Cold press while there's still snow on the ground?! Amateurs, cold press all the times...

I won a Toddy cold press maker from Peace Coffee at a Heavy Table event once. When I went to pick it up, the marketing manager Mel told me it was going to change my life.

It did.

This cold press coffee is the best coffee I’ve ever made at home. Inherently, I find that cold press is always smoother, richer and less bitter because the brewing process is done without heat. That’s science. And that's why I drink it all year.

It’s awesome to have the ideal equipment, but you don’t need a special toddy filter to make cold press. It’s very simple and if I'm making a smaller batch I'll just use my French press for the whole thing.

Perfect DIY Cold Press Coffee

Makes about 7 cups and it keeps in the fridge for two weeks.

Ingredients

• 6 cups of coarsely ground coffee
• 7 cups of water
• A big pitcher or carafe
• Filter: could be a French press, regular coffee maker (pour it through the filter slowly without turning it on), cheesecloth, the Toddy contraption, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Alternating between water and coffee, pour everything into the pitcher and very gently stir to mix.
2. Let it sit for at least 12 hours at room temperature.
3. Filter your sludge into a flavorful caffeine treat.
4. Stick it in the fridge and drink it for up to two weeks!

P.S. This photo is by Smitten Kitchen, who had this great idea to throw $2 or $3 into a jar for every cup of cold press made at home and then use the money for some kind of awesome splurge at the end of the year. I'm on board with that.