1. Place one of the Iced Coffee Bags in a clean *container that will hold at least one quart of water. We recommend a one-quart wide-mouth canning jar with a removable plastic lid; of course, the standard wide mouth canning lids will work fine. If you use a different container, you should keep it covered to keep contaminants out.

2. Let the coffee “cold brew” at room temperature for approximately 12 hours. GENTLY agitate the brew 3-4 times during the first 1-2 hours.  If using a canning jar just pivot it side to side a few times. If using a more open style container, use something with a smooth rounded edge such as a wooden or plastic spoon to dunk it 4-5 times. The filter bags are durable, but they are also slightly fragile and will rip when pushed with crisp edges.

3. After 12 hours or so, agitate your Iced Coffee one more time. Wait a moment and remove the bag, hover it over the container if you wish to capture even more of the coffee. Do not squeeze the bag, it will rip.  You may brew longer if you wish!  It will get stronger and contain more acid, but will not affect the flavor.

4. You will notice the water level dropped considerably! Do not worry, simply refill with cold water. IF you used a container larger than 1 quart, add 1 cup back for the standard strength bag and 1-1/2 cups of water to the brew for the concentrate bag. You are now ready to fix your iced coffee the way you want it!

5. Following is an example of how we make it**.   Since the mixture is already cool, you do not have to over-dilute your coffee with too much Ice. Personally I fill a glass ½ full of Ice, then fill it 1/4 full of milk, and finally top off with coffee. However, you may find this too strong for your liking. You may want to dilute the coffee a bit more. Leave some space in your glass so that it you may dilute it or make it stronger. Once you figure out what is right for you, things will go quickly!

6. ENJOY your coffee. The left coffee will keep up to 2 weeks in your refrigerator without flavor loss. Therefore, you may brew ahead.

What about using these for Potless Hot Coffee?

We experimented with this and had mixed results so we are not promoting them extensively as a way to make hot coffee. The problem we found is that because our coffee is so fresh, it emits a lot of gas when exposed to water. The gas fills the bag and does not allow coffee to brew properly so it requires constant attention.   We do think they are viable for camping or other needs when no other brewing method is available, even though they may not be cost efficient. When making Hot Coffee, it is best not to expose grounds to hot water for more than 4 minutes for the best flavor. You will notice the coffee bags we sent you have several pinholes in them; this is to help the gas escape.

To make hot coffee, use the water amounts for Iced Coffee and bring it to a boil. Use 48 ounces of water for the concentrate bags. REMOVE the boiling water from heat. Add a filter bag immediately and submerge it with a SMOOTH rounded edge. You will see the bag almost instantly fills up with gas. You must GENTLY try to keep the bag submerged as much as possible without ripping it. After 4-5 minutes, remove the bags, DO NOT ADD MORE WATER!

Even a 10-minute soak should produce better results than almost any other commercial coffee with a 4-minute soak. Naturally, you may use even more water with a longer soak. However, your coffee will become cooler the longer it is off the heat. Never reheat any coffee and expect it to taste good. Reheated or over brewed coffee releases foul tasting flavors that are not enjoyable to most palettes.

NOTE: IF we forget to put pinholes in your bags, it is not necessary for Iced Coffee, but for hot coffee, they must be there. Simply use a small sewing needle or a small safety pin to poke 20-30 holes per side. DO NOT USE A PUSH PIN – grounds may escape.

*Make sure the opening of the container is large enough.  You do not want to risk tearing the filter bag when removed. The one-quart wide-mouth jar is barely large enough for bag removal. The coffee bag will expand as it absorbs about 1 cup of liquid with the standard strength and 1-½ cups with the concentrate.   If you do not have a wide-mouth canning jar, we recommend a container or picture that holds more than the 32 oz of liquid so that it can be gently agitated during the brewing process.

**Please note, if the standard strength is too strong for your taste, have no fear, you may just add more water or milk to your taste. We recommend you do this in your drinking vessel. You can always dilute to weaken, but you cannot re-concentrate it.