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How to make a cold brew coffee maker

Make a cold brew coffee maker

Cold brew coffee has become very popular for its complex and rich taste. But the cold brew coffee makers are expensive to buy, considering they have such a simple process. Our guide shows how to make a cold brew coffee maker yourself with just a few simple materials and steps.

What is cold brew coffee?

As with any other method of preparing coffee, it is important to follow some guidelines in order to educate good results. But what exactly is Cold Brew Coffee? And how does it differ from normal iced coffee?

There are some important factors in the preparation of coffee. Two of these are the temperature and contact time of the water with the coffee powder. With these two factors, everything is done differently with Cold Brew than with a conventional filter coffee.

With iced coffee, you make the coffee with hot water and then add ice cubes or chill it. Cold Brew Coffee is very different to this. The water is not hot, but cold. In addition, extraction, i.e. the release of the aromas to the water, takes place over a long period of time at room temperature. The most common recommendation is 12 hours. In the coffee powder are located essential oils and a variety of flavors; the changed temperature and time dissolve different parts than with conventional coffee preparation.

The result is a unique cold coffee that has a different character than its hot counterpart. 

Make a cold brew coffee maker: materials and steps

Make a cold brew coffee maker

The main component is a reusable coffee filter and some kind of holder. We made the holder from an old lampshade, a wooden scraper and a stainless steel coaster.

make a cold brew coffee maker

The lampshade was first processed with the Dremel. We have cut out a strut, the holder for the bulb as well as the lower ring. 

make a cold brew coffee maker

The part was then painted with a spray paint in the desired colour. 

In the next step, a base was milled from a piece of wood. We would probably use a thinner piece of wood if we did it again, for aesthetic reasons!

To get a circular piece, we have resorted to our self-made circular cutter – goes great!  Simply screw the edge cutter into a piece of multiplex, wood or plywood, select the desired radius and attach it to the wood part to be milled with a nail. 

Once in a circle and done. (for stronger wooden parts, it is recommended to work through the workpiece in several steps) it is a good idea to test how it sits loosely.

make a cold brew coffee maker

In order to attach the repurposed lampshade to the just milled base, the next 5 holes have to be drilled, then the lampshade struts can be inserted in to the holes.

make a cold brew coffee maker

We have a stainless steel coaster in the base. Simply work in a cavity with the drill in several steps. Anyway, everything is finally covered by the coaster. 

make a cold brew coffee maker

The bottom of the base was glued with a piece of rubber, but you could use cork or felt, depending on what kind of surface it will sit on. – Apply glue to the full surface, clamp it together, wait patiently.

make a cold brew coffee maker

Round of the corners and edges with a file and then sanding attachment.

Wood oiling comes next, then plugging together and you’re finished… Simple and solid — but elegant — stand to produce cold brew coffee. Fantastic!

make a cold brew coffee maker

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gerhardt-richter Gerhardt Richter is a writer and a trainer at trade technical colleges, specializing in carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and construction.