As a ministry leader you probably make a lot of coffee. I found using the Toddy Coffee Maker is the easiest way to make the most coffee with the least amount of mess, fuss and clean up. And the coffee tastes better!
The Toddy Coffee Maker is a cold brew system. As they say on their website (and proven true in my experience): “By extracting the bitter acids and oils that other brewing methods leave behind, the Toddy Cold Brew System produces a smooth, low acid concentrate ideal for hot or iced coffee or tea.”
Using the Toddy Coffee Maker does require advance planning, but it takes the least effort — especially on the day of the event when you are typically most pressed for time.
Grind, Wet, Wait
- Plan to make your coffee concentrate 1-2 days before the event. Since the coffee concentrate stays fresh for 2 weeks in the refrigerator, you can make it several days in advance, but you have to refrain from drinking it.
- Buy 12-16 ounces of coffee (depending on your maker). My older Toddy holds 16 oz. of ground coffee and 9 cups of water. The newer models have conformed to the ever-shrinking package size and hold 12 oz. of coffee and 7 cups of water.
- Grind your coffee using the setting that gives you the coarsest grind possible. If you have the store grind it, ask for the “coarsest grind possible, like an old-fashioned percolator”. While you can use finely ground coffee, it will clog your filter faster.
- Plug the drain hole in the brewing container with the stopper.
- Wet the (reusable) filter and place the filter in the brewing container.
- Add 1 cup of water BEFORE adding coffee grounds. Do NOT skip this step as you’ll clog your filter and will have difficulty draining the finished coffee. Trust me, you’ll only skip this step once!
- Next add half the ground coffee.
- Slowly pour half the water over the grounds in a circular motion to make sure all of them get wet.
- Add the other half of the coffee.
- Slowly pour in the rest of the water.
- DO NOT STIR. Stirring will clog your filter. If some grounds clump and resist wetting, gently press them straight down with the back of a wooden spoon to wet the tops. Try to disturb the coffee as little as possible.
- Let stand 12-24 hours depending on your taste. The longer you let it stand, the stronger and richer the flavor. I prefer to let it “brew” 24 hours, but a 12-hour brew will taste great, too.
Drain
- Remove the stopper and let the coffee concentrate drain into the decanter. This may take 15-30 minutes depending on the number of times you’ve used your filter.
- When done draining, rinse the filter in hot water until the water runs clear. (DO NOT USE SOAP as you will never get the soapy taste out of the filter.)
- Store the filter in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you want to use it again.
- Eventually the filter will become clogged with coffee dust and refuse to drain. When you notice it begin to drain too slowly, replace it with a fresh filter.
Dilute
- What you have now is very strong coffee concentrate. My Toddy makes about 8 cups of coffee concentrate – enough to make about 4 quarts of coffee.
- To drink it, you need to dilute it with hot water. I prefer the ratio of 1 part coffee concentrate to 3 parts water. You may want to go 1:4 or 1:2 depending on your tastes.
- Using a 1:3 ratio, you need 1 cup of coffee and 3 cups of hot water for every quart of finished coffee.
Let’s say you want to make 2 quarts of coffee for your event. On the day of your event, heat 2 quarts of water. Pour 2 cups of coffee concentrate into your airpot, then add 6 cups of hot water.
Presto! Two quarts of delicious coffee and all you have to do the day of the event is heat water in a kettle.
Please email me and let me know how this worked for you or ways you changed and improved it.
Resources:
Toddy Coffee Instruction Manual
On this 2020 review of cold-brew coffee makers, Toddy came out #1 on taste.
Note: These opinions are my own. Toddy Coffee did not ask for a review nor do I receive any compensation from them. Toddy cold-brew system simply makes my life easier.