
Takes only 45 minutes - Cold Brew Coffee Recipe
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In this article I’m going to talk about two Cold Brew coffee methods - Hario Cold Drip and Toddy cold brew.
Even though both of them are specifically designed for cold brew and coffee is brewed at room temperature with cold water - the difference is huge.
Contents
- Hario Water Dripper Drop - Fastest Cold Brew
- Hario Cold brew - How it works
- Hario Cold Brew - Coffee and the Result
- The greatest pro of this method
- Toddy Cold Brew
- Toddy Cold Brew - Step by step
- Toddy Cold Brew - Grind size adjustment
- Pros of Toddy Cold Brew
- Cons
- Cold brew coffee - taste adjustment
- Cold brew - Overall thoughts
Hario Water Dripper Drop - Fastest Cold Brew

I was surprised before using Hario. They claim in the user manual that the coffee will be ready in just 45-60 minutes. Long story short - it worked. Exceptionally well. To the point when it could be the best option ever.
Imagine this:
- in the morning you pour 50 g of ground coffee (grind size like sugar to the touch or slightly smaller)
- Add water to wet the coffee and mix it well
- Placing the paper filter at the top of it, placing the upper part and filling it with 600 g of water
- And while doing your morning routine - the coffee is ready. Already filtered and can be bottled for work
The flavor is rich and the coffee is clean enough to not filter it with some paper.
But that’s not all. The process is visually pleasing, because it’s transparent. Making it very calm. And the cleaning process is easy. Because the brewer size isn’t huge.
Hario Cold brew - How it works
We have water which slowly drops on a coffee filter which spreads the water evenly through the ground coffee column. And because there is some movement - we have an effective extraction (we dissolve the soluble material on coffee particles). Because when coffee travels through the ground coffee - it becomes a concentrated liquid - coffee.
With time, there are less and less chemical compounds to dissolve and mostly cellulose is left towards the end. So we have an even and efficient extraction. Because fresh water that comes in - dissolves these compounds faster and the rate with which it drops out - allows us to have a high concentration of the liquid inside this “coffee column”.
Hario Cold Brew - Coffee and the Result
I’ve used only espresso roast (though, modern one, pretty light roasted specialty coffee).
There were two variations: Colombia Wush Wush (washed processed) and Ethiopia Guji (natural Processed). The body of the beverage and the aroma - incredible. Definitely low bitterness (which is perceived like sweetness here). And the intensity of the flavor is right where I wanted it to be.
For both coffees I’ve used setting 3.2 on Kinu m47 (or 22 clicks on Comandante c40). Which is a regular pour over grind size. Which is especially useful if you are buying ground coffee and using it for filter / pour over.
The greatest pro of this method
It’s not only fast, it’s usable in everyday life and “painless”. Mainly because of the small dose of coffee that we use, only 50 g. Which for me is enough for 1-2 days. Meaning, I can experiment with the grind size in order to precisely adjust the result.
And the coffee will always be fresh. One day in the fridge - you don’t need to sterilize the vessel to store it.
The ratio is 1:12. Meaning, it’s not a concentrate. After brewing you can drink it straight or add some ice / milk. Overall, it’s a 100% daily driver, because of usability. At least for 1-2 persons. But you can just get a couple of them to make more coffee at once.
Not only for the summer - Hario Water Dripper Drop is a solid recommendation.
Alternative to this is Yama Cold Drip Tower, which is even more visually impressive.
If you have an AeroPress - you can use PUCKPUCK to get a similar style of brewing.
Toddy Cold Brew
Here we have another approach - coffee is immersed in water and the water isn’t moving. So the extraction process is slower. But it still works great and produces super crisp coffee.

Because we have a constant amount of liquid here and it’s not moving - it requires more time to dissolve (extract) the coffee. From 8 to 24 hours. Which makes you plan ahead but has some nice features. Which is - the amount of coffee you get and the time you can store it.
Toddy Cold Brew - Step by step
- The hardest step here is to insert a felt filter which you need to wet
- From there - it gets easier. At the bottom we insert a plug
- Then you can use a paper filter bag or just add the coffee into container
- Add water, cover with the lid and wait 8-24 hours
- Pull the plug by holding the brewer over the glass jar which is included and let it drain for around 5-10 minutes.




As for the paper filter - I highly recommend using it. First of all, it’ll make it easier to clean the felt filter (which can be used up to 10 times). And also, easier to clean the container, because you just discard the ground coffee with the paper.
Toddy Cold Brew - Grind size adjustment
It’s for you to decide how you will adjust it. The more you will brew it - the bigger the grind size should be. To achieve a balanced taste. I’ve used around 1.5 times bigger than sugar (900 microns or 30 clicks on Comandante). But it’s for 22 hours. If you’re going to keep it for 8 hours - use slightly smaller.

But there is a catch. If you don’t use a paper filter - you’re limited with how low you can go with the grind size. So you’ll end up brewing it longer with a bigger grind size. With a paper filter - you can just decrease the grind size and brew faster.
Pros of Toddy Cold Brew
We get a coffee concentrate. Specifically 1:5.6 ratio. Which can be stored in a fridge for up to 2 weeks. Which makes this method perfect for small coffee shops or at home where you don’t want to spend time making coffee everyday - it’s already in the fridge.
The dose of coffee here is 250 g (and 1.4 L of water) or 340 g (and 1.9 L of water).
With 1.4 L of water I’ve got 1 L of concentrate. Which is better to dilute with the ratio 1:2 (one part coffee, two parts of water / milk).
That means, you have at least 3 L of coffee as a result. But compactly stored in a concentrated form to not fill the space. And if you’re going to take the coffee to work or hiking - you can grab a smaller bottle to carry it.
Because it’s filtered extremely well - it will not have any coffee oils. Super crisp, especially good when consumed cold. But you can easily heat it up in a microwave or add some hot water in it.
Cons
At least here, the cost of filters is quite high. So one batch of coffee will cost more than if you brew a regular filter coffee. And you’ll need to wash the felt filter and store it in the fridge.
Taste adjustment
We adjust the extraction in both methods. Which influences the flavor. If coffee is acidic or “watery” - try a smaller grind size next time. If it’s too intense and “overpowered” - dilute it with water or increase the grind size next time.
Overall thoughts on both
It’s just a game-changer to have special equipment for cold brew coffee. It makes it mentally easier to use and the results are predictable and easy to adjust. The process is way smoother than using a french press or jar and then filtering it.
And while Toddy cold brew is probably an overkill for one person - Hario Water Dripper Drop or similar - is the option you will not regret investing in.