Cold Brew Concentrate Ratio Calculator
Brew cold-brew concentrate with the right coffee-to-water ratio, then see how many diluted cups it yields once you cut it with water or milk.
How it works
Coffee (g) = water ml ÷ ratio · Concentrate ml ≈ water − 2 × coffee grams · Diluted = concentrate × (1 + dilution)
Cold brew is made by steeping coarse grounds in cold water for 12 to 24 hours, and it is usually brewed as a concentrate so it stores compactly and you dilute to taste. The coffee-to-water ratio (by weight) sets the strength: 1:4 to 1:5 gives a punchy concentrate you cut with water or milk, while 1:8 lands close to ready-to-drink. Remember that the spent grounds soak up roughly twice their weight in water, so a batch yields a bit less liquid than the water you started with — this tool accounts for that when it estimates your finished cups.
Worked example
You brew with 4 cups (about 946 ml) of water at 1:5. Coffee = 946 ÷ 5 = 189 g (about 36 tbsp). The grounds hold back roughly 378 ml, leaving about 568 ml of concentrate; diluted 1:1 that is 1,136 ml, or roughly 4.8 eight-ounce cups.
Frequently asked questions
What grind should I use for cold brew?
Use a coarse grind, similar to raw sugar or French-press coffee. Fine grounds slip through the filter and make the brew muddy and over-extracted (bitter), while a coarse grind extracts slowly and cleanly over the long steep and strains out easily.
How long should cold brew steep?
Twelve to eighteen hours at room temperature or in the fridge is the sweet spot for a 1:5 concentrate. Shorter steeps taste weak and sour; much longer can turn woody and bitter. Once strained, cold-brew concentrate keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Is cold brew stronger than regular coffee?
Concentrate is far stronger before dilution, but once you cut it to drinking strength the caffeine is roughly comparable to regular coffee — it depends entirely on your dilution. Cold brew tastes smoother and less acidic because the cold, slow extraction pulls fewer bitter and sour compounds.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.