Food & drink · Coffee
Cold brew concentrate dilution.
Enter the coffee you used and the concentrate you collected, choose a drinking strength, and get the water or milk to add per batch and per cup.
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Your dilution
Enter your batch numbers.
How to dilute cold brew concentrate
Strength of the concentrate = coffee grams ÷ litres of concentrate collected. Dilution factor = concentrate strength ÷ target strength. Water to add = concentrate volume × (factor − 1). Using the volume you actually collected avoids guessing how much water the grounds kept.
Worked example. 200 g of coffee steeped in 1,000 mL of water, 800 mL collected, so the concentrate is 250 g/L. To drink it at 60 g/L the dilution factor is 4.17: add 2533 mL of water to make 3333 mL, or 13.3 cups of 250 mL. Each cup is 60 mL of concentrate and 190 mL of water. The 200 mL the grounds held back is 1,000 − 800.
The default 60 g/L is a common brewing ratio, written as 60 g/L in an article in the Specialty Coffee Association’s 25 Magazine (issue 9), or a water-to-coffee ratio of 16.7. It is a common rule of thumb, not a published standard. Cold brew is often drunk at other strengths and over ice, which dilutes it further, so treat the target as a starting point and change it to taste. Milk works the same as water for the arithmetic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the dilution ratio for cold brew concentrate?
It depends on how strong you made it and how strong you want it. For the example, 200 g in 800 mL collected is 250 g/L; diluted to 60 g/L that is 1 part concentrate to 3.17 parts water.
How much water do I add to cold brew concentrate?
Concentrate volume times the dilution factor minus 1. In the example, 800 mL times 3.17 is 2533 mL.
Why measure the concentrate instead of the water I poured?
Coffee grounds hold back water, so you collect less than you pour. Strength depends on the grams of coffee in the liquid you actually have.
Can I dilute with milk instead of water?
Yes. For the arithmetic milk and water are interchangeable; only the taste differs.
Sources
Opened
- Specialty Coffee Association magazine (25 Magazine, issue 9): Water and coffee acidity: Brew ratio is commonly written as 60 g of ground coffee per litre of water, or a water-to-coffee ratio of 16.7.
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Scope
Brewing arithmetic, not food-safety guidance. Keep cold brew refrigerated and follow the food safety advice for your area.