cold brew

1 of 2

noun

variants or cold brew coffee or cold-brew coffee

plural cold brews or cold brew coffees or cold-brew coffees

: a beverage prepared by steeping coffee grounds for usually 12 to 24 hours at room temperature or cooler and straining before serving cold

… said he had to stop in and try their coffee, and ordered a cold brew.

—Tim Hawk

After you've steeped and filtered your cold brew you should store it in your fridge.

—Jamie Stedmond

… many cold-brew coffees are offered as a ready-to-drink product …

—Oliver Strand

cold brew

2 of 2

verb

variants or cold-brew

ˈkōl(d)-ˈbrü 

cold brewed or cold-brewed; cold brewing or cold-brewing; cold brews or cold-brews

transitive verb

: to brew (coffee, tea, etc.) by steeping at room temperature or cooler

Examples of cold brew in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Pair the top-notch cold brew with one of the delicious flaky almond croissants made in-house. — Nikkita Nair, Saveur, 10 Sep. 2026

Its 58mm steel flat burrs ensure precision and uniformity, with 41 settings to choose from for cold brew, pour-over, drip, French press, AeroPress and espresso. — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 8 Sep. 2026

Verb

Also on the ground floor is Maven, serving strong espresso and nitro cold brew—plus coffee cocktails worth lingering for. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026

FinalPress is a micro French press made of stainless steel (and zero plastic) that can brew hot, iced, or cold brew coffee anywhere, and comes with a unique bottom-lid ejection system for easy cleaning. — Time Staff, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

2000, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1988, in the meaning defined above