimum 50 ml
1,000 ml
Target concentrate strengthone of 1:4 - very strong concentrate, 1:5 - standard concentrate, 1:8 - light concentrate, 1:12 - ready to drink
1:5 - standard concentrate
Steeping timeaccepts 4–36 h
16 h
Parts water added per part concentrateaccepts 0–5
1

Results

Coarse-ground coffee needed
200.0 g
Concentrate you will recover
580 ml
Volume after dilution
1,160 ml
Servings at 240 ml
4.83 cups

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Steeping dose
  3. 3Served volume
  4. 4Coarse-ground coffee needed= 200.0 g
  5. 5Concentrate you will recover= 580 ml
  6. 6Volume after dilution= 1,160 ml
  7. 7Servings at 240 ml= 4.83 cups

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should it steep?

Twelve to eighteen hours at room temperature, or up to 24 in the fridge. Past that, extraction of bitter compounds catches up with the gentler profile cold brew is made for.

Why coarse grind?

A long steep with fine grounds over-extracts and makes filtration slow and muddy. Coarse grounds keep the cup clean and drain quickly.

Related Calculators

Cold Brew Ratio – Calculate Coarse-ground coffee needed