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

Doing so reportedly replicates the barista quality of a 12-hour cold brew without the wait. —Shirl Leigh january 22, New Atlas, 22 Jan. 2026

And those settings span the entire brewing spectrum, from espresso to cold brew. —Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Jan. 2026

In a coffee truck called Cypress and Myrtle, the husband and wife duo began selling their beans and popular cold brews at the East End Farmers Market. —Amanda Hancock, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Jan. 2026

Like cold brew coffee, cold brew tea is made by steeping tea leaves in cold milk or water for several hours or overnight. —Morgan Pearson, Verywell Health, 16 Jan. 2026

Amavida Coffee Roasters offers cold brew and espresso shots to give you that morning jolt before or after a long walk. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

2000, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1988, in the meaning defined above