Traditional grind is too fine for cold brew, resulting in quite the annoying debris and sediment in your cup. This is why many people would invest in a grinder just to level up that grind size game.
However, if you want to take the guesswork out of grinding your own beans while also ditching them coffee filters, I’ve compiled this list of the best coarse ground coffees for optimal cold brew extraction.
Best Coarse Ground Coffee For Cold Brew
Many brands I’ve come across would get the grind size right, but then throw everything else out the window. Which is why, I’ve deep dived into each of the handpicked coarse ground options, rating them based on taste, strength, freshness, packaging, and popular reviews.
1. Bizzy Organic Cold Brew Coffee, Smooth & Sweet Blend
You can never go wrong with Coarse ground coffee that was ‘engineered’ for cold brewing.
This coffee is a bit of a fan favorite, providing consistent quality at an affordable price.
According to the company, a lot of work has been put into Bizzy’s cold brew coffee grounds to make them perfect for cold extraction.
The coffee beans are USDA Organic and 100% Arabica beans, sourced from central and south america, more specifically from Guatemala, Peru, and Nicaragua, then processed and packaged in the USA.
The beans are coarsely ground, medium roasted, and the taste is smooth, and refreshing.
This coffee is definitely on the stronger side, and the beans freshness seems to last, so if you aim for maximum cold brew extraction, prepare for a kick in the mouth with every sip.
You will also notice some notes of caramel and hazelnut, and you don’t really have to add anything to this blend.
But if you’re a bit of a cold brew snob like me, feel free to experience with your favorite concoction!
2. Stone street cold brew coffee
Stone street coarse ground coffee is another great option for cold brew. It’s a dark roast made from ‘supremo’ colombian single-origin Arabica beans; Supremo signifying coffee beans that are larger in size and fuller in flavor.
For cold brew, It is recommended to steep Stone Street grounds for a maximum of 20 hours, the resulting taste is rich, less bitter and lower in acidity with notes of chocolate and nuts.
It’s definitely a delicious option, the flavor is decent and that doesn’t have that artificial aftertaste.
Definitely less strong for a coffee aficionado, and slightly sweeter as compared to its peers.
I would be extra careful with the cold brew process as many customers have reported that the grind size can be uneven at times and might result in some coffee sediment.
This could be related to a specific batch and doesn’t take anything away from the quality of this cold brew coffee.
One last thing to note here is Stone Street’s premium packaging. you could tell, a lot of thought was put into the 3 layered zip lock bag, which also includes a one way valve to keep the grounds fresh for as long as possible..
3. Starbucks Sumatra Dark Roast
If you like your coffee strong, Starbucks Sumatra definitely fills the bill.
This treasured blend is made from single origin arabica coffee beans sourced from the large Asia-Pacific region and manufactured in the united states, beans imported from this region are known to be uniquely bold and flavorful.
The coffee grounds are also coarse enough to extract a cold brew cup with full body flavor.
The resulting cuppa has a robust taste and contains hints of rich herbs and rustic spices.
One important thing I would recommend is to store this coffee in an airtight container, because the packaging, while decent looking, is made from silicone rings that are a tad bit too thin for a tight seal.
This will result in your coffee losing its freshness faster than usual unless you store it properly.
4. Gevalia French Roast Dark Roast
A veteran of the field, Gevalia is a strong contender here with their French roast dark roasted coarse grounds.
It’s made from 100% Arabica coffee beans sourced mainly from kenya, guatemala, and papua new guinea. The beans are then slow roasted, and ‘snap cooled’; A process of instantly Chilling the roasted grounds in order to lock in aroma.
Gevalia coffee is really popular among coffee lovers. In fact, the brand was founded in 1853 and continues to provide consistent quality.
This coffee is surprisingly quite versatile, and the taste remains rich and flavorful whether you like your cold brew on the stronger side or not. It’s just a matter of perfecting the making process.
That said, many people do make note of the difference in taste noticed in some delivered Gevalia products, but it could be related to specific batch.
5. Coffee Co. French Vanilla Flavored Coffee
If you prefer a hint of vanilla in your cold brew, this is a great option.
And although the vanilla flavor is subtle, this coarse ground coffee definitely delivers in terms of balance between sweetness and natural vanilla hints with no artificial aftertaste.
The brand recommends using 3 cups of water for every cup of ground coffee.
The overall resulting flavor is decent, a classic cold brew taste without the surplus of bitterness.
It is great on its own, but can also be paired with creamer for extra flavor.
In terms of freshness, Coffee Co. Specialty cold brew coffee also comes in a resealable bag, which is a plus.
6. Stone Cold Jo Cold Brew Coarse Ground Organic Coffee
Stone Cold Jo is always a great option for coarse ground cold brew coffee, it also stands tall in terms of quality and taste.
The grounds are crafted from USDA Certified organic dark roasted coffee beans. Which are 100% Arabica, attested by the brand to be from the 2% best in the world.
Regarding flavor, this cold brew blend certainly delivers. Providing a silky smooth fresh taste with hints of caramel chocolate grape.
It’s definitely on the sweeter side, less bitter, with a toned down punch.
I wouldn’t recommend it if you like your coffee super strong. I also wouldn’t add additional ice unless you’re a hard core fan. Then maybe play around some more with the ratio until you hit your desired taste.
According to the manufacturing company, the recommended ratio when cold brewing Stone Cold Jo’s coarse grounds is a 4:1 water to ground coffee. This will provide the optimal balance between flavor and acidity.
All in all the coffee tastes fresh. But the brand might need to upgrade the packaging and include a zipper lock.
That being said, I would recommend storing the coarse grounds in an airtight container, away from the sunlight, to keep the freshness degradation at bay.
7. Cold Brew Lab Organic Dark Roast Colombian Supremo Coffee
This is another solid coarse coffee option for cold brew. Cold Brew Lab’s Colombian Supremo is a smooth blend made from USDA organic Arabica coffee beans.
The coarse coffee beans are customized to fit the cold brew extraction process, and they do actually provide a decent tasting cup of joe that’s balanced in bitterness and flavor.
The cold brew isn’t sour either, and leaves little to no residue in the cup.
8. Stack Street Colombian Supremo
From stone street to stack street, we’re still at just the right grind size for cold brew.
Brands naming aside, Stack Street is another great coarse ground coffee made from single-origin Arabica Beans.
Stack street’s grind size is definitely extra large as compared to other brands. Which makes it a good contender in terms of coarseness.
When steeped, the flavor is slightly sweet with no burnt aftertaste.
The bitterness and acidity are also within accepted ranges.
Stack Street coffee also comes in a zip locked package, which is something I root for as it preserves the freshness of your coffee for as long as you’ll be using it.
And that’s it, these are the best coarse ground coffee brands for cold brew available today. f you’re interested in decaf coffee, I have also listed the best decaf coffee beans for cold brew coffee in this article.
Cold Brew Coffee
There is nothing quite like a good cup of coffee. Over 2 billion cups are consumed around the world every day. Coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world after tea, and it isn’t hard to see why. Not only does it taste great, but coffee has been many health benefits as well.
And if you’re hooked on cold brew, you know the process can be quite tricky with some of the smallest intricacies getting in the way and causing unnecessary sediment to your final cup.
Grind size remains such an important factor in coffee brewing. But there are also other parameters affecting your final result.
Basic Cold Brew Coffee Ratio
1 cup of coarsely ground coffee to 2 cups of water is recommended if you’re going to steep between 18 and 20 hours. That said, it really depends on personal taste. You might even add extra coffee because you can’t really go wrong with Cold Brew concentrate that can be later diluted to suit your needs.
Can you use regular ground coffee for cold brew?
Yes, regular grounds will do just fine if you steep your cold brew longer within a reasonable interval, or just use more coffee. It’s recommended to use coarse grounds for optimal extraction as well as the prevention of coffee sediment floating around. But these two reasons can be remedied if you figure out how to make your cold brew stronger and filter out any sediment you might have.
Recommended Steeping Time for Cold brew
A minimum of 18 hours is the recommended steeping time. An overnight soak will generally do great. Resulting in a balanced, smooth cold brew.
As a matter of fact, there is a plethora of different ways to make great cold brew coffee. I’ve been experiencing for too long with different ratios and steeping times. And the thing is, you can’t really go wrong with cold brewing unless you aim for the extremes.
Meaning, there’s definitely no right or wrong way when it comes to making coffee cater to your specific needs.
Just get a good quality coffee, which you can pick from the ones I’ve listed above, and once you cross that off the list.
Get on with it. Literally, you can experience all you want but the rule remains the same:
Steep for too long, you get more acidity. Not long enough, and the resulting cuppa is too watered down.
And If you want a stronger cold brew coffee, use more coarse grounds and less water.
