Can you french press with cold water?

Yes. A French press can brew coffee with cold water, and the method is the same one sold as cold brew: grounds and water go in the carafe, the plunger stays up, and the coffee steeps for hours instead of minutes. Several of the presses in our guide to Best French Press Coffee Makers for Glass and Steel Brewing list cold brew among their uses, so the answer is not a workaround. It is a use the makers describe.

What the makers say about cold brewing

The Utopia Kitchen Borosilicate Glass French Press Coffee Maker 34 Oz lists cold brew in its versatility bullet, alongside tea, hot chocolate and cappuccino. Its brewing instructions cover the hot method only: add coarse ground coffee, add hot water and stir, wait a few minutes, and press. So the maker names cold brew as a use but does not publish a cold brew recipe, a water amount or a steeping time for it.

The Veken 34oz French Press Coffee Maker describes its high borosilicate glass as resisting thermal shock up to 360 degrees Fahrenheit and says the carafe is suited to hot coffee, cold brew or loose leaf tea. The AgcKuzt French Press 34 oz says it is built for brewing both hot coffee and cold brew. The QUQIYSO French Press Coffee Maker lists cold brew among its multiple uses. None of these four publishes a cold brew ratio or a steep time.

The Cafe Du Chateau French Press Coffee Maker is the exception in how it talks about time. Its instructions give 4 to 5 minutes for the hot method, and its feature bullets describe brewing in just 4 to 5 minutes. That figure belongs to hot water. The maker does not publish a cold water time, and this site has not compared one.

Why cold water works in a press

A French press is a carafe, a filter on a rod, and a lid. Nothing in that design requires heat. Hot water extracts coffee faster, which is why the hot method runs minutes, but cold water still pulls flavor out of grounds given enough contact time. The press then separates the grounds from the liquid with the same filter stack it uses for hot coffee.

The filter matters more with cold brewing because the coffee sits on the grounds far longer. The Utopia Kitchen press uses a 4-filter sieve system with an 80 mesh filter. The Veken press uses a 4-layer stainless steel filter with a spiral plate, a cross plate and two fine mesh screens. The AgcKuzt press uses a multi-layer mesh filter and ships with 2 extra screens for replacement. The Cafe Du Chateau press uses a 4-level stainless steel filtration system. The QUQIYSO press pairs a perforated plate with an 80 mesh filter.

If the mesh on an existing press is worn, the replacement screens in our guide to Best French Press Replacement Filters for Standard 34 Ounce Presses are sized for standard presses. The IBETTERN screens are 4 inches in diameter with 100 mesh, and the Ruilida set is also 4 inches in diameter with a 5/16 inch hole. A finer mesh holds back more sediment over a long steep.

Glass, steel and temperature change

Cold brewing does not stress a carafe the way hot water does, but the two temperatures meet when you clean up or when you chill a brewed batch. The Utopia Kitchen maker states its borosilicate glass is made to withstand rapid temperature changes. The Veken maker states its glass resists thermal shock up to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Those are the only temperature figures the two makers publish.

Two presses in the guide avoid glass altogether. The AgcKuzt French Press 34 oz is double-wall stainless steel with a brushed finish, and the maker presents the double wall as heat retention, which is a hot coffee benefit. For cold brewing the steel body simply means no glass to handle. The same maker lists cold brew as a use, so the steel build is not a barrier.

Capacity is worth checking before you commit a batch to an overnight steep. The Utopia Kitchen beaker is 1000 ml and 34 Oz and the maker says it makes 4 cups. The AgcKuzt press is 34 ounces and the maker says it makes 4 to 8 cups. The QUQIYSO press is 21oz. The Veken press is 34oz. The Cafe Du Chateau press is described as a 4-cup press.

How to run a cold steep in a press

Use a coarse grind, the same grind the hot method calls for, because a fine grind will pass through the mesh over many hours. Put the grounds in the carafe, add cold water, stir once, and set the lid on with the plunger raised. Leave it in the refrigerator. Press slowly when you are ready to drink, then pour the whole carafe rather than leaving coffee sitting on the grounds.

No maker in the guide publishes a cold brew ratio, so this site has not compared one. The Veken press does publish exterior ounce markings on the glass carafe, which let you measure water by volume, and it includes a scoop. The Utopia Kitchen press includes a coffee spoon. Those are the measuring aids the makers describe.

Cleanup is the same as for hot coffee. The Utopia Kitchen maker says the glass beaker, plunger and filter are dishwasher safe and recommends hand washing the lid. The Cafe Du Chateau maker says the glass carafe is dishwasher safe. The AgcKuzt maker says its components are dishwasher safe. The Veken maker describes hand washing the carafe and rinsing the plunger and filter.

Where the cold water comes from

Any cold water works. If you would rather not run the tap, a dispenser with a cold spout is one route, and our guide to Best Hot and Cold Water Dispensers for Homes and Offices covers several. The Avalon A4BLWTRCLR lists a cold output with cooling power of 100W. The EUHOMY dispenser lists a cold rate of 2.5L/H. The Brio, Frigidaire and Tehanld models list hot, cold and room temperature settings without a published cold output figure.

Cold press juicers are a different machine and do not brew coffee. Our guide to Best Cold Press Juicers for Whole Fruit and Big Batches covers appliances that crush fruit and vegetables, such as the Ganiza model with a 4.3-inch wide chute and 43-oz capacity or the TUUMIIST model with a 5.8 inch chute and a 300W motor. The word cold appears in both categories, but only the French press steeps coffee grounds in water.

The short version: pick a press whose maker lists cold brew, use a coarse grind, keep the plunger up while it steeps, and press when you are ready. The makers publish the carafe sizes and the filter construction. The steeping time for cold water is yours to set.