Coffee Concentrate

Coffee concentrate is handy to have around if you can't stand instant coffee, or there's no coffee maker in that cabin you rented, or for the occasional coffee-drinking guest. It's a bit messy to make and it uses more coffee per cup that the usual methods. But the result is as good as you make in your coffee maker, perhaps better if you usually make coffee in a percolator.

Yield: about 14 to 16 ounces of liquid, enough for 7 or 8 cups of coffee

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound coffee, regular grind
• 2 cups cold water

Instructions

1. Put water and coffee into a quart glass jar. Stir. Cover and chill for 24 to 48 hours.
2. Strain through a coffee filter into a clean container; this will take a while. Stir up the grounds now and then, press them a few times, and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the filter. Discard grounds. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
3. For hot coffee, add 2 tablespoons concentrate per 3/4 cup almost boiling water. Add a teaspoon more if it's not strong enough for you.
4. For iced coffee, 2 tablespoons concentrate per 1/2 cup water and add ice.

Attribution

Adapted from Cooking with Coffee by Carol Foster, & MFK Fisher.